ISO 22301:2012 BCMS Upgrade to new Version – 2019
In October 2019 a revised version of the business continuity management standard, ISO 22301, was published.
ISO 22301 was revised to reflect ongoing changes in the business continuity world and respond to the continuing development of Management System Standard (MSS) requirements. Here, we look at the changes made and the impact to users, offering ideas on how to go about adjusting your business continuity management system (BCMS), to reflect ISO 22301:2019 requirements.
Basis of review
ISO Management System Standards (MSS) undergo review to ensure they continue to reflect thinking and feedback from the user community. Amendments vary from minor alterations to major re-writes, depending on sector change and general desire for improvement. ISO 22301:2012 came up for review in 2017 and ISO (International Organization for Standardization) began the process by seeking feedback from the respective Committee and its country members as to what level of appetite there was for change.
ISO 22301:2019 What’s changed?
Headline changes, some of which are listed in the Foreword of the Standard, are as follows;
- ISO 22301 now conforms to ISO’s requirements for management system standards, which have evolved since 2012 (Annex SL). (Remember ISO 22301:2012 was the first ISO MSS to follow the new Annex SL guidelines. Since then numerous MSS have been revised or developed using this approach and the interpretation applied in ISO 22301:2012 has since evolved). This has been a significant focus for the 2019 update;
- Requirements have been clarified, with no new requirements added (but see amendments below);
- Discipline-specific business continuity requirements are now almost entirely within section 8;
- A number of discipline-specific business continuity terms have been modified to improve clarity and reflect current thinking; and
- Content in clause 8 has been reordered, duplication removed and terminology simplified and more consistent.
Transitioning to ISO 22301:2019
If your organization is currently certified to ISO 22301:2012 you are likely to have up to three years to transition to ISO 22301:2019. After 30th October 2022 certification to ISO 22301:2012 will no longer be valid.
Next steps
- Purchase a copy of ISO 22301:2019 standard.
- Consider a Gap Analysis or pre assessment from SYSMAC to make sure you are best placed to achieve your certification objective.
- Conduct training on awareness and internal audit for relevant staff.
- Prepare action plan in case of transition from 2012 to 2019 version or in case you directly applying for latest version of 2019.
Summary
Top management support and commitment is required in view of current pandemic to make more effective and result based BCMS at your organization.
Training and implementation are integral part to achieve success without wasting time to achieve the goal.
