Last Updated on November 5, 2025 by Melissa Lazaro

Building Competence the ISO 17034 Way

I’ve seen it countless times — teams with great technical talent still struggle during ISO 17034 accreditation. It’s not because they lack skill, but because their competence isn’t clearly defined, trained, or documented.

ISO 17034 demands more than experience. It expects proof that every person involved in producing reference materials is competent, trained, and consistently evaluated.

This guide walks you through how to build a structured, evidence-based training program that fits ISO 17034 requirements and actually strengthens your daily operations — not just your compliance record.

Why Staff Competence Matters Under ISO 17034

Here’s what most reference-material producers eventually realize: the accuracy and stability of your materials depend directly on the people behind them. Even the best instruments can’t compensate for inconsistent skills or unclear responsibilities.

Competence impacts everything — from homogeneity testing to uncertainty measurement to how data gets reported.

When your staff know exactly what’s expected, errors drop, turnaround time improves, and audits become far less stressful.

Pro Tip: Treat competence like a process you monitor, not a certificate you file away. It should grow with your team and your technical scope.

Common Pitfall: Assuming years of lab experience equal ISO 17034 competence. Without formal evaluation or documented proof, auditors won’t accept it.

Understanding ISO 17034 Competence Requirements

ISO 17034 weaves competence through multiple clauses, not just one. Understanding where they appear makes your training program sharper and easier to defend during assessments.

Here’s how it breaks down:

• Clause 6 – Structural Requirements: defines roles and responsibilities.
• Clause 7 – Technical and Production Competence: covers the actual skills for producing and characterizing reference materials.
• Clause 8 – Management System Requirements: includes training, evaluation, and continual improvement.

Each role — from quality manager to lab technician — links to at least one of these clauses.

Pro Tip: Create a quick “role-to-clause” matrix. It shows which part of the standard applies to whom. It’s an instant win during audits.

Pitfall: Keeping training generic and not tying it to clause-specific requirements. That’s where many producers lose audit points.

Developing a Competence-Based Training Program

Building your training framework isn’t as complicated as it sounds — but it does require structure.

Here’s a process that works:

1. Identify job roles — technical, production, QA, or management.
2. List required competencies — for each role, what skills or knowledge do they need?
3. Perform a gap analysis — where are the weaknesses?
4. Design training modules — technical procedures, quality awareness, data integrity, or safety.
5. Deliver and evaluate — use tests, practical demonstrations, or supervised work.

In one RM producer I trained, the team realized only one person could perform stability studies correctly. We built an internal program where senior staff coached junior analysts, and within two months, three new technicians were certified competent. It transformed their capacity and audit readiness.

Pro Tip: Use your internal experts as trainers. It builds confidence and keeps training realistic.

Pitfall: Copying a generic lab training schedule. ISO 17034 requires you to tailor content for reference-material production, not routine testing.

Recording and Evaluating Competence

ISO 17034 expects objective proof — not just attendance certificates. Your records should show how competence was achieved, verified, and maintained.

Keep these core documents updated:

• Training attendance logs – who was trained and when.
• Competence matrix – links staff roles to their required skills.
• Evaluation forms – signed by supervisors or technical managers.
• Retraining schedule – outlines frequency and triggers.

Pro Tip: After each training, complete a simple “Competence Evaluation Form.” Note what was learned, how it was demonstrated, and any retraining needs. It’s small effort for major audit value.

Pitfall: Recording attendance but skipping evaluation. Auditors don’t care that training “happened” — they care that it worked.

Building a Culture of Continuous Learning

Competence isn’t a one-time achievement — it’s a mindset. The best labs treat training as part of their performance system, not just an annual event.

Run short refreshers every few months. Encourage staff to share lessons learned from nonconformities or client feedback. Even informal sessions add value when documented.

A small producer I worked with introduced quarterly cross-training sessions. Within six months, production errors dropped by 40%, and morale improved. People felt invested — and it showed in their audit results.

Pro Tip: Connect training goals to measurable outcomes — fewer errors, faster turnarounds, better data consistency.

Pitfall: Treating training as a checkbox. The moment you stop improving, your system starts slipping.

Using Technology to Manage Training

You don’t need fancy software to start — even a well-designed spreadsheet works. But technology can make training management effortless once your system grows.

Use tools that:

• Track completion dates and auto-remind for retraining.
• Link records directly to ISO 17034 clauses.
• Store assessment results and certificates securely.

Pro Tip: If you already use a document-control system, integrate training records there. It keeps everything centralized and audit-ready.

Pitfall: Relying on paper binders or scattered folders. They’re hard to maintain and often go missing right before an audit.

FAQs – Common Questions About ISO 17034 Training

Q1: How often should ISO 17034 training be repeated?
That depends on how fast your system changes. Most producers repeat core training every 12–24 months or after major updates to methods or procedures.

Q2: Who should conduct the training?
Internal experts or external consultants — as long as the trainer’s competence is documented. Auditors will check that too.

Q3: What’s the best way to prove competence?
Show objective evidence: task observations, test results, or supervisor sign-offs tied to each job description.

Conclusion – From Trained Staff to Trusted Reference Materials

Competence builds confidence — both inside your team and with your clients. When your staff are trained, evaluated, and improving continuously, the quality of your reference materials speaks for itself.

I’ve seen producers transform their operations by treating training as a strategic process, not a compliance task. It reduces rework, boosts consistency, and makes accreditation smoother every time.

If you’re ready to take that step, download QSE Academy’s ISO 17034 Training Guide Template and start structuring your staff-competence framework today. It’s the easiest way to turn training into measurable results.