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ISO/IEC 17024 Accreditation Roadmap

Sopheria Global Certification Board (SGCB) — certification body of the Sopheria Global Institute of Technology (SGIT)

Scientia. Integritas. Futurum.

Notice — Current Accreditation Status

As of the publication date of this document, the SGCB is not accredited by any accreditation body. The SGCB is not ISO/IEC 17024 accredited and claims no accreditation, official recognition or external endorsement that it has not formally obtained.

This document describes an objective: to design and operate the certification system in alignment with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17024:2012 (Conformity assessment — General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons), and then, once the system has reached sufficient maturity, to submit an application for accreditation to an accreditation body that is a signatory to the mutual recognition arrangements (for example, an IAF member).

Any communication by the SGIT, the SGCB or the SGA relating to this initiative must use exclusively wording such as "designed in alignment with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17024" or "accreditation roadmap", and never "accredited", "ISO certified" or "approved by", until accreditation has actually been granted.

1. Why Pursue ISO/IEC 17024

ISO/IEC 17024 is the international reference standard for personnel certification bodies. Among other things, it requires:

• impartiality and the management of conflicts of interest, including strict separation between training and certification activities — a principle already at the core of the SGIT's architecture (the SGA trains, the SGCB certifies);
• formalized certification schemes: competency frameworks, prerequisites, assessment methods, and criteria for granting, suspending and withdrawing certification;
• the validity and reliability of assessments, supported by psychometric methods;
• a documented management system: document control, internal audits, management reviews, handling of complaints and appeals, continual improvement;
• examination security and protection of candidate data.

Pursuing this alignment, and then accreditation, serves three objectives: building lasting credibility for SGCB titles with employers, guaranteeing fairness of the process for candidates, and anchoring the institute in the international standards of conformity assessment.

2. Guiding Principles of the Initiative

1. Truthful communication. No claim of accreditation before it has actually been obtained. The true status of the initiative is published and kept up to date (section 6).
2. Alignment before application. The application will be submitted only after internal demonstration, supported by evidence, of the system's conformity.
3. Structural impartiality. The SGCB's independence from the SGA is maintained and reinforced at every phase.
4. Flagship scheme first. The initial accreditation scope targeted covers the CASD™ certification (Certified AI Solutions Developer · Claude Code, SQF 300), before gradual extension to the rest of the catalog.

3. Roadmap Phases

The timelines below are indicative targets, reviewed every six months by the Governance Council. They do not constitute a commitment to a particular outcome: the outcome of Phase 4 depends on the sovereign assessment of the accreditation body.

Phase 1 — Foundations and Quality Documentation (target: H2 2026 – H1 2027)

Objective: establish the management system and documentation required by the standard.

• Complete gap analysis between the SGCB's current practices and each requirement of ISO/IEC 17024:2012.
• Drafting of the SGCB quality manual and the mandatory procedures: control of documents and records, impartiality and conflict-of-interest management, confidentiality, examination security, complaints and appeals, corrective actions.
• Formalization of the certification schemes (starting with CASD™): competency framework, prerequisites, examination blueprint, scoring rules, and conditions for granting, recertification (SGCB-GOV-002), suspension and withdrawal.
• Establishment of the Impartiality Committee, fairly representing the interested parties (employers, certified professionals, trainers, independent experts), distinct from the Ethics Committee.
• Mapping of risks to impartiality and the associated treatment plan.

Deliverables: gap analysis report; quality manual v1; documented procedures; formalized certification schemes; Impartiality Committee charter.

Phase 2 — Implementation and Internal Audits (target: H2 2027 – H1 2028)

Objective: operate the documented system and demonstrate its effectiveness.

• Effective application of the procedures across at least two complete examination sessions.
• Internal audit program covering all requirements of the standard, conducted by trained auditors independent of the activities audited.
• Handling of detected nonconformities: root cause analyses, corrective actions, effectiveness verification.
• First formal management review: indicators (pass rates, complaints, appeals, examination security incidents), decisions and resource allocation.
• Documented training and authorization of examiners, proctors and certification decision-makers.

Deliverables: internal audit reports; register of nonconformities and corrective actions; management review minutes; personnel authorization records.

Phase 3 — Independent Psychometric Validation (target: H1 2028 – H2 2028)

Objective: have the scientific quality of the examinations validated by external expertise.

• Engagement of an independent psychometric firm, with no ties to the SGA or to the initial design of the examinations.
• Validity study (alignment between the blueprint, the competency framework and actual professional practice — job task analysis).
• Reliability and item performance analysis: difficulty, discrimination, detection of flawed or biased items (differential item functioning analysis).
• Validation of the method for establishing the passing score (standard setting, modified Angoff-type method or equivalent).
• Implementation of the recommendations: revision of the item bank, blueprint adjustment, recalibration of the passing threshold where necessary.

Deliverables: independent psychometric report; corrective action plan; revised and documented item bank.

Phase 4 — Accreditation Application (target: from 2029, subject to Phases 1 through 3)

Objective: submit a complete application file to a recognized accreditation body.

• Selection of the competent accreditation body (a national body that is a signatory to the IAF multilateral arrangement for ISO/IEC 17024, according to the jurisdictions targeted).
• Optional pre-assessment (mock audit by an independent consultant) and treatment of residual gaps.
• Submission of the application file for the initial scope (CASD™ scheme).
• Response to the accreditation body's document reviews and on-site assessments; treatment of notified findings.
• Accreditation decision: it belongs exclusively to the accreditation body. The SGCB will communicate an "accredited" status only after official notification, and only within the terms and scope of the attestation granted.

Deliverables: application file; responses to assessment findings; where applicable, accreditation attestation issued by the competent body.

Phase 5 — Extension and Maintenance (following any accreditation)

• Gradual extension of the accreditation scope to the other schemes in the catalog (AIFA™, AIPE™, AAISE™, CASA™, etc.), in order of maturity.
• Periodic surveillance and reassessments required by the accreditation body; continual maintenance of conformity.

4. Governance of the Initiative

5. Identified Risks and Safeguards

6. Transparency on Progress

The SGCB publishes an "Accreditation Status" page on the institute's website, updated at each milestone, indicating:

• the current status of the initiative (phase in progress, milestones reached);
• the explicit statement, for as long as it remains accurate: "The SGCB is not ISO/IEC 17024 accredited. The system is designed in alignment with the requirements of this standard, as part of an accreditation roadmap.";
• the exact scope of any accreditation that may be obtained.

7. Final Provisions

7.1. This document is reviewed at least once a year by the SGCB Governance Council, and at each phase transition.

7.2. It is to be read in conjunction with the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (SGCB-GOV-001) and the Recertification Policy (SGCB-GOV-002).

Sopheria Global Certification Board — independent certification body of the Sopheria Global Institute of Technology. ISO and IEC are international standardization organizations independent of the SGIT. Reference to the ISO/IEC 17024 standard describes an alignment objective and does not in any way constitute a claim of accreditation. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic. The SGCB is an independent body, not affiliated with Anthropic.