Certification should support your business, not slow it down. Yet for many, managing certification becomes increasingly complex: multiple ISO standards, different certification bodies, overlapping audits and separate systems that don’t quite line up.
What often starts as a sensible, step-by-step approach to certification can turn into duplicated effort, inconsistent governance and limited visibility across the business. This complexity is simplified with an Integrated Management System (IMS), especially when transferring certifications or planning the next stage of growth.
The challenge of fragmented certification
Holding more than one ISO standard is common, quality, environment, information security and health and safety. Often these certifications have been added at different times, sometimes with different providers, each with its own audit cycle and expectations.
The result is familiar:
- Multiple audits covering similar processes
- Different interpretations of risk across standards
- Separate reporting that makes it harder to see the bigger picture
- Increased effort for teams managing audits, evidence and timelines
Over time, this fragmentation can create inefficiency and make governance more complex to manage. When systems are managed separately, leadership teams may need to work harder to maintain a clear, joined-up view of how risk and performance are being controlled.
An Integrated Management System doesn’t mean starting from scratch. It means aligning shared processes such as leadership, risk assessment, internal audits, corrective actions and management review, so they work together and support all relevant standards at once.
This alignment is possible because modern ISO management system standards share a common structure known as Annex SL. Annex SL sets out a consistent framework of clauses and requirements across standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 27001, making it easier to align processes and controls without creating parallel systems.
What an Integrated Management System looks like in practice
In practice, integration is about coordination and clarity, rather than added complexity.
With an IMS:
- Common processes are shared across standards instead of duplicated
- Risks are assessed consistently, even when they relate to different disciplines
- Responsibilities and controls are clearer across teams and sites
- Evidence collected once can support multiple certification requirements
From a certification perspective, this alignment enables a coordinated audit programme. One assessor. One audit plan. One schedule that reflects how your business actually operates.
An Integrated Management System is not the only way to manage multiple standards effectively. Some organisations choose a consolidated management system instead, where standards are managed side by side using shared audits or aligned schedules, without fully integrating processes.
This approach can be more suitable where resources are limited, or integration is a longer-term goal. Both models can support effective certification and risk management when designed to fit the organisation.
Simplifying transfer through integrated audits
When certifications are integrated, transferring them becomes straightforward. Instead of managing separate transfer activities for each standard, organisations move to a single, coordinated approach.
LRQA works with organisations to review existing certifications, align audit cycles where possible and plan a transfer that avoids disruption. Integrated audits reduce repetition, shorten audit time over the certification cycle and create a more predictable, manageable experience for operational teams.
This approach also supports stronger governance. Integrated audits provide a consolidated view of how systems are performing, making it easier to identify trends, weaknesses and opportunities across the organisation.
Stronger governance, clearer visibility
Beyond efficiency, a key benefit of an Integrated Management System is improved visibility.
Leadership teams gain a clear line of sight across quality, safety, environmental and information risks. Decision-making improves as information stays consistent and connected. Governance can become more robust when controls are applied in a coordinated way rather than managed in silos.
This is particularly important for organisations with multiple sites, complex supply chains or regulatory exposure across different regions. An IMS helps ensure standards are applied consistently, regardless of scale or geography.
Supporting growth and future standards
Integrated systems make it easier to grow. Adding a new ISO standard, expanding into a new region or onboarding an acquisition is far simpler when the core management framework is already aligned.
Rather than layering new requirements on top of existing ones, organisations can extend their integrated system in a controlled way. Certification supports growth instead of becoming a barrier to it.
A more efficient, more effective way to manage risk
Simplifying certification is not just about reducing audit days. It’s about creating a system that works with your business, strengthens governance and gives you confidence that risks are being managed effectively.
By transferring certifications into an Integrated Management System, organisations can reduce duplication, improve oversight and build a more resilient approach to risk and performance management, now and into the future.
If your current certification setup feels more work than support, you’re not alone.
Find out how LRQA supports smooth certificate transfer.
