ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems is the flagship of the ISO standards. The International Organisation for Standardisation estimates that there are over one million organisations certified to ISO 9001 in more than 170 countries. The first edition of the standard was published in 1987, and then fast became the international benchmark for quality management. The standard has evolved over the years to provide better alignment with the needs and expectations of various audiences. The current edition, the 5^th edition of the standard, was released in 2015. This standard can be used by any organisation, regardless of its size, scope, field of business, public or private, to develop and implement a quality management system based on international best practices.

ISO 9001 focuses on driving business results by focusing on customer requirements and the context of the organisation. The standard is based on seven fundamental principles necessary for the success of any organisation or business. These principles form the philosophical basis for the ISO 9001 quality management requirements. The seven principles are the following:

1. Customer focus
2. Leadership
3. Engagement of people
4. Process approach
5. Improvement
6. Evidence-based decision making
7. Relationship management