Context of the Organization is a new term in the recently released ISO standards. It’s a term that many folks are confused by – there are no definitions provided by ISO, although there is significant guidance.
Context of the Organization = Internal and External issues
geralt / Pixabay
In a recent LinkedIn post, I provided a list of Internal and External issues that an organization may need to consider when determining context.
External issues may include
- cultural, social, political, natural surroundings
- competitors, contractors, and customers
- key industry drivers
- changes in regulations
Internal issues may include
- activities, products, services
- organizational structure, roles, accountability
- policies, objectives, strategies / strategic direction
- organizational culture
- capabilities (people, resources, processes, system, knowledge)
So, how are we to determine which of these makes sense for our organization?
geralt / Pixabay
We cover this in detail during our Transition Workshops – including a worksheet where we dig in to this topic in detail; and when we are on site providing implementation support (Gap Implementation), we often spend a 1/2 day fleshing this one clause out fully.
Why is it so important to define context of the organization so completely? Very simple – it’s the building block base of the rest of the standard. Scope is built on context; policy is aligned with context; etc.
Nailing the context of the organization is key to having a hassle-free implementation – let us help you define it correctly and completely!
Want more details on Internal and External Issues? Subscribe to my newsletter to get a more in-depth analysis; and read next week’s posts when we dig into these in more detail…