Certification

An effective management system is an essential business ingredient and having it certified to a recognized standard can bring a number of benefits. Now, the certification process is even better with a new standard for auditors and certification bodies who certify to ISO’s management system standards.

ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015, Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems, Part 1: Requirements, relates to the competence of certification bodies themselves and their auditors. It applies to the auditing and certification of all types of management systems in order to increase their value to public- and private-sector organizations worldwide.

Certification of a management system, such as the environmental management system, quality management system or information security management system of an organization, is one means of providing assurance that the organization has implemented a system for the management of the relevant aspects of its activities, products and services, in line with the organization’s policy and the requirements of the respective international management system standard.

ISO/IEC 17021 specifies requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems. It gives generic requirements for such bodies performing audit and certification in the field of quality, the environment and other types of management systems. Such bodies are referred to as certification bodies. Observance of these requirements is intended to ensure that certification bodies operate management system certification in a competent, consistent and impartial manner, thereby facilitating the recognition of such bodies and the acceptance of their certifications on a national and international basis. This part of ISO/IEC 17021 serves as a foundation for facilitating the recognition of management system certification in the interests of international trade.

Certification of a management system provides independent demonstration that the management system of the organization:

1. a) conforms to specified requirements;
2. b) is capable of consistently achieving its stated policy and objectives;
3. c) is effectively implemented.

Conformity assessment, such as the certification of a management system, thereby provides value to the organization, its customers and interested parties.