Beyond compliant or non-compliant
Most assessment reporting stops at a binary question: compliant or non-compliant. ASCB's assessment reporting goes further. Assessors apply a metric scoring system across each applicable requirement of the standard, based on the performance maturity levels developed by ISO Technical Committee 176, the committee responsible for the ISO 9000 family of quality management standards.
What the reporting contains
The traditional findings are all still identified: minor and major nonconformities, opportunities for improvement, and recommendations. Alongside them, the scoring records quantitative results across areas such as competence, leadership and documentation, and recognizes emphasis on continual improvement and best-in-class performance rather than treating every conforming body as identical.
What the scoring is, and is not
The methodology follows published rules that can be interrogated and challenged, and it adds no requirements beyond the published standard. A score is a richer description of what the assessment found; conformity with the standard remains the basis of the accreditation decision, and accreditation is decided on what the assessment finds, and on nothing else.
Where you will encounter it
The scoring methodology applies across ASCB assessment activity: initial assessment, surveillance and re-accreditation, whichever standard the body is assessed against. Assessment findings are reported through it, so an accredited body sees not only where it conforms but how its arrangements compare to the maturity levels over time.
How assessment fits into the wider accreditation cycle is described in How ASCB accreditation works.