ISO/IEC 17021-1, “Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems – Part 1: Requirements,” has just been released. This requirements standard completes the migration from the ISO/IEC 17021 to the 7 Part ISO/IEC 17021 series of standards. As such, it cancels and replaces the ISO/IEC 17021 2nd Edition from 2011, which is now obsolete. It is a technical revision.
As the requirements standard, ISO/IEC 17021-1 provides you with the generic requirements for any organization supplying audit and certification services for what’s termed “management system” standards. These standards include the ISO 9001 Quality Standards and the ISO 14001 Environmental standards for example. These bodies that perform this type of certification services may be associated with a national standards body, with a trade association, or may be an independent company.
Who should use the ISO/IEC 17021-1? Naturally, all bodies providing certification services for these management standards must meet the requirements of the publication in order to maintain their status. But the document can also be of great value to companies that use their services. By understanding the baseline requirements for their certification supplier, any company who’s being certified can confirm that they are getting the level of service for which they are paying.
What information is contained in the ISO/IEC 17021-1? The standard starts out with the usual scope, referenced documents, and definition clauses. Next the 56-page publication covers the principles of good certification practices. The next several clauses cover the various requirements: General, Structural, Resources, Informational and Process. The final clause is on management system requirements for the certification body itself. There are 5 Annexes, one of which is required and the other 4 are informational only. And then a 21-item bibliography completes the document.
As a consumer of certification services, you’ll especially appreciate the section on process requirements. This will give you insight into how the audits are conducted, from pre-certification activities to the audit itself and the various appeals and complaint processing mechanisms. Document Center customers who routinely go through certifications have often told us that preparation is the key to a successful audit. Knowing what and how your auditors will be assessing your systems is very helpful in making the process flow smoothly.
What’s covered in the ISO/IEC 17021-1 Annexes? Annex A is required and provides the certification company with the baseline knowledge and skills levels they should be expecting from their employees. Annex B discusses various evaluation methods, Annex C reviews an example of determining and maintaining competence, and Annex D covers “desired personal behavior.” Finally Annex E is a flow chart of the audit and certification process itself, always a useful tool.
What are all the parts for the now-complete ISO/IEC 17021 series? There are 7 parts to this series:
- ISO/IEC 17021-1, Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems – Part 1: Requirements
- ISO/IEC TS 17021-2, Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems – Part 2: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of environmental management systems
- ISO/IEC TS 17021-3, Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems – Part 3: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of quality management systems
- ISO/IEC TS 17021-4, Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems – Part 4: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of event sustainability management systems
- ISO/IEC TS 17021-5, Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems – Part 5: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of asset management systems
- ISO/IEC TS 17021-6, Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems – Part 6: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of business continuity management systems
- ISO/IEC TS 17021-7, Conformity assessment — Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems — Part 7: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of road traffic safety management systems
FYI: A TS is a technical specification.
Now you’ll want to get your copies of these ISO/IEC joint standards. Remember, these are copyright publications and must be purchased from an authorized dealer. Document Center Inc. is such a service, selling ISO and IEC standards since the 1990’s. You can place your order for the ISO/IEC 17021 series online at our webstore, www.document-center.com. They are available in paper format, for pdf download, or as part of our multi-user Standards Online subscription service. Just need the ISO/IEC 17021-1? Here is the link to the order page for ISO/IEC 17021-1. Need more information? Contact our staff by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com). We’re here to help you with your compliance issues. Make us your Standards Experts!