Combining ISO 55001 with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
ISO 55001 is the standard for asset management. You can combine it with ISO 9001 for quality and ISO 14001 for environment. All three follow the same structure, the High Level Structure (HLS). As a result, you build one management system with shared documents, one internal audit and one management review.
Chapter 4 covers the context of your organisation in all three. Chapter 6 covers planning. You can read which requirements apply per chapter on the requirements of ISO 55001. The official standard is on the ISO page for ISO 55001 .
On this page
Below you can see why the chapters match, which documents you can share and what only ISO 55001 requires. You can also read how a combined audit works. Use the cards to go straight to the section you need.
Why the chapters of the three standards resemble each other.
The shared structureDocuments and processes that work for several standards.
What you can shareThe strategic asset management plan, the lifecycle and the decision framework.
What only ISO 55001 requiresHow an integrated audit works and what you arrange in advance.
Certification in one auditThe shared structure of the three standards
Many modern ISO standards for management systems use the High Level Structure. ISO set that structure down as a common text, Annex SL. As a result, the chapters sit in the same place in every standard. You look up the same number for each standard.
An example makes this concrete. Suppose you have an ISO 9001 system. Chapter 6 there covers risks and objectives. In ISO 55001 you find the same chapter 6, but the content is different. It then concerns risks to your assets and objectives for your maintenance.
| Chapter | ISO 9001 | ISO 14001 | ISO 55001 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. Context | Customers and other interested parties | Environmental aspects and laws and regulations | Assets and interested parties |
| 5. Leadership | Quality policy and responsibilities | Environmental policy and responsibilities | Asset management policy and the role of top management |
| 6. Planning | Risks and quality objectives | Risks and environmental objectives | The strategic asset management plan and risks to assets |
| 7. Support | People, resources and documents | Competence and communication | Data, knowledge and competences |
| 8. Operation | Controlling processes | Operational control and emergency situations | Asset lifecycle and outsourcing |
| 9. Performance evaluation | Customer satisfaction, audit, management review | Compliance evaluation, audit, management review | Measuring asset performance, audit, management review |
| 10. Improvement | Nonconformities and corrective actions | Nonconformities and corrective actions | Improvement and nonconformities |
The chapters are the same, but the content is not. A risk to quality is something different from a risk of a cable failing. So do not simply paste ISO 55001 text into your ISO 9001 manual.
What you can share
Many documents and processes work for all three standards. You only need to set them up properly once. This table shows what gives the most benefit.
| Item | Shared | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Document control (who writes, approves and amends) | Yes | One system, with each document marked with the standard it meets |
| Internal audit | Yes | One audit programme, with auditors who know all three |
| Management review | Yes | One meeting with topics from all three standards |
| Nonconformities and corrective actions | Yes | One register with a field per standard |
| Competences and training | Yes | One matrix with the knowledge each role needs |
| Risk analysis | Partly | The same method, but you score quality, environmental and asset risks separately |
| Policy | Partly | A separate asset management policy is usually clearer |
Take as an example the fictional grid operator Noordvlied. The company has 180 employees and one procedure for nonconformities. A broken switch cabinet falls under the maintenance of the asset. Oil leaking from a transformer falls under the environment. The company reports the incident once, in one register, with a reference to the standard it affects.
What only ISO 55001 requires
ISO 55001 has requirements that you will not find in ISO 9001 or ISO 14001. Three elements are typical of asset management. They shape much of how the system is set up.
The strategic asset management plan
The strategic asset management plan (SAMP) translates the objectives of your organisation into choices about your assets. It states which assets you maintain, replace or take out of use. In the 2024 version it appears in 6.2.1. Read more on the SAMP.
Noordvlied has the objective of limiting power outages. The SAMP translates that into a replacement plan of 40 cable sections per year. That plan then sits in your planning, not only in a policy note.
The asset lifecycle
ISO 9001 looks at the product or service. ISO 14001 looks at environmental impacts. ISO 55001 looks at the whole lifespan of an asset, from acquisition to demolition. You therefore also make decisions about costs and risks over the long term.
A pump bought in 2010 receives maintenance, an overhaul and eventually a replacement. At each point you factor in the cost and the risk. That is the lifecycle approach that ISO 55001 requires.
The decision framework
The decision framework is new in the 2024 version, in clause 4.5. In it you describe how you make choices about your assets. You can read more about the changes on ISO 55001:2024: what has changed?.
Certification in one audit
You can ask your certification body whether it will carry out one audit for several standards. This is called an integrated audit. Kiwa offers a pre-audit or gap analysis for ISO 55001. That way you see in advance what is still missing.
Ask the certification body how many audit days the combination costs. Compare that with separate audits. That helps you avoid surprises. The full audit process is set out on the audit for ISO 55001.
Ask in advance which certificates you will receive, and under which version of the standard. A transition period applies to the 2024 version. Ask your certification body which deadline applies to you.
Frequently asked questions about combining ISO 55001
Can I combine ISO 55001 with ISO 9001 without extra work?
No, it does not come without work. You do share many documents and processes. But the SAMP, the lifecycle and the decision framework you still need to develop in addition.
Do I need ISO 9001 before I can get ISO 55001?
No, the standards are independent of each other. If you already have ISO 9001, you can reuse the internal audit and the management review. That saves time at the start.
Which standard is the best to combine with ISO 55001?
That depends on your biggest risks. Discuss your choice with your certification body.
Further reading
- Combining ISO 9001 and ISO 14001: how you set up quality and environment together
- ISO 55000 and ISO 55002 explained: the other two standards in the family