What is stakeholder analysis in ISO standards?

When a management system is developed according to an ISO management system standard, stakeholder analysis is one of the first activities. This applies not only to ISO 9001, but also to standards such as ISO 14001, ISO 27001 and ISO 45001. The analysis identifies and manages stakeholders’ needs, expectations and requirements.

When we talk about stakeholders, many people immediately assume that it is about customers and customer requirements. But stakeholders are broader than that.

Examples of stakeholders include:

- Clients
- Employees
- Owner
- Management team
- CEO
- Board
- Vendors
- Online Forums
- Community/Neighbourhood
- Society in general

To create a picture of the stakeholders, it is common to map and document which stakeholder groups are involved, why they are interested, level of interest, involvement, activities they are involved in and who is internally responsible for each stakeholder group as well as which teams are involved/influenced within the company.

In ISO 9001, customer focus is central. In other standards, other stakeholders become especially important, such as authorities, neighbours and environmental stakeholders in ISO 14001, workers in ISO 45001 and customers, suppliers and authorities in ISO 27001. Considering the company’s stakeholders over time gives you a better picture of the world around you when designing products, services and ways of working.

Stakeholder analysis should be a natural part of everyday work. Leadership therefore needs processes within the company that take stakeholder views into account and encourage their participation and support.

The company will also evaluate stakeholders’ views and improve the processes used to meet their needs and expectations over time.

It is not uncommon for new technological innovations, for example, to suddenly cause stakeholders to place completely new demands on you than before.

Consider, for example, how stakeholders’ expectations changed for county council health centres after Kry and Doktor.se began to gain significant market share.

Stakeholders influence everything

Several ISO management system standards require the organization to understand relevant stakeholders and their requirements. This also affects scope, risks, objectives, processes and follow-up.

That makes stakeholder analysis valuable whether you work with quality, environment, information security or work environment. It helps you understand which requirements and expectations you actually need to manage.

Getting certified and maintaining certification to a standard such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001 or ISO 45001 becomes easier when stakeholder analysis is kept up to date and used in the management system.