Last Updated on November 3, 2025 by Melissa Lazaro

Why Certification Decision Records Matter in ISO/IEC 17024

When an accreditation assessor reviews your ISO/IEC 17024 system, one of the first questions they ask is simple but powerful:

“How do you document your certification decisions?”

That question goes straight to the heart of your system’s credibility.

The certification decision is where all your impartiality, consistency, and competence controls come together. It’s not just about marking a candidate as “pass” or “fail.” It’s about showing that the decision was made objectively, based on verified evidence, and approved by the right person — someone who wasn’t involved in the assessment.

In my experience, certification bodies that keep a well-structured Certification Decision Log sail through audits. Those who don’t often spend hours reconstructing decision trails that should have been one click away.

This article will show you what your log should include, how to structure it, and how to use it as more than just a compliance record — as a real management tool.

Role of Certification Decisions in the ISO/IEC 17024 Process (Clause 7.4)

The decision stage is where a candidate officially becomes “certified.” But it’s also one of the most tightly controlled steps in ISO/IEC 17024.

Clause 7.4 states that:

• Decisions must be made by authorized personnel.
• Those personnel must not have been involved in the candidate’s training or examination.
• Each decision must be supported by documented evidence.

That evidence is what your decision log captures. It links the person, the scheme, the assessment, and the decision — all in one place.

Pro Tip: Treat your decision log like a legal record. If an appeal ever arises, this is the first document your accreditation body or a court will want to see.

Common Pitfall: Assuming the decision form in the candidate’s file is enough. It’s not — you need a consolidated, traceable log of every certification decision across all schemes.

What the Certification Decision Log Must Include

Your decision log should tell the full story of how and when a certification decision was made.
At minimum, it must include:

• Candidate’s name and unique ID.
• Certification scheme name or code.
• Assessment date and result summary (e.g., pass/fail, percentage, or competency statement).
• Decision date.
• Decision-maker’s name, title, and signature (digital or handwritten).
• Remarks or conditions (e.g., “conditional pass pending evidence submission”).
• Reference to appeals or re-application options, if applicable.

Pro Tip: Keep one log per scheme if you handle multiple programs. It simplifies auditing and ensures focus during reviews.

Common Pitfall: Forgetting to record decision-maker signatures. Accreditation assessors almost always check that point first.

Designing a Practical Decision Log Template

Here’s a clean format you can adapt immediately. It meets ISO/IEC 17024 Clause 7.4 requirements and passes audit scrutiny.

Candidate ID	Name	Scheme	Assessment Date	Result	Decision Date	Decision Maker	Remarks / Conditions
17024-C001	Maria Lopez	Food Safety Auditor	2025-03-10	Pass	2025-03-15	QA Manager	None
17024-C002	Ahmed Rahman	Energy Auditor	2025-03-12	Fail	2025-03-18	Certification Director	May re-apply in 6 months
17024-C003	Sarah Tan	Environmental Inspector	2025-03-20	Pass	2025-03-25	Certification Manager	Conditional pass – pending site verification

Pro Tip: Link each record to its candidate application and exam file. That cross-reference is what proves your decisions were based on objective evidence.

Common Pitfall: Keeping the log in Word or Excel without protection. Once you move to electronic document control, make sure editing rights are limited to authorized staff.

Ensuring Impartiality and Independence in the Decision Process

This part matters more than most realize. ISO/IEC 17024 is explicit: the person making the certification decision cannot be the same person who evaluated the candidate.

That’s how impartiality is proven.

To enforce this:

• Define the rule clearly in your Certification Decision Procedure.
• Assign trained decision-makers who weren’t involved in testing.
• Document the authorization (usually signed by top management).
• Restrict access in your electronic system — assessors shouldn’t see decision screens.

Example: One small certification body I worked with allowed assessors to approve their own candidates for “convenience.” During accreditation, this was flagged as a major nonconformity. They had to redo six months of decisions under proper independence.

Pro Tip: In your log, include the role of the decision-maker (e.g., Certification Manager) to make impartiality visible at a glance.

Record Control and Retention Requirements (Clause 9)

Decision logs fall under the management-system records in ISO/IEC 17024 Clause 9. That means they must be:

• Controlled under your document-management system.
• Retained for at least one full certification cycle after expiry.
• Protected from unauthorized access or edits.
• Retrievable during audits and appeals.

Pro Tip: Store the log in your electronic document-control platform, not in personal folders. Enable versioning — it satisfies both Clause 7.4 (decision traceability) and Clause 9 (record control).

Common Pitfall: Forgetting backups. Decision logs are often updated weekly; losing them could mean months of lost evidence.

Using Decision Logs for Continuous Improvement

Beyond compliance, decision logs are a goldmine of insights.
If you review them regularly, you can identify:

• Recurring failure trends — which may signal weak areas in training or exam design.
• Delays between assessment and decision — a process-efficiency indicator.
• Repeated conditional passes — a hint that your competence criteria might need adjustment.

Pro Tip: Include decision-log reviews in your quarterly management reviews. You’ll catch trends before assessors do.

Example: One client realized from their log that 40% of appeals came from one specific scheme. A quick review uncovered outdated competence requirements. Fixing that reduced appeals by half.

FAQs — Common Questions About Certification Decision Logs

Q1: Can we store certification decisions electronically?
Yes, absolutely. As long as your system ensures traceability, access control, and security, electronic records are accepted by accreditation bodies.

Q2: Who should sign the certification decision?
Someone authorized and independent of the assessment — typically the Certification Manager, Technical Manager, or Director.

Q3: How detailed should remarks be?
Just enough to explain conditions or notes relevant to the decision. Avoid personal comments or detailed assessment feedback — that information belongs in assessment records, not the log.

Traceability That Builds Trust

Your Certification Decision Log is more than a compliance document — it’s your credibility record. It shows assessors, clients, and candidates that your organization makes decisions transparently, based on competence, not convenience.

When done right, it also becomes a management tool — helping you track performance, monitor impartiality, and improve your entire certification process.

In my experience, once a certification body formalizes its decision-logging process, accreditation audits become smoother and faster. Confidence grows, both internally and externally.

If you need a ready-to-use ISO/IEC 17024 Certification Decision Log Template, QSE Academy’s toolkit includes customizable tables, approval tracking fields, and electronic-record control features to help you document every decision confidently and consistently.