Organisational certification · IAM-AES

The IAM Administrative Excellence Standard

Certification of organisations — or clearly defined parts of them — for how well they are administered and managed. The Standard belongs to the Institute; assessment and certification decisions are made by an independent certification body under impartial oversight. Available now.

Apply for certification The criteria

What it certifies

Nine domains, four tiers, a certificate for three years

IAM-AES certifies organisations, not individuals. The Standard sets out nine domains of administration and management containing 28 core requirements, which every certified organisation must meet, and 34 excellence criteria, each scored on five maturity levels. The scores give a total out of 1,000 and, with the maturity shown in each domain, decide the tier awarded.

Tier

Foundation

The core requirements are met and administration is reliable and controlled.

Tier

Established

Consistent, documented practice with measured performance across the domains.

Tier

Advanced

Mature, improving practice with evidence of results across the organisation.

Tier

Leading

Excellence sustained over time and recognised beyond the organisation.

A certificate lasts three years, with surveillance in the first and second years and recertification in the third. Certified organisations appear on a public register kept by the Institute.

Domains and criteria

Twenty-eight core requirements, thirty-four excellence criteria

The Standard is organised in nine domains covering every aspect of how an organisation is administered and managed. Within them sit two kinds of provision.

Must be met

28 core requirements

The conditions every certified organisation must satisfy, whatever its tier. Each is verified at assessment. A core requirement not met is a major nonconformity, and partly met a minor one; either must be closed before certification.

Scored

34 excellence criteria

The practices that distinguish good administration from excellent. Each is scored on five maturity levels, and the scores are added to a total out of 1,000 that, with the maturity shown in each domain, decides the tier.

Maturity level	What it describes
Initial	Practice exists but depends on individuals; results are uneven.
Developing	Practice is defined and increasingly consistent, but not yet embedded.
Systematic	Practice is documented, applied consistently, and owned.
Measured	Performance is measured, reviewed, and used to improve.
Optimised	Practice is continually improved, with results sustained over time and recognised beyond the organisation.

Tiers and evidence. A domain score that falls between two bands counts as the higher band. The Leading tier also requires three years of trend data. Where ten or more people work within the scope, a thirty-statement staff survey and stakeholder evidence form part of the assessment. The nine domains and every requirement and criterion are set out in full in the Standard, Part 1, which the Institute supplies on application.

The assessment

Two stages, then three years of standing

Step	What happens
Application and scope	The organisation defines the scope — the whole organisation, or a department or service — and submits a self-assessment against the Standard.
Stage 1 · readiness review	A remote review of the scope, the self-assessment, the key documents, and the core requirements.
Stage 2 · assessment	Within 90 days of Stage 1: every core requirement verified and every criterion scored. The team interviews people at every level, examines records, observes work, and uses the staff survey and stakeholder evidence. Scores are agreed by consensus.
Decision	A technical reviewer checks the report; a Certification Decision Panel that took no part in the assessment decides the tier. Appeals go to a separate panel.
Surveillance	At least once a year for two years, rescoring part of the Standard each time and following up earlier findings. If a domain falls below the tier minimum, the organisation has 90 days to recover before the tier is lowered.
Upgrade and recertification	At any surveillance the organisation may ask for an upgrade assessment across all nine domains. In the third year, recertification is a full reassessment with a new staff survey.

How it works

Three streams, kept apart

Stream	What it covers	Run by
Consultation and support	Consulting stakeholders on the Standard; free guidance and tools; answering enquiries; independent consultancy chosen by organisations	The Institute; independent consultants
Training	Awareness webinars, courses for organisations, assessors, and trainers, masterclasses, and calibration	The Institute and IAM Recognised Centres; the certification body for assessor courses only
Awarding	Applications, assessments, decisions, certificates, the public register, surveillance, and recertification	The licensed certification body; the Institute keeps the register

Impartiality by design. The Institute owns the Standard and the scheme. Assessment and certification decisions are made under licence by an independent certification body. Decisions are taken by a panel that took no part in the assessment, and an Impartiality Committee with an independent majority oversees both the Institute and the certification body. Appeals are heard by a separate panel.

For whom

Any organisation that depends on being well run

Organisations

Certification

Public, private, and non-profit organisations of any size, in any country, or a defined department or service within one.

Consultants

Preparation

Organisations may prepare with independent consultants of their choosing; the Institute provides free guidance and tools.

Recognised Centres

Training

IAM Recognised Centres and IAM Certified Trainers deliver the scheme’s courses to the Institute’s syllabi.

Documents. The Standard, the scheme rules, the fee schedule, and the guidance and tools for organisations are supplied by the Institute on application, through the contact form under “Partnership”.

Be among the first organisations certified

Apply for certification Become a Recognised Centre