TSE ISO/IEC TS 17021-6

TSE ISO/IEC TS 17021-6 is a complementary Technical Specification focused on the competence of personnel working in bodies that audit and certify business continuity management systems. Its purpose is to ensure that people involved in the certification process for business continuity management systems have the subject-specific competence needed to assess this specialized management discipline.

Business continuity management in context

Business continuity management concerns an organisation’s ability to maintain or rapidly resume critical activities after disruption, incident, or crisis. Certification in this field requires more than generic audit skill: it also depends on understanding business impact analysis, continuity strategies, incident response, and recovery concepts. In that sense, this Technical Specification complements general audit competence by adding expectations tied to the specific subject matter.

Competence focus for certification personnel

The standard supports the existing requirements of ISO/IEC 17021 and sets specific competence requirements for personnel involved in the BCMS certification process. In practical technical terms, this means auditors and certification personnel must be able to evaluate the system’s policy, objectives, risk-based approach, and continuity controls with appropriate subject knowledge. The document highlights the difference between general certification competence and competence in a particular management system domain.

• It is complementary to ISO/IEC 17021 and does not replace the general certification standard.
• It covers specific competence requirements for personnel involved in the certification process for business continuity management systems.
• Its focus is the subject-matter competence needed for auditing and certification of BCMS.
• Business continuity management is the management discipline concerned with sustaining or recovering critical activities after disruption.