ISO IEC 24773-1-2019 PDF

Full title and description

ISO/IEC 24773-1:2019 — Software and systems engineering — Certification of software and systems engineering professionals — Part 1: General requirements. This part defines the high-level requirements that are common to certification schemes and certification bodies operating in the domain of software and systems engineering.

Abstract

This document is the first part of the ISO/IEC 24773 multipart series and contains the general requirements that apply across certification schemes for software and systems engineering professionals. It sets out the items that schemes and certification bodies must address (for example scheme structure, definition of knowledge/skills/competence, management of examinations and assessment, and requirements for impartiality and confidentiality) to enable comparability and portability of certifications.

General information

• Status: Published (International Standard; last reviewed and confirmed in 2024).
• Publication date: March 2019 (2019-03).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO) / IEC joint publication (ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 technical committee).
• ICS / categories: 35.080 (Software).
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (2019).
• Number of pages: 11 (ISO document page count).

Scope

Specifies the common requirements to be used by certification schemes and certification bodies for certifying software and systems engineering professionals. It is intended to be used in conjunction with ISO/IEC 17024 (conformity assessment — personnel certification) and to provide a consistent framework for defining the knowledge, skills and competencies required by specialty or domain-specific certification schemes. The standard is a foundation for further parts of the 24773 series that provide domain-specific guidance and competence descriptions.

Key topics and requirements

• General requirements for certification schemes and certification bodies (scheme documentation, objectives, and scope).
• Requirements for defining and describing knowledge, skills and competencies that a certification covers.
• Alignment and use alongside ISO/IEC 17024 for personnel certification processes (conformity assessment, impartiality, and accreditation readiness).
• Requirements for assessment methods, examination management, and maintenance of certification.
• Rules on confidentiality, appeals, complaints, impartiality and conflict-of-interest management for certification bodies.
• Provision for comparability and portability of professional certifications across schemes and jurisdictions.

Typical use and users

Used by certification bodies and scheme owners who develop, run or evaluate certification programs for software and systems engineering professionals; by accreditation bodies assessing conformity to personnel certification standards; by professional societies, employers and training organisations that map qualifications or hiring criteria to formal certification schemes; and by regulators or government agencies that reference recognised competence frameworks.

Related standards

Part of the ISO/IEC 24773 multipart series. Closely related and commonly used together with ISO/IEC 17024 (General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons). Other parts of the series include ISO/IEC 24773-3:2021 (systems engineering specifics) and ISO/IEC 24773-2:2024 (guidance on describing knowledge, skills and competencies). The 2019 multipart revision replaced the earlier ISO/IEC 24773:2008 framework.

Keywords

certification, personnel certification, software engineering, systems engineering, competence, body of knowledge, accreditation, ISO/IEC 17024, scheme requirements, impartiality

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO/IEC 24773-1:2019 is Part 1 of a multipart international standard that specifies the general requirements for certification schemes and bodies that certify software and systems engineering professionals.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers high-level requirements common to certification schemes in the software and systems engineering domain — e.g., scheme structure, how to define required knowledge/skills/competence, assessment/examination management, and rules for impartiality, confidentiality and appeals. It provides the foundation for domain-specific parts of the series.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Certification bodies, scheme owners, accreditation bodies, professional societies, training providers, employers and regulators involved in the design, delivery, recognition or assessment of software/systems engineering certifications.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: ISO/IEC 24773-1:2019 is the current part‑1 edition published in March 2019 and the 2008 single-part standard (ISO/IEC 24773:2008) was superseded by the 2019 multipart revision. The 2019 edition was reviewed and confirmed in 2024.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — ISO/IEC 24773 is a multipart standard. Subsequent and related parts include ISO/IEC 24773-2 (guidance on describing knowledge, skills and competencies, published 2024) and ISO/IEC 24773-3 (systems engineering, published 2021). The series is intended to be used with ISO/IEC 17024.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Certification, personnel certification, software engineering, systems engineering, competence, body of knowledge, scheme requirements, ISO/IEC 17024.