Learn How to get ISO 20000 Certified

ISO/IEC 20000 guides: Overview · Requirements · Cost · How to get certified · Pair with ISO 27001

ISO/IEC 20000 is the globally recognized standard for IT Service Management. It provides a framework for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an effective ITSM system. Compliance with this standard signifies a commitment to delivering high-quality IT services aligned with international best practices.

Embarking on the Certification Journey:

1. Initial Assessment: Begin by conducting an initial assessment of your organization’s existing ITSM processes. Identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. This assessment serves as a foundation for the certification journey.
2. Build a Cross-functional Team: Form a dedicated team comprising IT professionals, process owners, and stakeholders. Collaboration is key to aligning organizational goals with the ISO/IEC 20000 requirements.
3. Define Scope and Objectives: Clearly define the scope of your ITSM system and set specific objectives. This ensures a focused approach and facilitates a smoother certification process.
4. Documentation and Implementation: Develop comprehensive documentation for your ITSM processes. Implement necessary changes to align existing practices with ISO/IEC 20000 requirements. This may involve training employees on new processes and procedures.
5. Incident and Problem Management: Enhance incident and problem management processes to promptly identify, resolve, and prevent IT service issues. Effective management of incidents and problems is crucial for ISO/IEC 20000 compliance.
6. Change Management: Strengthen change management processes to ensure that changes are planned, controlled, and documented. This helps minimize risks and disruptions to IT services.
7. Performance Measurement: Implement key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the performance of ITSM processes. Regularly assess and analyze these metrics to drive continual improvement.
8. Internal Audits: Conduct internal audits to evaluate the effectiveness of your ITSM system. Identify non-conformities and opportunities for improvement, and take corrective actions.
9. Select a Certification Body: Choose an accredited certification body with expertise in IT service management. Ensure the selected body aligns with international accreditation standards.
10. Certification Audit: Undergo a two-stage certification audit – a documentation review followed by an on-site assessment. The certification body will verify compliance with ISO/IEC 20000 requirements.
11. Continuous Improvement: Achieving certification is not the endpoint. Continuously evaluate and enhance your ITSM system to adapt to changing business needs and emerging technologies.

Obtaining ISO/IEC 20000 certification in the Philippines is a strategic move towards optimizing IT service delivery. It not only enhances organizational credibility but also demonstrates a commitment to delivering services of the highest quality. By following these steps, organizations can navigate the certification process successfully, positioning themselves as leaders in the dynamic landscape of IT service management. For professional guidance and assistance in navigating the ISO/IEC 20000 certification process,  reach out to Sterling Consultants, a trusted partner in achieving excellence in IT Service Management. Contact us at +63 977 815 1204 or info@iso-philippines.com

What the project feels like, week by week

The realistic path through ISO 20000 certification in the Philippines has a rhythm every successful Philippine project shares. Early: honest diagnosis, and the important decision of who internally owns the system — a named coordinator with authority, not a committee. Middle: implementation sprints where our consultants bring structure and your people bring truth, because itsm projects formalize around the ticketing stack you already run — evidence engineering, not parallel bureaucracy. Late: evidence accumulates, the internal audit stress-tests everything, and audit week arrives with no surprises left in the building. Two accelerators shorten this arc more than any consultant trick: leadership that treats project milestones as commitments rather than suggestions, and existing records discipline — companies that already write things down move roughly a month faster than companies learning to.

The failure patterns — and the vaccine

A word on what certification day does and does not change. The certificate unlocks the commercial doors — tenders, vendor accreditations, client audits shortened to a document check. What it does not do is run the system: surveillance audits arrive annually, records must keep accumulating, and the internal audit programme is now yours to operate. Companies that treat certification as a finish line drift into year-two findings and the quiet embarrassment of suspension; companies that treat it as an operating license simply keep doing what the project taught them, at a fraction of the original effort. We build for the second outcome — training your internal auditor, not renting ours forever — and stay available for the maintenance support that keeps surveillance boring. Plan the whole cycle, not just the sprint.

Running this alongside daily operations without breaking either

The question every Philippine SME asks before starting ISO/IEC 20000: can we absorb this without dropping production or clients? Yes — if the project respects three design rules our engagements enforce. Load follows the calendar’s shape: heavy consultant weeks are scheduled around your busy cycles, month-end closes and peak seasons named at kickoff, not discovered mid-project. Work packages fit into real diaries: two-hour process-owner workshops beat all-day marathons that get postponed twice and resented once held. And documentation drafting sits with us in first pass — your people correct reality into drafts rather than facing blank pages after their shifts. Under those rules, typical internal load runs a few hours weekly for the champion and less for everyone else, with two heavier pulses at gap-closing and internal-audit weeks. The alternative — an unmanaged project colliding with operations — is where timelines quietly die. Ask for the workload map with your gap assessment; you should see the whole cost, in hours, before you commit.

A final word from practice

After sixteen-plus years preparing Philippine organizations across every discipline this site covers, the pattern behind successful outcomes in ISO 20000 certification in the Philippines is unglamorous and consistent: start earlier than feels necessary, assess before deciding, build on real practice, and keep the system alive after the credential arrives. Organizations that follow it experience audits as formalities and revisions as calendar entries; organizations that don’t fund the rescue industry. Whichever category your current state resembles, the first step is identical — an honest assessment — and it is a week, not a commitment. +63 977 815 1204 reaches a consultant, not a call tree.

Next step: a gap assessment maps your exact distance from the goal in about a week — request one.