How an ISO Consultancy Can Assist You in Getting ISO 55001 Certification

Assets are invariably the elementary elements of a business. The assets’ functions or the value realised from them are the basis for a business. Those assets, whether physical, human, capital, or intangible, help to deliver the desired products/services. A strong Asset Management System (AMS) is necessary to take care of every asset and to make sure that they perform effectively in the best interest of the business. The ISO 55001 certification is the ultimate key to create and establish a good and practical AMS. By specifying the requirements of the AMS, it ensures proper coordination, planning, selection and classifying of the assets which helps in maintaining them throughout their lifecycle.

Despite the significance of this AMS certification, most businesses still have their AMS improved and certified because of the complexities and higher expenses involved in the certification process. However, without giving up, they need to get a dedicated ISO consultancy that can help them to obtain the ISO 55001 certification in the smoothest possible way. The next section explains how an ISO consultancy assists your organisation in getting your AMS ISO-certified.

Agile Certification Process Followed by ISO Consultancy for ISO 55001 Certification

An ISO consultancy takes you through the following stages to make sure that your AMS is ready for the certification.

Initial Consultation/Discussion

The process begins with an open discussion or consultation where the agency will seek to understand your needs or expectations for the certification. Their expert consultants will then want you to learn about the requirements of the ISO 55001 standard. They will help you to understand how the AMS should be developed depending on your organisation’s size, processes, and types/sizes of assets. Together, you can then define the objectives and specifications for your AMS.

Pre-audit

The consulting agency then performs a pre-audit of your organisation's current asset management framework. It is a gap analysis that helps in uncovering the strengths and weaknesses in your present AMS compared to the ISO 55001 standard’s requirements. This helps in assessing the areas that need improvement. Accordingly, the agency will plan with your managers and decide together the actions needed to mend the gaps and reform the AMS to comply with the requirements.

Planning and Implementation

The consultancy will then provide a detailed guide on improvising the AMS and initiating the certification process. They will provide tailored services, such as documentation instructions, employee training, implementation support, etc. based on the improvements required in the AMS. They can also agree to provide ongoing assistance to help you maintain the ISO certification compliance in the long run.

Stage 1 Audit

Once the implementation of a revised AMS is complete, some assessors from the consultancy start with the process of audits to ensure your readiness for the certification. The first stage of assessment includes reviewing the AMS documentation, measuring the goals, and assuring the role of your management in AMS. With this evaluation, the consultancy can declare whether your AMS is competent and eligible for the certification. The assessors also explain their observations from the audit and coordinate any actions necessary to further enhance the AMS for final certification audit.

Stage 2 Audit

The same assessors or a specific team of auditors from the consultancy then again audit your AMS on-site. They first examine it to ensure that the applied management system is at par with the documented system. Then, they will evaluate the effectiveness of the AMS in managing and optimising the assets, based on the inspections, asset data or relevant records, on-site observations, and interviews. The auditors then present the findings from this second stage audit clearly in a report and discuss them with your management team in a closed meeting. They highlight the areas that need improvement or can be improved for better effectiveness and compliance assurance.

Registration and Certification

The consultants help you get a good certification body or a registrar to apply for the certification. They can guide through the certification registration process and help at fulfilling all requirements before achieving the certification. Following that, the certification body does an external audit and after being convinced that every ISO 55001 regulation is met by your AMS, they will provide the certificate.

Surveillance Audits

After the certification has been achieved, the consultancy can conduct surveillance audits on semi-annually or quarterly basis to ensure that the AMS maintains its compliance with ISO 55001 standard. As the certification is valid only for 3 years, surveillance audits are to be carried out to check your ongoing conformity to the standard’s requirements. They will also conduct on-site surveillance audits to help you discover potential areas of improvement and to focus on sustaining the efficiency of your AMS.

Going through all these stages of the ISO 55001 certification by yourself can be complicated and challenging. However, you cannot deny the need for a good AMS in your organisation to maximise the active life of your assets and ensure greater returns from them. It subsequently helps you to ensure continuously increase your financial performance. Therefore, getting a reliable consultancy that can assist you throughout the certification process is always recommended.