The four primary standards are ISO 9000: Quality Management Systems - Fundamentals and Vocabulary, replacing ISO 8402; ISO 9001: Quality Management Systems - Requirements, replacing ISO 9001, 9002 and 9003; ISO 9004: Quality Management Systems - Guidance for Performance Improvement, replacing ISO 9004-1; and ISO 19011: Guidelines for Auditing Quality Systems, replacing ISO 19011-1, 19011-2 and 19011-3.
The new standards, particularly ISO 9001, are being designed to be more generic, follow a process-based structure and be more compatible with the ISO 14000 series of environmental management systems (EMS) standards, allowing for integrated management systems.
Under the 2000 drafts, ISO 9001 becomes more generic through the new option of being tailored to omit requirements that don=t apply to an organization or limit the scope of application. This eliminates the need for the less comprehensive ISO 9002 and 9003 standards. In addition, there are no QMS documentation layout or structure requirements.
The new process-based structure, similar to that used in ISO 14001, creates a completely different look for ISO 9001. The 20 elements have been replaced by five clauses containing 24 elements. The two standards are more compatible under this approach, making it easier to integrate management systems and combine documentation.