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Management systemTerm

Context of the organisation

The context of the organisation is the set of internal and external factors that influence what your organisation wants to achieve and how your management system needs to work.

Explanation

Internal factors are, for example, your culture, staff, knowledge, machinery and financial room. External factors include legislation, the market, technology, climate and competition. The aim is to understand what your management system needs to take into account to reach its objectives.

You record the context in an analysis, often with tools such as SWOT or PESTEL, and review it regularly, for example at the management review or after major changes. The result feeds the scope, the risks and opportunities and the objectives of your management system.

The context is the foundation of the system: why does it exist and what should it focus on? It differs from interested parties. They are part of the context, with their own requirements and expectations that you map separately and some of which become binding for you.

Example from practice

A transport company notes stricter client requirements and rising fuel costs as external factors, and an ageing driver workforce as an internal factor. These points feed into the objectives and the risk register.

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Where you work with Context of the organisation

ContextDocument internal and external context (4.1/4.2). StakeholdersMap stakeholders and their requirements. Risks & opportunitiesAssess risks and opportunities per process. ISO 9001Quality ISO 14001Environment ISO 45001Health and safety
Knowledge base

Keep reading

Analyzing context and stakeholders: approach with a worked exampleThe context of the organization consists of the internal and external factors that decide whether your management system achieves its purpose, plus the parties that expect something from you. A clear analysis shows which risks and objectives really matter.
Glossary

See also

Interested partiesInterested partiesScopeScope of the management systemRisks and opportunitiesRisks and opportunitiesObjectiveObjectiveISO 9001ISO 9001 Quality management systems

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