Author: Ralph Martin

ISO 17025 competency requirements place significant emphasis on the people whose work can influence laboratory activities and results. Under ISO/IEC 17025 Clause 6.2, laboratories must define and document the competence required for each relevant function, including appropriate education, qualifications, training, technical knowledge, practical skills, and experience. Meeting the ISO 17025 personnel competence requirements involves much…

ISO 17025 method verification is the process a laboratory uses to demonstrate, with objective evidence, that it can properly perform an established method before releasing routine customer results. When a lab adopts a standard or previously validated method, it generally does not need to repeat the method’s complete original validation. However, the laboratory must still…

Lab data drives everything—test results, accreditation, you name it. If your lab handles testing or calibration, you really do need to get a handle on how this ISO 17025 Section 7.11 Overview can help you keep your information accurate and secure. By following this ISO 17025 Section 7.11 Overview, your lab can achieve better data…

When a calibration lab calls something a pass or fail, there’s a lot riding on that decision. An ISO 17025 decision rule is just a documented approach that spells out how you use measurement uncertainty to decide if a calibration result meets the spec. Without a clear decision rule, labs could make the wrong call—leading…

ISO 17025 Technical records requirements really are the backbone of lab operations under ISO/IEC 17025. They capture everything that happens during testing or calibration—from raw data to final results. These ISO 17025 Technical records requirements show your lab sticks to proper procedures and can actually reproduce its work if someone asks. ISO/IEC 17025 Clause 7.5…

If your lab wants ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, you’ll need to run internal audits to show you’re up to scratch on technical requirements. A vertical audit is one of the three main audit types you can use to check compliance. Unlike horizontal audits, which sweep across one requirement for all methods, or witnessing audits that just…

ISO/IEC 17025 audits can expose gaps fast—especially when a lab can’t show clear, traceable evidence for how work is performed and controlled. This guide provides practical ISO 17025 nonconformity examples and keeps common audit findings explained in plain English, so you can recognize what’s being cited, why it matters, and what objective evidence typically closes…

If you’re searching for an ISO 17025 implementation timeline, the real question is how long it takes—and what an ISO 17025 implementation plan actually looks like in practice. The timeline depends on your current systems, staff skills, and management support. Most labs delay progress because they guess instead of plan. Many labs land in the…

Complaints are unavoidable in testing and calibration labs—but the way you handle them can either protect your accreditation or create audit findings. A well-designed ISO 17025 complaint process (ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Clause 7.9) should be documented, impartial, and fully traceable so you can prove you took the issue seriously, investigated using evidence, and communicated outcomes appropriately…

Getting your ISO 17025 tender request process right is one of the most important—and most overlooked—parts of building a compliant laboratory. Many of the nonconformities I see as a certified ISO/IEC 17025 assessor don’t start in the lab; they start at the front end, when a request, tender, or contract is accepted without a clear…