Glossary

The terms you will meet, in plain English.

Accreditation: An independent assessment that a body, such as a certification body or laboratory, is competent to do specific work. It applies to a defined scope. More
Accreditation body: An organization that assesses and accredits certification bodies and laboratories. It does not audit your management system or issue your certificate. More
Audit: A structured, evidence-based review of how an organization works compared with a set of requirements, carried out by someone with the right competence.
Audit scope: The sites, activities, processes and time period an individual audit covers. It is agreed in the audit plan.
Certificate: The document a certification body issues when it decides an organization's management system meets a standard for a stated scope. It has dates and a number and stays valid through follow-up audits.
Certification: A written statement by an independent body, after an audit, that a management system meets the requirements of a standard. More
Certification body: An independent organization that audits management systems against standards and decides on certification. Also called a registrar in some regions. MIYAAR CONNECT is not one. More
Certification scope: The activities, products or services and sites that a certificate covers. Always read it to see what the certificate does and does not say. More
Corrective action: Action taken to remove the cause of a nonconformity so that it is less likely to happen again, not only to fix the immediate problem.
Documented information: Information that an organization controls and keeps, such as procedures, plans and records, in whatever format it chooses. It replaces the older terms documents and records.
Global Accreditation Cooperation (Global ACI): The international body for accreditation. It took over the work of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) on 1 January 2026. More
Guidance standard: A standard that gives advice rather than requirements to be audited. ISO 26000 and ISO 31000 are examples and are not intended for certification. More
HACCP: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. A food safety method that identifies hazards and the points where they must be controlled. It is used within food safety systems such as ISO 22000. More
IMS: Integrated management system. One management system that meets the requirements of more than one standard, for example quality and environment. More
Internal audit: An audit an organization carries out on itself, using people who are independent of the area being checked, to see whether its system works and meets requirements.
ISMS: Information security management system. The framework an organization uses to manage information security risks. ISO/IEC 27001 sets requirements for one. More
ISO: The International Organization for Standardization. It develops and publishes standards. It does not audit organizations, issue certificates or approve anyone. More
Major nonconformity: A serious failure to meet a requirement, such as a missing part of the system or a failure that affects its ability to deliver intended results. It usually has to be resolved before certification is granted.
Management review: A scheduled review in which top management looks at how well the management system is performing and decides on changes and resources.
Management system: The way an organization sets policies and objectives, and plans, runs, checks and improves its work to achieve them.
Minor nonconformity: A requirement that is not fully met, but where the system as a whole is still working. It needs a response but is less serious than a major nonconformity.
Nonconformity: A requirement that is not fulfilled. It may be found in an audit and is recorded as minor or major.
QMS: Quality management system. The management system an organization uses to meet customer and service requirements consistently. ISO 9001 sets requirements for one. More
Recertification: A full audit near the end of a certificate's validity period to decide whether certification can continue for another cycle. More
Remote audit: An audit carried out using video calls and electronic access to records rather than being physically on site. Whether it is suitable is for the certification body to decide.
Stage 1 audit: The first part of an initial certification audit. It reviews readiness and plans, and helps the certification body prepare Stage 2. More
Stage 2 audit: The second part of an initial certification audit. It checks that the system is implemented and working, and its findings feed into the certification decision. More
Surveillance audit: A follow-up audit during the life of a certificate to check that the system is still being maintained. Not every part is checked every time. More
Transfer: Moving an existing certification from one certification body to another, usually after the new body has reviewed the current certificate and recent audit results. More
Transition: The change from one edition of a standard to a newer one. Arrangements and dates are set by the certification body within accreditation rules. More