ISO 9001:2026 Clause 7: Support
Published October 23, 2026
Clause 7 of ISO 9001:2026 covers what people and processes need to work effectively: suitable resources, organizational knowledge, competence, awareness, communication and documented information. The aim is reliable work supported by the right capabilities and information.
7.1 Provide suitable resources
Determine and provide the people, infrastructure and working environment the QMS and its processes need. Consider the capabilities and limits of internal resources and what must come from outside. Suitable infrastructure can include equipment, software and communication systems, whether people work on site or remotely. Maintain the working conditions needed for conforming products and services. Depending on the work, relevant factors can be physical, social or psychological, such as temperature, a calm working environment or measures to reduce excessive stress.
Provide monitoring and measuring resources that produce valid, reliable results when used to verify conformity. Keep appropriate evidence that they are fit for purpose. Calibration or verification requirements apply when measurement traceability is required or is essential to confidence in results; ISO 9001 does not require every device in the business to be calibrated.
If measuring equipment is found unsuitable, assess whether previous results were affected and take the necessary action. Replacing the device alone may not resolve the effect on products already checked.
7.1.6 Retain, apply and share organizational knowledge
Determine the knowledge needed to operate processes and achieve the QMS’s intended results. Retain, apply and share it to the extent needed. As needs change, consider existing knowledge and how to obtain additional knowledge or updates.
This may include experience held by employees, lessons from previous work, process methods and information in digital systems. For example, a service team could turn recurring troubleshooting experience into a usable guide and mentoring practice before an experienced employee leaves. A document repository helps only if the right knowledge reaches people and is applied.
7.2 Establish and demonstrate competence
Determine the competence needed for people whose work affects QMS performance. Ensure competence through appropriate education, training or experience. Where action is needed, evaluate its effectiveness and keep appropriate evidence of competence.
Training is one option; mentoring, reassignment, hiring or contracting may also be suitable. A course completion certificate can support a competence record, but it does not by itself prove that someone can perform every workplace task. Observation, work results or a relevant practical assessment may be needed.
7.3 Build awareness, including culture and ethical behavior
People working under your organization’s control need awareness of the quality policy, relevant objectives, their contribution to QMS effectiveness and the consequences of not meeting QMS requirements. ISO 9001:2026 also explicitly includes awareness of the organization’s quality culture and ethical behavior.
Make the message specific to the work. An employee should understand why a check matters, when to report a problem and why recording the actual result is important. Awareness is not the same as memorizing the standard or obtaining a personal certification.
7.4 Plan relevant communication
Determine what needs to be communicated internally and externally, when, with whom, how and by whom. A customer specification change, for example, may need to reach sales, planning, operations and the affected supplier before work continues.
7.5 Control useful documented information
Include the documented information required by the standard and what your organization needs for an effective QMS. Identify and review documents appropriately, approve them for suitability, keep them available where needed and protect their integrity.
Control access, distribution, storage, changes, retention and disposal as applicable. Identify and control relevant external documents too. People should be able to find the current instruction; evidence of completed work must be protected from unintended alteration.
The amount of documentation should reflect your activities, complexity and people’s competence. ISO 9001 does not prescribe a particular software platform or a fixed number of procedures.
For the bigger picture, return to the ISO 9001:2026 requirements overview. For structured learning, explore our ISO 9001 online training. Check the standard edition shown on each course page before enrolling.
Based on ISO 9001:2026, Quality management systems — Requirements. Clause 7 explained in practical terms. Use the standard itself for the complete requirements. Examples illustrate possible approaches, not additional ISO requirements.
