Annex L- Integrated Management System

What is Annex L?

Annex L, previously called Annex SL, was renamed in the year 2019. Annex L was created by the ISO Technical Management board which is charged with Managing Process Technical associated with the implementing new standards. Their major task was to ensure inputs from the various technical teams and committees that were associated with each standard are well represented in the ultimately published Management system standards.

It is a format of management system that enables an organisation to streamline the process of creation of new standards as well as help in implementing various standards under one roof. The vision behind from Annex SL to L, was to help organisation have better alignment as well as consistency with the Management System standards with a unified and a high-level structure, similar core texts and common terms and definitions. Many standards that were written before 2012 was very different. 

Usually, multiple standards do have some common elements but when it comes to description or flow, all are differently aligned and it becomes difficult for organisation when it comes to implementation. Annex L addresses this issue by a template creation that will help organisation to build on the ISO management system standard.

Let’s look at a sample comparison between ISO 14001:2004 and 9001:2008, how these standards were seen previously:

But now the latest structures of ISO 14001:2015, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 45001:2018, ISO 50001:2018, etc are all based on the framework of Annex L hence share common terms and definitions. Below is the structure of Annex L:

Clause 1 :        Scope

Clause 2 :        Normative references

Clause 3 :        Terms and definitions

Clause 4 :        Context of the organization – This clause requires the organizations to understand and identify the internal and external issues including any risks or opportunities that is likely to affect its management system. This clause is important for aligning the MS with the organization’s own strategic objectives.

Clause 5 :        Leadership – This clause puts light on the important role that top management plays in the management system, ensuring leadership, demonstrating commitment and engaging with employees in promoting the success of the system.

Clause 6 :        Planning – This clause focuses on the necessity to establish processes to address the risks and opportunities, set objectives and plan for the resources to achieve those objectives in the organisation.

Clause 7 :        Support – This clause deals with various necessary resources, competence requirements, awareness sessions, communication channels and documented information that are required to ensure effective implementation of the management system standard.

Clause 8 :        Operation – This clause includes operational planning and control processes which an organization is needed to put in place to achieve its objectives, have risks along with control processes and at the same time ensure to meet the regulatory and customer requirements.

Clause 9 :        Performance evaluation – this clause requires organizations to ensure monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation of the performance of its management system are done. It also includes periodic audits as well as management reviews to ensure that management system is effective and at the same time continually improving.

Clause 10 :    Improvement – The final clause deals with addressing nonconformity, corrective actions management and continual improvement. This ensures that the management system is evolving and improving over time.

Annex L has replaced the ISO 83 Guide that had provided a base structure and helped standardize texts for management system standard. Guide 83 had started to address issues that was being faced while integrating current management standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 27001 where all such standards have common elements.

Annex L is also an attempt to modernize ISO standards by addressing the interrelation between the documents and records and other tools that are available for management in present technological environment. It also continues to modernize the ISO standards by introducing the concept of risk to forefront and ties an understanding of it across all parts of an organization instead of relying on delegation or compartmentalising. At present there are various ISO management systems that already using Annex L such as ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, etc.

Annex L in the ISO Standard

One of the best utilizations of Annex L is in the ISO Standard. ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organization which develops and publishes the standards. There are many ISO standards that contain annexes that provide additional clarification, explanations, or examples of how the main principles or practices can be applied.

Benefits of Annex L

1. Simplified Implementation Process: Reduce redundancy
2. Consistent and Clear Structures: terminology and structure consistent across ISO standard
3. Enhance Integration: Greater ease of integration for organisation
4. Risk Based Approach: Proactively address challenges and have controls in place
5. Standardization: Industries can have one single management system irrespective of its global presence.

Annex L is now a vital tool for organizations that seek to implement, manage and integrate various ISO management system standards. With a standardized structure, it ensures to maintain consistency, reduce complexity and foster integration across multiple management systems, this is irrespective of whether the goal is to improve system/product quality, reduce environmental impact, safety of workers or secure information. This framework has significantly helped improve how the organizations approach its own management systems, aligning with their strategic objectives and focussing on the importance of continual improvement as well as risk management. With its broader adoption across industries, Annex L has played a key role in promoting global best practices, improve organizational performance and ensure that management systems to remain responsive to the ever-evolving challenges of the present modern business world.