ISO 9001:2026 clause 10.3: why it is gone and what replaced it

What happened to clause 10.3

In ISO 9001:2015, clause 10 had three parts: a general improvement requirement at 10.1, nonconformity and corrective action at 10.2, and continual improvement at 10.3. Thousands of procedures, audit checklists, and management review templates cite "10.3" for continual improvement, because for eleven years that is where it lived.

In ISO 9001:2026, clause 10 has two parts. The general requirement and continual improvement were merged into 10.1, which now carries the whole improvement obligation: improving processes, products, and services; addressing future needs; and fixing, heading off, or reducing unwanted effects. Nonconformity and corrective action stay at 10.2. There is no 10.3.

Watch it and read the clause guide

Twelve minutes on every 2026 change, from the floor. For what an auditor accepts under 10.2 and what gets reopened, read the clause 10.2 corrective action guide.

Why ISO merged it

The 2015 structure separated "improvement in general" from "continual improvement" in a way that most organizations never found useful. In practice the same evidence satisfied both: corrective actions, management review outputs, objectives that moved. Splitting them created a heading with no distinct content behind it, and auditors ended up asking for 10.3 evidence that was already on the table under 10.1 and 9.3.

The 2026 edition also strengthens the language on evaluating whether improvement actions worked, and it separates the effectiveness of actions taken on risks from actions taken on opportunities in the management review inputs at 9.3.2. Folding continual improvement into 10.1 lines the clause up with that thinking: one improvement requirement, evidenced by results, reviewed by management.

Where the missing clause breaks your system

Search your document system for "10.3" before your next audit. In a recent sweep of one client's QMS, fourteen documents referenced it. Three were on the audit-ready list. Typical locations:

• The continual improvement procedure itself. Usually titled "Continual Improvement (10.3)" or with 10.3 in the scope statement.
• The quality manual's clause cross-reference table, if you keep one.
• Internal audit checklists. A "10.3" section with three or four questions under it.
• Management review minutes templates. "Opportunities for improvement (10.3)" as an agenda line.
• Corrective action forms that route improvement opportunities to a "10.3 log."
• Training slides for internal auditors and new quality staff.
• Objectives and KPI dashboards that label a continual improvement metric with the clause.

The fix is the same in every case: repoint to 10.1, confirm the content still matches what 10.1 now asks for, re-approve, and update the revision record. Do not just find-and-replace the number; 10.1's scope is wider than the old 10.3, so check that your procedure covers the whole of it.

What an auditor will look for under the new 10.1

Evidence of improvement did not change much. How it is asked for did.

1. Improvement is happening, and it is deliberate. Objectives that moved, processes that changed for a reason, products or services that got better. Not a list of things you intend to do.
2. Undesired effects are being corrected, prevented, or reduced. This is the link to 10.2 and to the risk actions in 6.1.2. Show the loop closing.
3. Future needs are considered. The 2026 wording asks about what customers and interested parties will need, not just what they complained about. Tie this to your 4.2 review and your opportunity actions under 6.1.3.
4. Effectiveness is evaluated. "We did the corrective action" is no longer the evidence. "The corrective action worked, and here is the data" is. Expect this question at management review under the revised 9.3.2 inputs.

The procedure that used to say "10.3" can carry all of this. It just needs the right number on it, and one more paragraph on how effectiveness is checked.

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