Standards

This document specifies general terms and definitions relating to conformity assessment (including the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies) and to the use of conformity assessment to facilitate trade.

The general principles of conformity assessment and a description of the functional approach to conformity assessment are provided in Annex A. 

Conformity assessment interacts with other fields such as management systems, metrology, standardization and statistics. The boundaries of conformity assessment are not defined in this document.

ISO/IEC 17000:2004 specifies general terms and definitions relating to conformity assessment, including the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies, and to the use of conformity assessment to facilitate trade. A description of the functional approach to conformity assessment is included as a further aid to understanding among users of conformity assessment, conformity assessment bodies and their accreditation bodies, in both voluntary and regulatory environments.

ISO/IEC 17000:2004 does not set out to provide a vocabulary for all of the concepts that may need to be used in describing particular conformity assessment activities. Terms and definitions are given only where the concept defined would not be understandable from the general language use of the term or where an existing standard definition is not applicable.

This guide gives guidance on product certification systems by identifying their various elements based on current practices. It is intended for use by product certification bodies and other interested parties wishing to understand systems, , develop, establish or compare third- party product certification, This Guide is not intended to describe all existing forms of product certification, It does not address first and second- party product conformity assessment.

This International Standard describes the fundamentals of product certification and provides guidelines for understanding, developing, operating or maintaining certification schemes for products, processes and services. It is intended for use by all with an interest in product certification, and especially by certification scheme owners.

NOTE 1 In this International Standard the term “product” can also be read as “process” or “service”, except in those instances where separate provisions are stated for “processes” or “services”. Definitions of product, process and service are given in ISO/IEC 17065.

NOTE 2 The certification of products, processes and services is a third-party conformity assessment activity (see ISO/IEC 17000) carried out by product ertification bodies. The requirements for product certification bodies are specified in ISO/IEC 17065.

These guidelines cover the development; implementation, maintenance, and improvement of strategies and system for training that affect the quality of the products supplied by an organisation.

This document gives guidelines for an organization to establish, implement, maintain and improve systems for competence management and people development to positively affect outcomes related to the conformity of products and services and the needs and expectations of relevant interested parties.

This document is applicable to all organizations regardless of their type or size. It does not add to, change or otherwise modify requirements for the ISO 9000 family or any other standards.

This document specifies general requirements for the competence and impartiality of proficiency testing (PT) providers and consistent operation of all proficiency testing schemes. This document can be used as a basis for specific technical requirements for particular fields of application.

Users of proficiency testing schemes, regulatory authorities, organizations and schemes using peer-assessment, accreditation bodies and others can use these requirements in confirming or recognizing the competence of proficiency testing providers.

This International Standard specifies general requirements for the competence of providers of proficiency testing schemes and for the development and operation of proficiency testing schemes. These requirements are intended to be general for all types of proficiency testing schemes, and they can be used as a basis for specific technical requirements for particular fields of application.

This International Standard provides guidance on engaging people in an organization’s quality management system, and on enhancing their involvement and competence within it. This International Standard is applicable to any organization, regardless of size, type, or activity.

This International Standard provides guidance for project management and can be used by any type of organization, including public, private or community organizations, and for any type of project, irrespective of complexity, size.