International Standard
ISO 31000:2018
Risk management — Guidelines
Reference number
ISO 31000:2018
Edition 2
2018-02
International Standard
Read sample
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ISO 31000:2018
65694
Published (Edition 2, 2018)
This standard was last reviewed and confirmed in 2023. Therefore this version remains current.

ISO 31000:2018

ISO 31000:2018
65694
Format
Language
CHF 96
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What is ISO 31000?

ISO 31000 is an international standard that provides principles and guidelines for risk management. It outlines a comprehensive approach to identifying, analyzing, evaluating, treating, monitoring and communicating risks across an organization.

Why is ISO 31000 important?

In today's fast-paced and unpredictable world, every organization, regardless of its size or sector, encounters risks that can either pose threats or offer opportunities. ISO 31000 serves as a beacon:

  • Comprehensive Understanding: It fosters a shared understanding of risks, their nature, and ways to manage them across an organization.
  • Strategic Decision-Making: The guidelines help embed risk management into an organization’s governance, strategy, planning, reporting processes, policies, values, and culture.
  • Operational Excellence: Implementing ISO 31000 can lead to efficiency gains, as it helps organizations recognize potential threats and opportunities in time, allocate resources wisely, and enhance stakeholder confidence.
  • Proactive Approach: Rather than being purely reactive, ISO 31000 equips organizations to anticipate and address risks head-on, turning potential challenges into strategic advantages.
  • Stakeholder Confidence: A structured approach to risk management signals to stakeholders – from investors to customers – that the organization is robustly prepared to navigate uncertainties, reinforcing trust and credibility.

Benefits

  • Standard risk management principles, framework and process
  • Guidance for implementing risk management practices
  • Tools for contextualizing risk management to any organization
  • Criteria for monitoring, reviewing and continually improving risk management
  • Foundation for integrating risk management throughout an organization

ISO 31000 is valuable for any organization seeking to implement a comprehensive approach to risk management including:

  • Companies in heavily regulated industries like financial services, healthcare, energy
  • Public and governmental organizations Project management and engineering firms
  • Consultancies who advise clients on risk management Organizations wanting to build a risk management culture

No. ISO 31000 provides good practice guidelines but is not a certifiable risk management standard. However, it provides an excellent framework on which to build a robust risk management program.

For risk managers, applying ISO 31000 brings:

  • Internationally-accepted principles and guidelines for risk management
  • A structured framework for implementing risk processes
    • Standard criteria for monitoring, reviewing and improving risk management
    • Tools for reporting and communicating risks organization-wide

General information

  •  : Published
     : 2018-02
    : International Standard confirmed [90.93]
  •  : 2
     : 16
  • ISO/TC 262
    03.100.01 
  • RSS updates

Life cycle

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