ISO IEC TS 38501-2015 PDF

Full title and description

ISO/IEC TS 38501:2015 — Information technology — Governance of IT — Implementation guide. This Technical Specification provides practical guidance on how to implement arrangements for effective governance of IT within an organization, supporting the principles and framework given in ISO/IEC 38500 and related TRs.

Abstract

Guidance for implementing governance of IT arrangements across an organization. The document outlines an implementation approach, describes how to establish and sustain an enabling environment, gives direction on governing IT and continual review, and includes informative annexes (assessment scheme; ISO/IEC 38500 principles and assessment criteria).

General information

• Status: Published / Confirmed (Technical Specification).
• Publication date: April 2015 (edition 1 — published 2015‑04, national publication dates may cite 2 April 2015).
• Publisher: Joint ISO/IEC publication — International Organization for Standardization in collaboration with IEC (ISO/IEC).
• ICS / categories: 35.020 — Information technology (IT) in general.
• Edition / version: Edition 1.0 (2015).
• Number of pages: 15 pages (ISO bibliographic entry). Note: some national publishers or PD/implementation publications show a different total (e.g., 22–26 pages) due to national forewords or combined presentation formats.

Scope

Provides an implementation guide to help organizations put into practice effective governance arrangements for IT. The scope focuses on organization-level governance activities rather than detailed technical controls: it covers an implementation approach, establishing and sustaining an enabling environment, governing IT (roles, responsibilities and decision-making), and continual review and improvement, together with assessment guidance and alignment to ISO/IEC 38500 principles.

Key topics and requirements

• Implementation approach: steps and structure for putting governance arrangements into practice within an organization.
• Establishing and sustaining an enabling environment: leadership, roles, policies, resources and communication needed to support governance.
• Governing IT: guidance on decision-making, accountability, and the interaction between governing bodies and management.
• Continual review: monitoring, assessment and improvement of governance arrangements.
• Assessment scheme and alignment: informative annexes offering assessment criteria and mapping to ISO/IEC 38500 principles.

Typical use and users

Intended for governing bodies, boards of directors, senior management, CIOs, IT governance teams, internal auditors, risk and compliance professionals, and consultants who are implementing or improving IT governance arrangements. It is used to translate governance principles into organizational arrangements, assessments and improvement activities.

Related standards

Closely associated with the ISO/IEC 38500 family and supporting TRs, in particular ISO/IEC 38500 (principles for corporate governance of IT), ISO/IEC TR 38502 (framework and model), and other 38500-series guidance and parts. There has also been committee work (e.g., CD 38501) addressing revisions or replacement guidance.

Keywords

IT governance, governance of IT, implementation guide, ISO/IEC 38500, assessment, continual review, roles and responsibilities, board, CIO.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO/IEC TS 38501:2015 is a Technical Specification titled "Information technology — Governance of IT — Implementation guide" that offers practical guidance for implementing governance arrangements for IT in organizations.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers an implementation approach, how to establish and sustain an enabling environment (leadership, roles, policies), governing IT (decision-making and accountability), continual review, and includes informative annexes with an assessment scheme and alignment to ISO/IEC 38500 principles.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Boards, senior management, CIOs, IT governance teams, internal auditors, risk/compliance officers and consultants involved in establishing or improving organization-level IT governance.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: As published in April 2015 the Technical Specification is listed as a published/confirmed ISO/IEC TS. There has been subsequent committee activity (committee drafts) proposing replacement or revision (e.g., CD 38501), so users should check the ISO/IEC catalogue or their national standards body for the absolute latest status before procurement or formal reference.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it belongs to the ISO/IEC 38500 family of documents (governance of IT), and is intended to be used alongside ISO/IEC 38500 (principles), ISO/IEC TR 38502 (framework and model) and other 38500-series guidance.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: IT governance, governance implementation, ISO/IEC 38500, assessment, management, roles, continual improvement.