New ISO Task Force Looking at the Future Direction of Management System Standards

ISO management system standards (MSS) such as ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 27001, and ISO/IEC 20000 are widely used across the globe and research proves that they can genuinely drive improvement.

A common structure and core requirements were introduced in 2012 and this has helped organizations use various MSS to integrate different topics into their systems. Nevertheless, the wide range of MSS available, deviations from core terms and requirements, and the language used in the standards, can cause issues for users.

The new task force (ISO/TMBG/JTCG-TF15) has been set up to develop recommendations on how to address these issues. It is looking at all aspects of MSS, from the range of topics covered, to how MSS are structured, the language they use and the best way to provide supporting, technical or sector-specific companion documents.

Experts representing the different MSS are involved in the task force, and input from users, national standards bodies, professional bodies, regulators, certification bodies and other interested parties is also welcome, for example via social media or email.

The task force will meet remotely once a month to discuss topics, gather evidence and explore potential solutions. It plans to deliver its recommendations to ISO by the end of 2022.

Meetings held so far:

1.            December 2021 – discussion and agreement on issues to be addressed and an action plan for its initial discovery phase.

2.            January 2022 – exploration of the current situation: what is good, what is a problem, why? What sources of user feedback do we have?

The February meeting will look the existing feedback gathered and talk about any issues identified relating to the types of standards on offer.

Stay tuned for further updates. If you are interested or have questions, concerns, or contributions contact:

Contact: ISO/TMBG/JTCG TF Secretary: Sally Swingewood
Email: [email protected]