ISO 9000:2015 Terms

The ISO 9001:2015 requirements standard refers to ISO 9000:2015 for the definitions of its terms. The ISO 9000:2015 Fundamentals and Vocabulary document contains 146 definitions.

ISO 9000:2015 dropped 3 terms from ISO 9000:2005, kept 81 terms from ISO 9000:2005, and added 65 new terms beyond those in ISO 9000:2005.

Clause 3 of ISO 9000:2015 is titled, Terms and Definitions. You can view for free the entire clause at this ISO web page. It consists of 13 sections that group terms into the following categories:

3.1 Person or People

For example, Top Management is defined as “person or group of people who directs and controls as organization at the highest level.”

3.2 Organization

For example, Interested Party (Stakeholder) is defined as “person or organization that can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision or activity.”

3.3 Activity

For example, Improvement is defined as “activity to enhance performance.”

3.4 Process

For example, Outsource is defined as “make an arrangement where an external organization performs part of an organization’s function or process.”

3.5 System

For example, Infrastructure is defined as “system of facilities, equipment, and services needed for the operation of an organization.”

3.6 Requirement

For example, Quality is defined as “degree to which a set of inherent characteristics of an object fulfils requirements.”

3.7 Result

For example, Risk is defined as “effect of uncertainty.”

3.8 Data, Information, and Document

For example, Objective Evidence is defined as “data supporting the existence or verity of something.

3.9 Customer

For example, Customer Satisfaction is defined as “customer’s perception of the degree to which the customer’s expectations have been fulfilled.”

3.10 Characteristic

For example, Competence is defined as “ability to apply knowledge and skills to achieve intended results.”

3.11 Determination

For example, Monitoring is defined as “determining the status of a system, a process, a product, a service, or an activity.”

3.12 Action

For example, Corrective Action is defined as “action to eliminate the cause of a nonconformity and to prevent recurrence.”

3.13 Audit

For example, Audit Scope is defined as “extent and boundaries of an audit.”