A.2 Products and services
ISO 9001:2008 used the term “product” to include all output categories. This edition of this International
Standard uses “products and services”. “Products and services” include all output categories (hardware,
services, software and processed materials).
The specific inclusion of “services” is intended to highlight the differences between products and
services in the application of some requirements. The characteristic of services is that at least part of
the output is realized at the interface with the customer. This means, for example, that conformity to
requirements cannot necessarily be confirmed before service delivery.
In most cases, products and services are used together. Most outputs that organizations provide to
customers, or are supplied to them by external providers, include both products and services. For
example, a tangible or intangible product can have some associated service or a service can have some
associated tangible or intangible product.