Implementation walkthrough
How to implement ISO 56001: video walkthrough
A walkthrough of building an ISO 56001 innovation management system and running it on real initiatives before certification.
Key takeaways
- ISO 56001 is the certifiable standard in the ISO 56000 family.
- It asks for a system for innovation, not for particular inventions.
- An innovation intent set at the strategic level shapes the scope.
- The system must run on real initiatives before certification.
- Accreditation for ISO 56001 is still being introduced in some countries.
A system for innovation capability
ISO 56001 is the international standard that sets out the requirements for an innovation management system. Organisations use it to develop and demonstrate their capability to innovate, improve innovation performance and realise value for users, customers and other interested parties. It applies to organisations of every type and size, whatever they offer and however they innovate, and it is the only document in the ISO 56000 family against which an organisation can be certified.
ISO treats an innovation as a new or changed entity that realises or redistributes value, whether a product, service, process, model or method. The standard does not tell an organisation what to invent; it asks for a system. This short film walks through how that system is built.
From innovation intent to the first portfolio review
Agree what the certificate must cover: the units, sites, kinds of innovation and headcount in scope, and who is asking, whether a partner, a funder, a public programme or the board. A gap analysis then sets current innovation practice against the standard.
Implementation starts with an innovation intent set at the strategic level, which shapes the scope, followed by leadership duties on value realisation, change, policy, strategy and culture. Planning brings an innovation portfolio, structures and collaboration. The resources the standard names, from people and time to intellectual property, are made available, and the innovation processes, from identifying opportunities to deploying solutions, are put to work on real initiatives so that the system produces evidence. The first portfolio review shows whether the system is working. Internal audit and management review follow before an independent certification body audits and decides; accredited certification is available in some countries, while other accreditation bodies are still opening it.
Sterling's expert and experienced consultants support the work from intent and strategy to the first portfolio review under Sterling OS™, with the system held in Effivity. ISO 56001:2024 is the first edition, published in September 2024.
ISO 56001 at a glance
- Purpose
- Innovation management: developing and demonstrating innovation capability, improving innovation performance and realising value for users, customers and other interested parties
- Relevant to
- Any organisation, whatever its type, size, offer or kind of innovation: companies, public bodies, universities and research organisations
- Edition
- ISO 56001:2024, the first edition, published in September 2024; no amendment or revision in progress
- Certification
- An independent certification body audits and decides; accreditation for ISO 56001 is offered in some countries and still being introduced in others
- Sterling's role
- Implementation with your team, from intent and strategy to the first portfolio review, with Effivity, training, internal audit and certification readiness, then Sustain™
- Cost and timing
- Total investment for an ISO 56001 innovation management system depends on the current maturity of your processes, the scope, locations and number of employees. The process typically takes 6 to 12 months
ISO 56001: questions people ask
Is ISO 56001 certification mandatory?
No. Like other ISO standards it is voluntary, though a partner, funder or programme can make it a condition. Demand comes from partners, investors and public bodies seeking confidence in innovation capability, and from leaders who want innovation run with the same discipline as the rest of the business.
What is the difference between ISO 56001 and ISO 56002?
ISO 56002:2019 is guidance: it recommends rather than requires, so it is not the basis for certification. ISO 56001:2024 contains the requirements used to evaluate conformity, and a certification body audits against it. ISO 56002, now being revised, remains a useful companion on how to implement.
Is accredited ISO 56001 certification available?
In some countries; each accreditation body decides when to open accreditation for a new standard. ACCREDIA, Italy's accreditation body, announced in March 2025 that certification bodies could apply for ISO 56001 accreditation, and accredited certification there followed in 2026; UKAS invited certification bodies into an ISO 56001 pilot accreditation project in January 2025. In the UAE and the Philippines, the national accreditation body did not list ISO 56001 among its management system schemes as of September 2026; there, check whether the certification body holds ISO 56001 accreditation from elsewhere or will certify without it, and whether that matters to whoever asked.
Does Sterling issue the ISO 56001 certificate?
No. Sterling consults, trains and prepares; the certification audit and the decision belong to an independent certification body. If one provider offers to deliver both the system and the certificate, the independence that gives a certificate its value is missing.
Can a start-up or small company be certified to ISO 56001?
Size is no barrier: the standard applies to any organisation, whatever its type or size, and its elements can be adopted gradually. Its introduction notes that the requirements are not always an effective basis for evaluating newly formed organisations, so a very young company may do better to build the practices first and certify later. The ISO committee is also developing guidance for start-ups and SMEs.
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