Stages 1 to 6
1. Readiness and commitment
Leadership confirms what certification requires of the organisation and commits the funding and the backing to complete it.
2. Scope and context
The boundary of the management system is fixed, with the internal and external issues and the interested parties that shape it.
3. Gap assessment
Current practice is compared with every clause of the standard and the gap is measured.
4. Plan and resources
The gap becomes a dated plan with named owners, a budget and a realistic certification target.
5. Risk and opportunity
Risks to the objectives and opportunities to advance them are identified, and actions are decided for each.
6. Documented information
The policy, procedures and documents that the standard and the operation require are written.
Stages 7 to 12
7. Competence and awareness
People doing the work are competent for it and understand why the system exists.
8. Operational control
Processes run under the system long enough to produce genuine evidence of operation.
9. Internal audit
The whole system is audited against the standard by auditors independent of the work they audit.
10. Management review
Top management reviews the evidence and minutes the decisions taken and the resources committed.
11. Corrective action
Each finding is closed at its cause and the correction is verified.
12. Certification audit
An ISO/IEC 17021-1 accredited certification body conducts its two-stage audit and, when the requirements are met, issues the certificate.
