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What's Clause 6 on Planning?

The ISO 9001:2015 standard is a set of requirements that set the framework for an organization's quality management system. Clause 6 of the standard addresses planning. We'll give you a brief and easy-to-understand overview of this clause.

Clause 6 of ISO 9001:2015 focuses on planning. The requirements address risk management, the definition of organizational targets, and change management.

The first part addresses how the company needs to engage in risk and opportunity management. ISO 9001 doesn't dictate action to address all risks and opportunities but requires to set up a system of evaluating risks and opportunities in order to make an informed decision as to what (if any) action is needed.

Secondly, top management needs to establish measurable quality objectives and plan how to achieve them. Those quality objectives are basically strategic objectives of the company that are relevant to product and service requirements, as well as customer satisfaction.

Lastly, clause 6 addresses the planning of changes, which has to be done in a systematic manner.

More ISO 9001:2015 Requirements

There are another six clauses in ISO 9001:2015 that contain requirements for a quality management system. For an overview and an explanation of how they all fit together, please see our article on ISO 9001:2015 Requirements.