ISTO is pleased to share that our CEO, Howie Ng, presented a paper at ICQEM 2026 — the 7th International Conference on Quality Engineering and Management, held at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa on 2–3 July 2026.
Its abstract is listed in the ICQEM 2026 Book of Abstracts. It is reproduced in full below; the complete paper, including the cognitive-content matrix, the eight domain definitions with sample question stems and the full reference list, is available as a free download.
Abstract
More than 1.47 million ISO 9001 certificates were in force worldwide at the end of 2024, yet the quality profession lacks a standardised way to assess whether the professionals who implement and audit the standard understand it. Existing competence frameworks (ISO/IEC 17024, ISO 19011:2026, the IRCA auditor schemes) govern how certification of auditors is administered, but none break down understanding of the standard itself into distinct cognitive domains. This paper proposes a cognitive-content framework for assessing understanding of ISO 9001 (used here as the worked example for ISO management system standards generally), grounded in the revised Bloom taxonomy of cognitive operations (limited to Remember, Understand, Apply and Analyse, which are the levels accessible in a restricted-open-book multiple-choice test instrument with a copy of the ISO standard permitted) crossed with the standard's six content types: concepts, terms, applicability, requirements, documentation, and an underlying clause-locational layer. The eight-letter A·C·C·U·R·A·T·E mnemonic is presented as a professional-facing grouping of cells in this matrix, illustrated by reference to persistent candidate misunderstandings documented by Croft (2002) and Ng (2005), and corroborated by literature published since the ISO 9001:2015 revision. The ISTO Test of Understanding is described as one worked instantiation, offering a quality assurance process for professionals working with ISO management system standards. Empirical validation of the framework, such as a longitudinal study across geographies and sectors, forms part of the forthcoming empirical programme and lies outside the scope of this paper.
Keywords — ISO, management systems, competence, training
Download the full paper
For candidates preparing for a Test of Understanding, the sections on persistent misunderstandings and on the eight domains would be useful in your preparation.
ISTO thanks the ICQEM organising committee, chaired by Paulo Sampaio of the University of Minho, and Local Chair André M. Carvalho and the local committee at NOVA School of Science and Technology for hosting the 7th edition. Our thanks also to all the delegates and participants.
Background
What is ICQEM?
ICQEM is the International Conference on Quality Engineering and Management, a biennial academic conference organised by the Systems and Production Department at the University of Minho's School of Engineering, Portugal, with a partner institution in each edition. The 7th edition, ICQEM 2026, was held on 2–3 July 2026 in Lisbon with NOVA ID FCT. The series covers quality management, quality engineering and organisational excellence, including management systems and standards.
What does A·C·C·U·R·A·T·E stand for?
Eight domains of understanding: Actual documentation, Concept, Clause reference, Unspecified requirements, Requirement, Applicability, Terminology and Erroneous documentation. Each names a category of question that targets one cell of the paper's cognitive-content matrix. For more information, read about it here and in the paper above.