The impact of the ISO 9001:2015 on the Quality Management System of an Italian University Department

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of the new standard ISO 9001 :2015 on the quality management system (QMS) implemented in the Economics Department of the University of Messina (Italy) in order to assess the benefits that the implementation of the new standard can provide to a knowledge-based organizationo Design/methodology /approach 1432 The research approach used to fulfill the purpose of the study is based on a comparative analysis between the current processes of the QMS and the new requirements of ISO 9001 :2015 in order to identify the changes to be made for the implementation of the new features of the considered Intemational Standardo Findings This paper provides the description of a QMS that can help a higher education institution to improve the level of customer satisfaction and the capacity to ensure the compliance to statutory and regulatory requirements, stressing on the novelties introduced with the ISO 9001 :2015 o Originality /value The results of this study can contribute to spreading the use of the ISO 9000 series standards as a valuable framework to be used for meeting the variegated management needs (quality, environment, health & safety, etco) of the higher education institutions, specifically highlighting the added value associated with the new requirements of ISO 9001 :2015.