TS ISO/IEC TS 17023:2013

TS ISO/IEC TS 17023:2013 is a Technical Specification that gives guidance for determining the duration of management system certification audits. The subject is not merely time scheduling; it concerns how audit duration is linked to factors such as the size of the organization, the complexity of its processes, the risk profile, and the audit scope.

Why audit duration is a distinct technical topic

In management system certification, audit duration directly affects both the depth of the audit and the consistency of the certification programme. In general technical terms, it is the time needed for planning, on-site auditing, document review, interviews, process verification, and evaluation of findings to be set in a balanced way. For that reason, a single fixed duration assumption is not necessarily appropriate for every organization, even within the same type of management system.

Where this Technical Specification is applied

The scope of this standard covers bodies that perform management system auditing and certification, as well as those that develop and maintain certification schemes. In practice, it supports a more systematic and consistent way of determining audit duration for certification activities. Rather than setting performance requirements for one specific management system, it provides guidance that helps align duration decisions across certification programmes.

• Provides guidance for determining the duration of management system certification audits.
• Aimed at bodies that audit and certify management systems.
• Also relevant to bodies that develop and maintain certification schemes.
• Supports audit-duration planning by taking the organization’s structure and conditions into account.