ISO/IEC 29169, “Information technology – Process assessment – Application of conformity assessment methodology to the assessment to process quality characteristics and organizational maturity,” has just been released. It’s a milestone in the ISO and IEC’s Joint Committee 1 (JTC 1) effort to promote conformity assessment in the world of IT (information technology). The standard promotes the mutual recognition of accreditation, tests reports, certifications, and the registration of recognition of a supplier’s declaration of conformity.
The standard has been developed for the IT community. However, it is also an outstanding review of conformity assessment and the standards that support it. That is, while the document focuses on process assessment as defined by ISO/IEC 33001 and ISO/IEC 33002, it uses the core principles of ISO/IEC 17000 and ISO/IEC 17020 which are applicable across industry.
The ISO/IEC 29169 begins with the usual scope, referenced documents and terms and definitions sections. You’ll then get a thorough (and logical) review of the concepts, functional approach, and general scheme of conformity assessment. As you move into the later sections, the reliance on the IT specific documentation then becomes clear. You’ll see this in the details of Section 7 on requirements, Section 8 on planning and performing the assessment, Section 9 for review and attestation, and Section 10 on surveillance. Section 11 specifically relates the general principles to the specific needs of IT in reviewing the requirements for the operation of the bodies actually performing the inspection. The concluding 16 item bibliography provides information on closely related ISO/IEC standards and other publications.
For those of you in the IT industry as well as organizations who have an IT component in upir products, the ISO/IEC 29169 will be an invaluable aid to understanding what’s involved in conformity assessment of these types of products. You’ll need a copy, and you’ll want to make sure that you get it from an authorized distributor like Document Center Inc.
Search for and order standards at our webstore, www.document-center.com. Here’s a direct link to the order page for ISO/IEC 29169. You’ll have the option of choosing delivery in paper format or for pdf download. Want this standard in an enterprise platform for use by your entire organization? Talk with our staff about our Standards Online cloud solution or the other premium services we offer. You can reach us by phone (650-591-7600) or email (info@document-center.com). We’ve been working with standards since 1982. Make us your Standards Experts!