TS EN ISO/IEC 17021

TS EN ISO/IEC 17021 is a standard that addresses the principles of competence, consistency, and impartiality for bodies that perform audit and certification of management systems. It applies to certification bodies working with different types of management systems, including quality management systems, environmental management systems, and other similar schemes.

A common framework for certification bodies

The standard brings together the technical capability of a third-party certification body and the need to avoid conflicts of interest. In general technical terms, competence relates to the knowledge and skills of the people involved, consistency means applying the same evaluation approach to comparable cases, and impartiality means certification decisions are not influenced by commercial or organizational pressure. Management system certification itself is different from product certification because it focuses on an organization's processes and management arrangements rather than on a specific item.

Which management systems are in view

The scope is not limited to one management system family. It is intended for all types of management systems, so it supports a common language for certification practice across different fields. That makes matters such as the structure of the certification body, audit approach, decision-making process, and impartiality management central to understanding the standard’s subject matter.

• Prepared for bodies that audit and certify management systems.
• Focuses on competence, consistency, and impartiality.
• Covers management systems such as quality and environmental systems.
• Provides a common technical framework for certification bodies.

This TSE record refers to the withdrawn edition, but the subject remains important for understanding how trust is established in management system certification.