Organizations have always been faced with making sure that they have the knowledge to carry out the work of the company. Sometimes referred to as “tribal knowledge,” organizations are frequently challenged with the obstacle that there is knowledge within the company that is not passed on or only available to one or a few people. This lack of knowledge could lead to ineffective performance of the quality management system.
To address this concern, the revision of ISO 9001:2015 incorporates the concept of organizational knowledge. This concept was studied and considered prior to the technical experts actually beginning the revision process. During the international survey in 2010, users of ISO 9001 were asked to consider potential concepts that might be incorporated into a revision. The concept of knowledge management was one of the areas where users saw a need for requirements in ISO 9001. This feedback evolved into the requirement of organizational knowledge. While organizations have always had to plan for these types of situations, ISO 9001:2015 now requires that this situation be managed. Annex A.7 in ISO 9001:2015 emphasizes that the reasons that an organization may need to acquire knowledge potentially related to staff turnover or not capturing or sharing information.