The latest developments with Annex SL

I was nominated by the British Standards Institute to attend the first meeting, held in February, for the limited revision of Annex SL. Annex SL is not a standard, but it does form the basis for a significant number of generic and sector-specific ISO management system standards.

For the first time we will be breaking new ground with this revision process by not only involving experts representing the various technical committees, sub-committees and project committees responsible for developing Type A Management System Standards, but also nominated experts to provide the perspective of all the interested parties for the various management system standards in their own country.

Fundamental to this review was to ensure we all use consistent and simple language throughout Annex SL

We need to make sure that the revised Annex SL will provide a solid and pragmatic base for management system standards in the years to come, blending an appropriate balance of rigidity and flexibility in its approach.

The limited revision will involve changes to Annex SL, including the content of Annex SL the template for ISO standards, and the guidance documents referenced in Annex SL.

The topic of risk, particularly the definition of risk, was discussed in detail. The historical definition was ‘effect of uncertainty’ and the new version ‘effect of uncertainty on objectives’ is taken directly from ISO 31000:2018 Risk Management - Guidelines. No decisions have been made yet and we will engage national standard bodies to determine their preference.

We were also tasked with considering the generic topics below to determine if they apply to all types of management system standards or if they are limited to guidance for consideration by discipline specific use.

Fundamental to this review was ensuring we use consistent and simple language throughout Annex SL. This includes considering formatting for improved referencing. Examples for deliberation include, but are not limited to, the following terms; applicable, relevant, appropriate, results, outcomes, factors, and issues.

We have a two-year timeline to complete this task, and I will be keeping the CQI informed of the progress.