What is ISO/TS 54001- Quality management systems for electoral organizations about?
ISO/TS 54001 specifies requirements for a quality management system when an organization:
- Needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements
- Aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements
ISO/TS 54001 is applicable to the election period, including pre-election and post-election activities or processes.
ISO/TS 54001 is based on the quality management principles described in ISO 9000. The quality management principles are:
- Customer focus
- Leadership
- Engagement of people
- Process approach
- Improvement
- Evidence-based decision making
- Relationship management
Who is ISO/TS 54001 - Quality management systems for electoral organizations for?
ISO/TS 54001 on electoral processes is applicable to:
- Electoral bodies
- Electoral organizations
- Permanent organizations and temporary organizations for a particular election period
- Pre-election and post-election activities organisors and co-ordinators
- National and local authorities
- Regulatory bodies
Why should you use ISO/TS 54001- Quality management systems for electoral organizations?
Electoral bodies are institutions that have responsibility for the administration of the electoral process, including the preparation, organization, management, monitoring and promotion of the election, the casting of the votes and counting of the ballots, the resolution of electoral disputes or the official declaration of the election results. The full and transparent implementation of each process constitutes the basis for the electoral body to achieve legitimacy.
The potential benefits to an organization of implementing a quality management system based on this ISO/TS 54001 are:
- The ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements
- Facilitating opportunities to enhance customer satisfaction
- Addressing risks and opportunities associated with its context and objectives
- The ability to demonstrate conformity to specified quality management system requirements
ISO/TS 54001 employs the process approach, which incorporates the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and risk-based thinking. The process approach enables an organization to plan its processes and their interactions.
What’s changed since the last update?
ISO/TS 54001:2019 replaces ISO/TS 17582:2014, which has been technically revised. The main changes compared with the previous edition are as follows:
- A new structure has been created based on the ten clauses of ISO 9001:2015.
- The specific electoral content has been placed under the clauses of the new structure.