While ISO is best known for its International Standards, it also develops a variety of other types of deliverables to meet different industry and market needs. These documents provide guidance, specifications, reports, and agreements that support global standardization in numerous fields. Each deliverable type serves a particular purpose and follows specific development processes.
International Standards are the core ISO deliverables. They provide rules, guidelines, or characteristics for activities or their results, aiming to achieve the optimum degree of order in a particular context. These standards cover a wide range of forms beyond product standards, including test methods, codes of practice, guideline standards, and management system standards.
Technical Specifications (TS) address work that is still under technical development or where immediate agreement on an International Standard isn't possible. They are published for immediate use and feedback collection, with the intent that they may later be transformed into full International Standards.
Technical Reports (TR) contain informative data that differs from standards or specifications. They often include survey data, experimental results, or explanations about the current “state of the art” in a technical field. Technical Reports are meant to inform rather than specify requirements.
Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) respond to urgent market needs by providing consensus-based specifications quickly. They are similar to Technical Specifications but represent broader consensus either within an ISO working group or an external organization. PAS have a maximum lifespan of six years and may be converted to International Standards or withdrawn thereafter.
International Workshop Agreements (IWA) are rapidly developed deliverables created through workshops outside the usual ISO committee structures to address urgent market requirements. These agreements are approved by consensus amongst workshop participants. An IWA is reviewed after three years and may either be converted into a PAS, TS, or International Standard, or withdrawn after a maximum of six years.
Guides serve as advisory documents that help readers understand important areas where standards add value. They explain how and why ISO standards can improve processes, safety, and efficiency in various applications. Guides do not contain normative requirements but support the implementation and use of standards.
ISO’s diverse deliverables allow the organization to flexibly respond to different market needs with appropriate document types, balancing thoroughness, timeliness, and consensus.
Learn more: https://www.iso.org/deliverables-all.html