ISO 26262 Edition 3: Standardization Timing, Vocabulary, and Management of Functional Safety
By Johannes Hoffmann, SRES Senior Consultant and Vice-Chair of SCC/TC 22
This article provides an in-depth look at topics related to Functional Safety.
For expert-level training—including certification-based programs—on these topics and more, explore our Functional Safety training. To learn how we support product development, compliance, and organizational safety goals with consulting support, visit our Functional Safety consulting page—or contact us directly.
ISO 26262 Edition 3 – Introduction
ISO 26262 is the functional safety standard for the automotive industry. The first two editions of the standard – typically referred to by their publication years rather than revision numbers – were released in 2011 and 2018, respectively.
Work on Edition 3 began in the fall of 2023. A wide range of change proposals were introduced at the initial plenary meeting, reflecting the extensive use and practical experience with ISO 26262:2018 across the industry. Some of the early proposals were more ambitious than what is currently planned, but that’s a natural part of the standardization process.
This blog provides context on the standardization effort, outlines the motivation behind the blog itself (including acknowledgment of the tremendous work by colleagues), and discusses the timing of ISO 26262 Edition 3 as well as the changes currently planned for Part 1 and Part 2.
Please note: all information in this blog is based on ongoing standardization work and may be subject to change.
A Brief Detour into the World of Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) delegates the development of standards to Technical Committees (TC). Each participating country forms a national standardization body, which in turn establishes mirror committees that align with ISO’s technical committees. These national Mirror Committees (MC) vote on whether new standards should be created, or existing ones revised.
When there is sufficient interest, a Working Group (WG) is formed. Experts from national mirror committees are then nominated to the WG, where they collaborate on developing the content of the standard – independent of national interests.
For more insight and a Canadian example involving the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), see my previous post:
Blog Motivation
There is a certain journalistic motivation behind sharing updates on ISO 26262. As a well-established standard in the automotive industry, ISO 26262 generates significant interest – especially with Edition 3 currently in development. What are the changes? How might they affect organizations and individuals working in the field? I believe it is valuable to provide insight into the ongoing developments, while fully recognizing that details may evolve. At the same time, I fully respect and support the need to protect the confidentiality of ongoing discussions.
A secondary, longer-term motivation is to raise awareness of and engagement with standardization work in Canada, particularly in the Road Vehicles domain. I recently took on the role of Vice-Chair for SCC/TC 22, the Canadian mirror committee for ISO/TC 22 on Road Vehicles.
With this blog, I also want to recognize and thank my fellow committee members – both at the ISO level and within national bodies – for their tremendous dedication. Their countless hours of discussion and review contribute not only to ISO 26262 but to the broader ecosystem of automotive standards. Until becoming involved myself, I hadn’t realized how time-consuming and discussion-intensive it is to create standards that truly reflect the needs and expertise of the industry.
ISO 26262 Edition 3 - Timing
The decision to update ISO 26262:2018 was initiated in October 2023 – five years after the release of Edition 2, as part of ISO’s regular review cycle. As of July 2025, internal working drafts of ISO 26262 Edition 3 are actively being discussed at the committee level. According to the current schedule, the release of Edition 3 is expected around October 2027.
Any future dates shown in the above illustration are highly tentative and may be adjusted as necessary!
Judgement of ISO 26262 Edition 3 Overall Changes
The changes in Edition 3 are evolutionary, not revolutionary. There are no fundamental shifts in the structure or intent of the standard. Instead, updates reflect industry practice (e.g., safety manuals), emerging methodologies (e.g., agile development), the increasing use of open source, and logical content restructuring (e.g., moving safety validation from Part 4 to Part 3).
Many smaller changes have also been made based on accumulated expert feedback.
Mentioning of ISO 26262 Edition 3 Part 1 – Vocabulary
Several new and revised terms are introduced. I’d like to mention two examples:
- Automated Driving System (ADS) – Now formally defined, in alignment with other standards such as SAE J3016 (which introduced the well-known Levels 0 to 5 of driving automation) and ISO/SAE 22736:2021.
- Fail-operational – A widely used term in the industry describing systems that must continue operating even after a fault. This term is now formally defined in ISO 26262 for the first time.
In total, roughly 10 new terms have been added, along with revisions to several existing ones.
ISO 26262 Edition 3 Part 2 – Management of Functional Safety
Several updates have been made to Part 2 to better align it with current industry practices and integrating new standards and methodologies.
- Safety Manual as a Normative Work Product
In ISO 26262:2018, the Safety Manual was only mentioned in Part 11, Guidelines on the Application of ISO 26262 to Semiconductors. In practice, however, safety manuals are widely used across all types of Safety Element out of Context (SEooC) developments. In Edition 3, the Safety Manual is now defined as a normative work product in Part 2. It captures safety requirements, design assumptions, safety mechanisms, and constraints – providing clear and traceable guidance for integration into safety-relevant systems. - Introduction of the Safety Policy
A new work product, the Safety Policy, has been introduced to formalize organizational safety governance. It defines a company’s commitment to ISO 26262 principles, including support for achieving functional safety at the organizational level, allocating necessary resources, and fostering a safety-oriented culture across the organization. - Informative References to Related Standards (SOTIF and ISO 8800)
ISO 26262 Edition 3 introduces informative (non-normative) cross-references to related standards, such as SOTIF (ISO 21448) and ISO 8800. Examples include:- Tailoring SOTIF activities according to the SOTIF lifecycle
- Including SOTIF-related arguments in the overall safety case
- Applying ISO 26262-equivalent confirmation measures to SOTIF activities
- Expanding Annex E to cover how work products across functional safety, cybersecurity, and SOTIF can support one another
This integrated approach reinforces the importance of collaboration across safety domains, including cybersecurity and AI safety.
- Reference to Competence Management (ISO 10015:2019)
Competence management, traditionally rooted in quality management systems, now includes an informative reference to ISO 10015:2019, enhancing guidance on training and skills development for safety-relevant roles. - New Appendix on Agile Development
A new informative appendix addresses agile development as an operational model. As always, ISO 26262 defines what needs to be achieved, not how. This leaves room for applying the standard in agile environments—for example, implementing small feature changes using complete V-cycles within iterative workflows. While this approach has always been compatible with the standard, it is now explicitly acknowledged.
Terminology Change in Part 3
A further change, which impacts Part 2 as well, is the planned renaming of Part 3. Formerly titled Concept Phase, it is now intended to be renamed Product Development at the Item Level. More details on this will be shared in the next blog post …
Disclaimer
This blog reflects both consensus positions from committee discussions and the interpretation of Johannes Hoffmann, member of the Standards Council Canada (SCC), in accordance with ISO’s communication policy.
Working group documents and meeting minutes are confidential and must not be shared externally. The topics highlighted here – and the emphasis placed on them – are based on my personal experience and judgment.
Need Help with ISO 26262?
Interested in training on ISO 26262 or other automotive safety standards?
🔗 Functional Safety Training by SRES
Need direct support or consulting?
🔗 Contact SRES
Have insights or questions? Leave a comment below—we welcome thoughtful discussion from our technical community.
