ISO 30301 Management System for Records (MSR)

What is ISO 30301?

ISO 30301 specifies the requirements to be met by a Management System for Records (MSR) in order to support an organization in the achievement of its mandate, mission, strategy and goals. It addresses the development and implementation of a records policy and objectives and gives information on measuring and monitoring performance.

An MSR can be established by an organization or across organizations that share business activities. Throughout this document, the term "organization" is not limited to one organization but also includes other organizational structures.

The ISO 30301 Standard establishes the international requirements for a Management System for Records (MSR) including the following clauses:

Clause 4 - Context of the Organization (scope)
Clause 5 - Leadership (Executive Level Policy & Directive)
Clause 6 - Planning (Risk Assessment Process)
Clause 7 - Support (Training & Awareness, Control of Documents, etc)
Clause 8 - Operation (Policies, Processes & Procedures)
Clause 9 - Performance Evaluation (Monitor & Measure, Audit Program, Management Review
Clause 10 - Corrective Actions

The requirements of ISO 30301 are generic and are intended to be applicable to all organizations (or parts of an organization), regardless of type, size and nature of activity, and whether in the public, private or not-for-profit sectors.

ISO 30301 certification also known as "registration", is a 3rd party audit performed by a certification body (registrar) such as MSECB (iCertWorks) who, upon verification that an organization is in conformance with the auditable requirements of ISO 30301, will issue an ISO 30301 Certificate.  This certification is then maintained through regularly scheduled annual surveillance audits by the registrar, with re-certification performed on a three year audit cycle.

The ISO 30301 Certification three year audit cycle includes:

• Year 1 - Full Stage 1 & Stage 2 Audit
• Year 2 - First Surveillance Audit (partial system audit)
• Year 3 - Second Surveillance Audit (partial system audit)
• Year 4 - 3 year Audit Cycle starts over (repeats)

For more information on ISO 30301 Certification, please fill out the request form on the right side of the page.

Benefits of ISO 30301 Certification

• Provides an effective and efficient system for records management
• Provides business continuity plan for records management
• Enforces a records management policy
• Provides reasonable assurance to stakeholders and interested parties
• Provides proof of conformance to international industry standards (best practices)
• Provides sales differentiator for products and services
• Promotes training and awareness
• Promotes a continuous improvement cycle
• Provides legal, regulatory and contractual compliance
• Ensures Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) requirements
• Reduces the likelihood of legal prosecution and fines
• Reduces insurance costs, litigation, claims and liability