Planning changes to the BCMS
Make BCMS changes in a planned way, with the purpose, the consequences, the effect on the system, the resources and the accountability all written down.
01What applies
Where the BCMS has to change, including changes prompted by nonconformity or improvement, make the change in a planned way. Weigh why it is being made and what it could lead to, whether the BCMS stays intact, whether enough resources are available, and how responsibilities and authorities are assigned or moved. The clause is short and often skipped. Its effect is to stop a corrective action from quietly breaking a different part of the system. A change record is not a version bump: it is a short argument that the change is safe and resourced.
02Why it matters
Most BCMS deterioration happens through small unplanned changes. A process owner leaves and the role is absorbed. A tool is replaced and the evidence trail changes. A site is added and the impact analysis is not refreshed. The clause gives the organization a way to see those changes before they become findings. It also links the improvement loop back to planning, which is what makes continual improvement structural.
03What good looks like
Add a change note to the corrective action and improvement templates: why, what else it touches, resource, accountability, approval. For a reorganisation, write one note that covers the roles moved. Review the change notes at the management review and check that the BCMS description still matches reality.
04Evidence an auditor asks for
Take the last three corrective actions and ask what else they changed. If nobody knows, the change was not planned.
| Evidence | The record |
|---|---|
| Change record | Purpose and consequence analysis for each material BCMS change |
| Integrity | Assessment of the effect on the BCMS and its processes |
| Resources and roles | Resource and accountability reallocation recorded with the change |
05Where it commonly fails
- BCMS changes made informally, visible only as an unexplained document version bump
- Consequence analysis skipped for changes that came from corrective actions
- Responsibilities left with departed staff after a reorganisation
06What to do before the estimate
Add four questions to the change template: why, what else it touches, what it needs, who owns it after the change.