TS ISO/IEC TS 17021-5

TS ISO/IEC TS 17021-5 is a technical specification focused on the competence of personnel working in bodies that audit and certify asset management systems. It sits within the broader ISO/IEC 17021 framework for management system certification bodies and adds asset-management-specific expectations for the people involved in those certification activities.

In general technical terms, asset management is concerned with how an organization directs and controls assets throughout their life cycle so that value, performance, risk and cost are balanced. That makes certification in this field more than a review of documents: it also requires an understanding of how assets are planned, operated, maintained, renewed and linked to organizational objectives. This technical specification addresses the additional competence needed to work credibly in that specialist environment.

Why competence is treated separately for asset management

The ISO/IEC 17021 family sets out the general structure for bodies that audit and certify management systems. This part adds a discipline-specific layer for asset management, where terminology, operational priorities and decision-making are different from many other management system domains. In practice, that means certification personnel need to understand asset-related context, risk-based thinking and the relationship between asset performance and business outcomes.

• This technical specification complements the existing requirements of ISO/IEC 17021 rather than replacing them.
• Its scope is limited to additional competence requirements for personnel involved in the certification process for asset management systems.
• The focus is on the knowledge and skills needed to assess asset-management-related certification activities appropriately.
• It supports a certification approach that reflects the life-cycle, risk and value orientation of asset management.