Clause 7.2: Competence
The organization must decide what competence is needed for work that affects records performance and the operation of the records system, make sure the people doing that work are competent on the basis of education, training or experience, take action to close a gap where needed, check that the action worked, and keep documented information as evidence.
What clause 7.2 asks
The organization must decide what competence is needed for work that affects records performance and the operation of the records system, make sure the people doing that work are competent on the basis of education, training or experience, take action to close a gap where needed, check that the action worked, and keep documented information as evidence. Competence here covers the business staff who create records as well as the records specialists, because most record quality is decided at the point of capture.
Most record quality is decided at the point of capture, so competence has to cover the business staff who create records as well as the records specialists. The clause asks for a gap analysis, an action and an evaluation.
Reading it in practice
Competence is not the same as training. A person who has completed a course may still not be able to classify a record correctly. The stronger evidence is an assessment against a competence matrix, a sample of work reviewed by a competent person and a record of the action taken when a gap was found.
The third edition is at stage 50.00 and its clause text is not public. No public draft wording. Competence is a fixed harmonized-structure clause and the 2019 text applies it to everyone whose work affects records performance, not only the records team.
Status: not shown in the public record. The 2019 requirement above is the one a certificate is issued against. No draft requirement is asserted.
Evidence for clause 7.2
Expect a competence matrix, training or assessment evidence, and a record of an action taken to close a gap. Attendance at a course is not evidence of competence.
- Competence Competence matrix for records roles and for business roles that create records
- Competence Training records and assessments tied to the matrix
- Competence Evidence that a competence gap was closed and the action evaluated
Where clause 7.2 commonly fails
- A training attendance sheet with no assessment of competence
- Competence requirements only for the records team, none for the business
What to do about clause 7.2 before the revision
Build the matrix for the five roles that matter most. Assess two of them. Record one gap, the action and the result. Keep the evidence with the role, not in a training folder.
Read across from clause 7.2
Open the full index. The revision record shows the public stage record and the proven 2011 to 2019 changes.
Source for clause 7.2: ISO 30301:2019, ISO 30301:2019, Clause 7.2, retrieved 22 October 2026. The requirement, evidence and gaps are written from our clause record; the draft status rests on the ISO/PRF 30301 page 89772. Every source.