Clause 7.4 of ISO 9001:2015 requires organizations to determine the internal and external communications relevant to the quality management system. The 2015 revision expanded this requirement beyond the 2008 version to explicitly include external communication about the QMS.
What the Standard Requires
Determine the internal and external communications relevant to the QMS, including what to communicate, when to communicate, with whom to communicate, how to communicate, and who communicates.
Best Practices
- Establish clear channels for quality-related communication (meetings, digital notifications, dashboards)
- Communicate quality policy, objectives, and performance to all personnel
- Share audit findings and corrective action outcomes across the organization
- Communicate customer feedback and complaint data to relevant process owners
- Establish external communication processes for customer inquiries, supplier requirements, and regulatory interactions
- Document what was communicated and to whom for audit evidence
Common Pitfalls
- Communication flowing only one direction (top-down) without feedback mechanisms
- Not communicating quality performance data to operational staff
- Failing to share lessons learned from nonconformities across the organization
- Not including external communication about the QMS to customers and suppliers
How Ecesis Helps: Ecesis facilitates QMS communication through automated notifications, task assignments, and centralized dashboards that keep quality information visible across the organization.
Related Ecesis Solutions
Document Management
Version-controlled procedures and records
Audits & Inspections
Schedule, conduct, and track audit findings
Nonconformity Tracking
Report, investigate, and resolve nonconformities
Training Management
Track competence requirements and records
Change Management
Structured review of planned changes
Compliance Obligations
Track requirements and evaluation schedules
