High level structure

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High Level Structure and PDCA

The High Level Structure (HLS) is a basic structure for management system standards published by ISO in the "ISO / IEC Directives" in 2012 through Annex SL. This standardization is intended to ensure that the application of the individual standards is facilitated by their identical structure.

Goals & purpose

Thanks to the high level structure, the management system standards all have the same basic structure, regardless of the subject area dealt with. This includes a common structure of the table of contents with the same chapters. This makes it easier to implement and maintain the management systems or to combine them into an integrated management system. In addition, common terms and definitions have been introduced, which also simplifies working with several standards and avoids contradictions. The same structure of the sections also ensures that the requirements can be presented uniformly across all management standards. The HLS also facilitates internal and external audits, because the auditing of several systems at once is enormously simplified.

Sections

According to the HLS, all management standards now consist of the following 10 sections:

Section 1: Scope

This section represents the scope of the standard.

Section 2: Normative references

The section "Normative references" contains possible references to other standards.

Section 3: Terms

This section contains explanations of various terms.

Section 4: Context of the organization

This section aims to explain the purpose of an organization's activities. Among others, which are also interested parties and their needs and expectations identified.

Section 5: Leadership

This section deals with the top management of an organization. Among other things, this involves the distribution of various responsibilities and authorities within the organization.

Section 6: Planning

The "Planning" section is intended to provide orientation for the organization. The focus here is on identifying the risks and opportunities, i.e. the risk-based approach.

Section 7: Assistance

This section deals with the supporting processes . These form the framework for the so-called core processes .

Section 8: Operation

Finally, this section deals with the core processes. The goal is to ensure that products and services meet customer requirements.

Section 9: Evaluation of Performance

The section "Assessment of the performance" deals with the monitoring of the respective management system and the analysis of the corresponding results. This can be used to check whether the system is effective and whether the defined quality objectives are being met.

Section 10: Improvement

The last section of the high level structure includes the continuous improvement of the introduced system. Among other things, non-conformities and the initiation of appropriate measures are dealt with.

DIN SPEC 36601

The high level structure defined in Annex SL is translated into German in the DIN report DIN SPEC 36601. The development was carried out by the DIN Standards Committee for Organizational Processes (NAOrg) together with the Austrian Standards International (ASI) and the Swiss Standards Association (SNV). Experts from various management system disciplines were also involved. DIN SPEC 36601 thus provides the basis for all German translations of management system standards, provided the high level structure is the basis for them. The technical report so far only contains Appendix 2 of Annex SL.

HLS and PDCA cycle

The new sections of the HLS are based on the PDCA cycle . The following sections are assigned to the phases:

  • P lan: Section 4 Section 5 Section 6
  • D o: Section 7, Section 8
  • C tail: Section 9
  • A ct: Section 10

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Management system standards. In: iso.org. Retrieved August 5, 2019 .
  2. ↑ What is the HLS High Level Structure in quality management ISO 9001. In: Qualitätmanagement.me. Retrieved on August 5, 2019 (German).
  3. ↑ ISO / IEC Directives, Part 1 - Consolidated ISO Supplement - Procedures specific to ISO. Retrieved August 5, 2019 .
  4. ↑ DIN SPEC 36601. In: din.de. Retrieved August 8, 2019 .