ISO 20700, Guidelines for management consultancy services, has just been released. It is the second standard on the subject — the first being the EN 16114 that was released in 2011. It is another indication that standards are moving beyond the “hard” topics of engineering, purchasing support, and material and product specifications. As developed economics move from manufacturing into services, more such standards should be expected.
The ISO 20700 is a guidance document, written for management consultants and their organizations. It is intended on helping you achieve better results from your various projects and reduce risks inherent in the business. Areas addressed include quality, professionalism, ethical behavior and interoperability. It reflects the desire to improve effectiveness and thus accelerate the development of this sector.
The 36-page standard was developed with the support of the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes. It is a consortium of national institutes, all directed to improving professionalism within the consulting community. One important tool for this is developing and maintaining standards.
After discussing the principles that form the foundation of the ISO 20700, the three main parts of the consulting practice are reviewed. These include the initial contract, the execution, and the closure stages. Then a number of Annexes complete the document.
The Annexes cover some of the basics: examples of stakeholder, the basic structure of consulting activities, and so on. But they also contain examples of codes of conduct, guidelines for managing conflict of interest, capability evaluation, risk management, and “pre-assignment” activities. A 17-item bibliography completes the publication.
If you’re a consultant or part of a consultancy, you’ll want this new standard. Purchase an authorized copy at the Document Center Inc. webstore, www.document-center.com. Here is a direct link to the order page for ISO 20700 for your convenience. And go ahead and search for other standards you need from our collection of over 1 million documents!
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