Auditing
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Benchmarking & Standards Readiness Cognicert Advisory & Capability Building

Benchmarking looks outward—beyond a specific business, organisation, industry, region or country—to understand how leading performers achieve results and which processes drive those outcomes. When applied correctly, benchmarking helps you close performance gaps, strengthen governance, and build reliable management systems that can withstand external scrutiny.

Independence & certification clarity: Cognicert provides benchmarking, training, and implementation support to help you improve performance and prepare for independent third-party certification or accreditation where applicable. Certification decisions are made solely by independent accredited certification bodies and accreditation bodies.

How Benchmarking Works (4-Step Method)Simple, evidence-driven, repeatable

1) Understand your current processes

Map your existing workflows, controls, responsibilities, and outputs—so the “current state” is measurable and defensible.

2) Analyse external benchmarks

Assess relevant standards and leading practices to understand what “good” looks like and what differentiates high performance.

3) Compare performance to benchmarks

Identify gaps between your results/process maturity and the benchmark. Prioritise what matters most to risk, cost, and outcomes.

4) Close the gaps

Implement targeted improvements—controls, training, documentation, monitoring, and corrective actions—to reach your desired maturity level.

How Cognicert Supports YouAdvisory + capability building Assessments & Gap Analysis Find what matters

  • Gap assessments against standards and regulatory requirements
  • Readiness reviews and maturity scoring
  • Risk-based prioritisation and improvement roadmaps

Implementation & System Strengthening Make it work

  • Implementation support for standards / regulations
  • Management system design, documentation and control implementation
  • Effectiveness reviews and continual improvement cycles

Audit Services (Internal & Supplier-Focused) Verify & improve

  • Supplier audits
  • Project audits
  • Management system audits
  • Internal audits and audit programme setup

Note: These activities support internal assurance and improvement. Where third-party certification or accreditation is required, the audit outcome and certification decision remain with the independent external body. Training & Competence Development Build capability

  • Awareness training on management systems
  • Internal Auditor training
  • Lead Auditor training
  • Teams workshops to embed governance, roles, and evidence discipline

What You Receive (Deliverables)Clear outputs you can use

Benchmarking & Gap Report

Evidence-based gaps mapped to clauses/requirements, with clear severity, risk, and business impact.

Prioritised Improvement Roadmap

90-day and 6–12 month action plan with owners, timelines, and measurable milestones.

Process & Control Templates

Reusable policies, procedures, registers, and monitoring tools tailored to your operations.

Audit Programme & Evidence Pack

Internal audit plan, checklists, evidence structure, and corrective action tracking for sustainable readiness.

Outcome focus: stronger governance, improved process performance, reduced risk, and reliable readiness for independent external assessment where applicable.

Standards & Frameworks We Benchmark / ImplementClean categories for easy browsing Quality, Operations & Sector QMS ISO 9001 + sector

  • ISO 9001 – Quality Management Systems
  • ISO 13485 – Medical Device Quality Management System
  • ISO 3834 – Fusion Welding Quality Standard
  • TL 9000 – Telecoms Quality Management System
  • IATF 16949 – Automotive Quality Management System
  • ISO 29001 – Oil and Gas Quality Management System
  • EN/BS 15224 – Healthcare Quality Management System

Environment, Health & Safety EHS systems

  • ISO 14001 – Environmental Management Systems
  • ISO 45001 – Occupational Health and Safety
  • ISO 50001 – Energy Management System
  • ISO 55000 – Asset Management System
  • Good Hygiene Practice
  • Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)

Information Security, Privacy & Supply Chain Security Cyber + data

  • ISO 27001 – Information Security Management System
  • GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation
  • PCI-DSS – Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard
  • ISO 28001 – Supply Chain Security Management System

Business Continuity, Compliance & Anti-Bribery Resilience + ethics

  • ISO 22301 – Business Continuity Management System
  • ISO 37301 – Compliance Management System
  • ISO 37001 – Anti-Bribery Management System
  • Corporate Governance Management System
  • Internal Control Structure & Anti-Fraud Management Framework
  • Risk Management Implementation (ISO 31000)

Food, Cosmetics & Consumer Product Safety Safety systems

  • ISO 22000 – Food Safety Management System
  • HACCP – Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point
  • BRC – British Retail Consortium
  • ISO 22716 – Cosmetics Good Manufacturing Practice
  • Cosmetics Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP)

Laboratories, Inspection & Conformity Assessment Accreditation support

  • ISO/IEC 17025 – Laboratory Management System
  • ISO 15189 – Medical Laboratory Management System
  • ISO/IEC 17020 – Inspection Body Assessment Standard
  • ISO/IEC 17043 – Proficiency Testing Assessment Standard
  • ISO/IEC 17065 – Product Certification Body Assessment Standard
  • ISO/IEC 17050 – Supplier Declaration of Conformity
  • Good Laboratory Practices

Education, IT Service Management & Records Service excellence

  • ISO 21001 – Educational Organization Management Systems
  • ISO/IEC 20000 – IT Service Management System
  • ISO 30301 – Records Management System
  • Performance Management System Best Practices
  • Customer Satisfaction, Complaint Handling & Conflict Resolution Best Practices

Security, Maritime & Private Security Operations Industry-specific

  • ISO 18788 – Management System for Private Security Company
  • ISO 28007 – Guidelines for Private Maritime Security Companies (PMSC)
  • International Safety Management (ISM) Code
  • International Ship & Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code

Engineering & Innovation Management Capability building

  • ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 – System Engineering Life Cycle Processes
  • ISO 56001 – Innovation Management System

Among others: If your required standard or regulatory framework is not listed, Cognicert can scope it under the same benchmarking method (current state → external benchmark → gap → improvement roadmap).

Request a Quote (Benchmarking / Training)

Tell us your industry, the standard(s) you are targeting, and your preferred timeline. We will respond with a clear scope, deliverables, and an implementation pathway designed for measurable performance improvement and readiness for independent external assessment where applicable.

    Speak to an Advisor Training & Auditor Pathways

    Prefer email? Send a short request including your scope, sites/locations, and target standards.

    Email:info@cognicert.com
    Subject line suggestion: Benchmarking / Readiness Request — [Organisation Name]

    Include:
    • Industry & scope (sites, functions)
    • Target standard(s) / regulation(s)
    • Current status (new / existing system)
    • Timeline & constraints
    • Preferred delivery (on-site / hybrid / remote)

    Rapid start option: We can begin with a short readiness diagnostic and convert it into a phased improvement roadmap.

    Note: Cognicert’s role is advisory, benchmarking, training and implementation support. Independent certification/accreditation outcomes (where required) are determined by external bodies.