ISO 41001 LA key terms

An integrated organizational function that coordinates people, place, process and technology to support an organization's primary activities and objectives, delivering services that enable productivity and effectiveness across the demand organization.

The entity that requires, commissions and funds facility management services, sets requirements and accepts the delivered outcomes; it may be internal to a larger body or a separate client organization.

A set of interrelated or interacting elements of an organization, including policies, objectives, processes and resources, used to direct and control facility management activities and achieve intended outcomes.

The defined boundary of facility management services, locations, assets and organizational units covered by the management system, documented so that applicability of requirements is clear and auditable.

Support services delivered to the demand organization, such as space management, maintenance, cleaning, security, utilities, catering and workplace support, whether performed in-house or by external providers.

An arrangement in which an external provider performs part of the facility management function or its processes; the organization retains responsibility for conformity of the management system.

A person or organization that can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision or activity, such as owners, occupants, regulators, employees, communities and service providers.

The combination of internal and external factors, including issues, stakeholders and legal conditions, that influence how the facility management system is established and operated.

Top management's active involvement in the FM system: establishing policy and objectives, integrating requirements into business processes, providing resources and promoting improvement, rather than merely endorsing documents.

A documented statement by top management of the organization's intentions and direction for facility management, providing a framework for setting objectives and including commitments to meet applicable requirements.

Assigned authorities and accountabilities within the FM system, defined and communicated so that processes are owned, performance is monitored and reporting to top management occurs.

Potential adverse effects and potential beneficial possibilities relevant to the FM system and its services, identified and addressed through planned actions and evaluated for effectiveness.

Measurable results to be achieved for facility management, consistent with policy, relevant to service and compliance performance, monitored, communicated and updated as needed.

A deliberate approach to modifying the FM system or services, considering purpose, consequences, integrity of processes and availability of resources and responsibilities before changes are made.

The provisions an FM system needs to operate, covering resources, competence, awareness, communication and documented information, including the infrastructure and environment for its processes.

The ability to apply knowledge and skills to achieve intended results, determined for persons doing work affecting FM performance and addressed through education, training, experience or reassessment.

Persons working under the organization's control know the FM policy, relevant objectives, their contribution to system effectiveness and the implications of not conforming with requirements.

Planned internal and external exchanges about the FM system, determining what, when, with whom and how information is shared, including with occupants and providers.

Information required to be controlled and maintained, and the medium on which it is contained; includes documented procedures and records of results, with controls for availability, protection and retention.

Establishing criteria for FM processes and implementing control of them in line with those criteria, including control of externally provided processes, products and services.

An organization or person outside the FM organization's direct control that supplies processes, products or services; the organization must specify, monitor and evaluate what is provided.

Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation of FM performance and compliance, including internal audit and management review, to determine whether the system achieves intended results.

A defined metric used to monitor the extent to which facility services or the FM system achieve intended results, with specified method, frequency and responsibility for evaluation.

A systematic, independent and documented process for obtaining objective evidence and evaluating it objectively against audit criteria to determine the extent of conformity with the organization's own requirements.

Top management's periodic evaluation of the FM system's suitability, adequacy and effectiveness, using defined inputs and producing decisions on improvement and resource needs.

Recurring activity to enhance performance, including correcting nonconformities, analyzing causes and taking action to prevent recurrence, with results reviewed for effectiveness.

Non-fulfilment of a requirement, whether of the management system standard, the organization's own procedures, legal obligations or contractual service commitments.

Action taken to eliminate the cause of a nonconformity and prevent recurrence, proportionate to the effects encountered and verified for effectiveness after implementation.

A systematic, independent and documented process for obtaining objective evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which audit criteria are fulfilled.

The set of policies, procedures, requirements or standards used as a reference against which audit evidence is compared, agreed with the auditee before the audit.

Records, statements of fact or other information relevant to the audit criteria and verifiable; it is the basis for reaching audit findings and conclusions.

Results of evaluating collected audit evidence against audit criteria, indicating conformity or nonconformity and sometimes opportunities for improvement, recorded with supporting evidence.

The outcome of an audit after consideration of audit objectives and all findings, stating the extent of conformity and any recommendations for the auditee.

The extent and boundaries of an audit, including physical locations, organizational units, functions, processes and time period covered, agreed with the auditee.

What is to be accomplished by an audit, such as determining conformity, evaluating effectiveness or identifying improvement potential; they shape scope, criteria and evidence sampling.

Arrangements for a set of one or more audits planned for a specific time frame and purpose, including schedule, resources and procedures to manage and improve audit activity.

Description of the activities and arrangements for an audit, covering schedule, audit team, sites, processes to be sampled and logistics, tailored to the auditee's context.

Personal attributes plus knowledge and skills, including audit principles, management system standards, sector knowledge and language, needed to perform audits effectively and consistently.

The ability to reach unbiased conclusions without conflict of interest or undue influence; auditors must be independent of the activity being audited and free from pressure.

Freedom from conditions that threaten impartiality, achieved by separating auditors from the activities audited, avoiding auditing one's own work and managing relationships with the auditee.

An audit principle requiring conclusions to rest on verifiable, representative samples of relevant information rather than opinion, hearsay or assumption, recognizing sampling limitations.

Selecting a subset of items or records from a population to reach conclusions about the whole, with the auditor documenting the basis and size of the selection.

A formal start to the audit confirming objectives, scope, criteria, schedule, methods, communication channels and confidentiality arrangements, and clarifying any questions from the auditee.

A formal conclusion where the audit team presents findings and conclusions, explains the basis for nonconformities and agrees follow-up actions and reporting timelines with the auditee.

A documented record of the audit containing objectives, scope, criteria, team, findings, conclusions and any agreed follow-up, provided to the auditee and client.

A structured examination of why a nonconformity occurred, going beyond immediate symptoms to identify systemic causes so corrective action can prevent recurrence.

A documented agreement between the demand organization and a service provider defining services, performance levels, responsibilities, measurement methods and remedies for shortfalls.

Managing activities as interrelated processes with defined inputs, outputs, controls and interactions, so that the FM system's performance is understood and improved systematically.

Verifiable information, whether physical records, system data, observations or interviews, used to demonstrate that requirements have been met or that a finding is justified.

One or more auditors conducting an audit, supported as needed by technical experts and observers; the team's composition must match the audit scope and required competence.