The 10 Steps to Certification
Certification is all about structure, insight, and documentation. The path to getting there is virtually identical for every standard or norm and can be described in 10 steps. This makes it especially important to work with a compliance system that supports multiple standards and norms. This way you avoid duplicate work, maintain overview, and can efficiently switch between different certification projects.
10 Generic Steps to Certification - Regardless of Standard or Norm
Achieving certification is an important step for organizations that want to professionalize their processes, manage risks, and radiate trust to customers and partners. Whether ISO 27001, NEN 7510, ISO 9001, or another standard: the journey requires structure, insight, and documentation.
The 10 steps we describe below are generically applicable to virtually any standard or norm. This means that with a good basic approach, you can prepare for multiple certifications.
Step 1: General Inventory of the **Scope**
The first step is determining the scope of your management system. This includes analyzing internal and external factors (context analysis), identifying stakeholders and their expectations, and defining the system scope.
Important because a clear scope prevents confusion and ensures your ISMS (or other system) aligns with your organization's reality.
uComply helps with templates and tools for context analysis, stakeholder mapping, and scope description.
Step 2: Conducting the **Risk Analysis**
Risk analysis is the heart of many standards. You identify risks, assess them, and determine measures.
Important because without insight into risks, you cannot take appropriate control measures.
uComply helps with a clear method for mapping and weighing risks, as well as linking risks to corresponding control measures.
Step 3: **Policy**
You establish policies that give direction to your system and define roles and responsibilities.
Important because policies ensure consistency and clarity. Roles ensure that tasks and responsibilities are properly distributed.
uComply helps with templates for policies, role descriptions, and procedures.
Step 4: **Competencies** and Communication
Support within the organization and integration into your own processes is essential for an effective path to certification.
Important because a compliance management system only works if people know what is expected of them.
uComply helps with templates for communication plans and awareness actions.
Step 5: **Planning** Operational Activities
You plan the execution of processes and measures that arise from your policies and risk analysis.
Important because without planning there is no structure. Activities must be demonstrable and repeatable.
uComply helps with a clear planning menu.
Step 6: Performance Measurements and **Audits**
You measure whether your system is working as intended and conduct internal audits.
Important because measuring means knowing. Audits ensure continuous improvement.
uComply helps with clear dashboards and a transparent method for recording audit findings.
Step 7: Implementing **Improvements**
You implement improvement measures based on audit findings.
uComply helps with a clear method for registering and managing improvement proposals.
Step 8: **Management Review**
Management periodically evaluates and makes decisions about improvements.
Important because without management involvement, an organization lacks support and direction for certification.
uComply helps with guidelines for management review.
Step 9: Implementation and Assurance
You ensure that policies, processes, and work instructions are executed and embedded in the organization.
Important because without execution, the system is just paper.
Step 10: Certification
After completing all preparatory steps, the moment has arrived: your organization is ready for the external audit and certification.
uComply helps because thanks to uComply.cloud's modular structure, you can easily switch between different standards without duplicate work.
