How to plan for the transition to ISO/IEC 17025:2017

A transition such as updating your management system to conform to the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard requires planning.

Successful transitions have the following characteristics:

• a plan is put in place
• the change/transition is promoted or championed within the organization
• roles are clarified, including having responsibilities assigned
• the scope and objectives of the transition are clear
• all stakeholders are involved

A transition plan typically includes the following items:

• a description of the specific actions that will be taken
• the assignment of responsibilities, including who is leading the transition, plus any other critical responsibilities
• identification of the stakeholders (all the people affected by the change, and/or who will need to provide input into the decisions)
• identification of critical timelines 
• a communication plan
• a training plan

Some principles to keep in mind:

• the plan should be transparent - information should be available to the stakeholders about what is planned, the progress, etc.
• all information about the changes should be available at implementation 
• the transition period should be compatible with the needs of the interested parties and the resources
• the plan should be implemented by those involved
• communication needs to be ongoing

CALA is providing resources to support your lab's transition to the new standard. These are available at http://cala.ca/17025_2017.html. This website will be updated as more information is available.

For more details on the training available on the revised ISO/IEC 17025 standard, see Courses on ISO/IEC 17025:2017