ISO terminology

ISO & Conformity Assessment Glossary

Concise definitions to support learning — not jurisdiction-specific legal definitions.

• Accreditation

  Glossary definition of accreditation: third-party attestation of a conformity assessment body's competence — not the same as ISO certification of your company.

• Accreditation Body

  Glossary: an accreditation body formally attests the competence of conformity assessment bodies such as certification bodies.

• Annex SL (Harmonized Structure)

  What Annex SL / the harmonized structure means for ISO management system standards and integrated systems — plain-language glossary.

• Certification

  Glossary definition of certification in ISO management systems: independent attestation of conformity, distinct from accreditation.

• Certification Body

  Glossary: a certification body performs conformity assessment and issues management system certificates — distinct from consultants and accreditation bodies.

• Conformity Assessment

  What conformity assessment means: demonstration that specified requirements relating to a product, process, system, person, or body are fulfilled.

• Corrective Action

  Glossary: corrective action eliminates the cause of a nonconformity and prevents recurrence — distinct from simple correction.

• Documented Information

  Glossary: documented information means information required to be controlled and maintained by an organization, including records.

• External Audit

  Glossary: external audit means an audit performed by a party outside the organization — typically second-party customers or third-party certification bodies.

• Internal Audit

  Glossary definition of internal audit: a first-party audit providing information on whether the management system conforms and is effectively implemented.

• Management Review

  Glossary: management review is top management's periodic evaluation of the management system's suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness.

• Management System

  Glossary: a management system is the set of interrelated elements to establish policies and objectives and processes to achieve those objectives.

• Nonconformity

  Glossary definition of nonconformity: non-fulfillment of a requirement — how it appears in ISO audits and what follows.

• Scope

  Glossary: management system scope defines boundaries and applicability of the system — critical for audits and certificates.

• Statement of Applicability (SoA)

  What a Statement of Applicability means in ISO/IEC 27001 ISMS practice — plain-language glossary for Saudi organizations.