National foreword

This British Standard is the UK implementation of EN ISO 20700:2018. It is identical to ISO 20700:2017. It supersedes BS EN 16114:2011, which is withdrawn.

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee SVS/1/3, Management consultancy services.

A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its secretary.

This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 30 September 2018.

Foreword

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.

The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).

Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not constitute an endorsement.

For an explanation on the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.

This document was prepared by Project Committee ISO/PC 280, Management consultancy.

Introduction

Management consultants use their know-how to support clients in any sector locally, regionally and globally to deal with important issues such as handling complexity, achieving sustainable organizational growth, innovating, achieving change and enhancing productivity. The management consultancy industry makes a substantial contribution to the world economy.

The aim of this document is to improve transparency and understanding between clients and management consultancy service providers (hereinafter referred to as MCSPs), in order to achieve better results from consultancy projects. Appropriate application of this document enables MCSPs to provide better value for clients and reduce risk in management consultancy assignments. By improving quality, professionalism, ethical behaviour and interoperability of management consultancy, this document is intended to enhance the effectiveness of the management consulting industry and accelerate the development of the profession.

This document is based on good practice from the management consultancy industry. It includes recommendations to improve the specification, execution, acceptance of the outcome and closure of management consultancy services, based on research and the experience of a wide range of MCSPs and their clients.

This document takes the form of an easy-to-understand guidance document, written from the perspective of management consultancy. It applies to all MCSPs, whatever their size or specialism, including sole proprietors, partnerships, associations, governmental and non-governmental organizations, internal departments of corporations, etc.

Innovation, differentiation and ethical behaviour are important parts of an MCSP’s value proposition. This document focuses only on the deliverables and outcomes of management consulting. MCSPs are free to use their own methods and approaches.

This document:

is written as guidance;
is applicable to all MCSPs;
applies to organizations, not their internal resources;
is based on outcomes;
protects innovation and differentiation;
emphasizes the importance of understanding clients’ needs;
is easy to understand.

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 6 May 2018.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom.

European foreword

The text of ISO 20700:2017 has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TMBG "Technical Management Board - groups” of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and has been taken over as EN ISO 20700:2018 by Technical Committee CEN/TC 381 “Management consultancy services” the secretariat of which is held by UNI.

This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by March 2019, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by March 2019.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

This document supersedes EN 16114:2011.

According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Endorsement notice

The text of ISO 20700:2017 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO 20700:2018 without any modification.

1 Scope

This document provides guidelines for the effective delivery of management consultancy services.

NOTE Refer to Annex A for supplementary information on ISO standards.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 Principles

4.1 General

4.2 Other standards

4.3 Ongoing evaluation and improvement

4.4 Policies

5 Contracting

5.1 General

5.2 Purpose

5.3 Input

5.4 Outcome

5.5 Contents

6 Execution

6.1 General

6.2 Purpose

6.3 Input

6.4 Outcome

6.5 Contents

7 Closure

7.1 General

7.2 Purpose

7.3 Input

7.4 Outcome

7.5 Contents

Bibliography

BS EN ISO 20700:2018

Guidelines for management consultancy services

Current

Published:

30 Sep 2018