ARCS

Conformity assessment involves a set of processes that show your product, service or system meets the requirements of a standard.
Undergoing the conformity assessment process has a number of benefits:

• It provides consumers and other stakeholders with added confidence.
• It gives your company a competitive edge.
• It helps regulators ensure that health, safety or environmental conditions are met.

Further information on conformity assessment

Conformity Assessment Methodology

ISO/IEC 29169:2016 defines the application of a conformity assessment methodology, based on published ISO/IEC standards and guides, to the process assessment of process quality characteristics and organizational process maturity, performed in accordance with the requirements of the ISO/IEC 330xx family of process assessment standards.

Conformity assessment in ISO/IEC 29169 is performed by conformity assessment bodies that meet the requirements of ISO/IEC 17020:2012 – Requirements for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection.

Further information on conformity assessment methodology

Conformity Assessment Scheme

A Conformity Assessment Scheme defines a system of rules, procedures and controls for the consistent and reliable conformity assessment of specified objects to which the same specific requirements apply. Performing a process assessment in the context of conformity assessment according to a Conformity Assessment Scheme brings with it additional requirements.

Conformity assessment involves a functional approach consisting of a number of stages: selection; determination; review and attestation, plus surveillance when there is a need to provide continuing assurance of conformity e.g. in the context of certification.

PATHFINDER™ Conformity Assessment Scheme

The PATHFINDER™ conformity assessment scheme (SPICE User Group) pertains to the process assessment of process capability and organizational process maturity, performed according to the ISO/IEC 33002 Requirements for performing an assessment.

The conformity assessment scheme establishes a number of additional requirements to those defined in ISO/IEC 33002 regarding: products, services and projects pre-dating the deployment of processes; pre-assessment activities; period of assessment; representative sample; assessment reporting; qualification of assessors; surveillance and certification; issuance of declaration or certificates of conformity; and use of marks of conformity.

Conformity assessment bodies operating under this Conformity Assessment Scheme follow ISO/IEC 17020:2012, Conformity assessment – Requirements for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection. The term “inspection” is synonymous with the term “process assessment” as used throughout the ISO/IEC 330xx family of standards.

Further information on PATHFINDER conformity assessment scheme

ISO/IEC 29110-3-3 Conformity Assessment of VSE Profiles

ISO/IEC 29110-3-3:2016 Lifecycle profiles for Very Small Entities (VSEs) – Part 3-3: Certification requirements for conformity assessments of VSE profiles using process assessment and maturity models.

A VSE is defined as an enterprise, organization, department or project with up to 25 people.

ISO/IEC 29110-3-3 is based on published ISO/IEC standards and guides for

a) certification bodies (see ISO/IEC 17065)

b) process assessment and organizational process maturity performed according to the requirements of the ISO/IEC 33001 to ISO/IEC 33099 family of process assessment standards, and

c) ISO/IEC 29169 to support an environment which encourages worldwide recognition of VSE profiles conformity assessment results.

The overall framework for conformity assessment follows the approach defined in ISO/IEC 17065:2012 — Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services.

Further information on ISO/IEC 29110-3-3 Certification requirements for conformity assessments (of VSE profiles)

upto25 is a network community of VSEs in software, systems, and IT services, which also provides information on assessors and certifications bodies providing ISO/IEC 29110-3-3 conformity assessment services.

Conformity Assessment Body Accreditation

A conformity assessment scheme can be used as a requirements document for the purposes of peer assessment or accreditation. Accreditation is a conformity assessment technique specifically related to the assessment of the conformity of conformity assessment bodies by a third party body.

Accreditation is designed to ensure a conformity assessment body has the technical capacity to perform their duties. Used in regulated sectors and voluntary areas, accreditation increases trust in conformity assessment.

Further information on accreditation