Conducting the ISMS Verification

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b. The team members take actions required to achieve the qualification to perform the

review as specified by the Team Leader.

c. The team members will conduct the assigned portion of the verification following the

Review Plan under the supervision of the Team Leader.

d. The team members will support the preparation of the report and the recommendations to

the Approval Authority as required by the Team Leader.

6.3 Conducting the ISMS Verification

6.3.1 Appointing the Team Leader

The Approval Authority will appoint the Team Leader for the ISMS verification from a list of

Senior Technical Safety Managers approved by the Director, Safety Management Implementation

Team. Within the Letter of Appointment, the Approval Authority should define the scope,

expectations, and desires for the ISMS verification. Since the ISMS verification may be

conducted in two phases, defining the expectations for each phase of the ISMS verification in a

separate letter is appropriate. The quality of the review and the degree to which it is successful is

significantly influenced by the level of detail and specificity with which the expectations for the

review are defined by the Approval Authority. A sample format for an Approval Authority Letter

of Appointment is included as Appendix 4.

6.3.2 Team Leader Considerations for ISMS Verification Preparations

In preparing to conduct ISMS verifications, the Team Leader must make several decisions shortly

after he/she is designated. There are a number of key areas to address. Significant among these

are establishing the relationship and determining the requirements of the Approval Authority,

selecting and training the team, establishing relationships with the contractor, and developing the

basis or approach on which to prepare the review plan. The following is a discussion of some of

the more critical decisions that the Team Leader should make soon after being designated to set

the stage for a successful verification. The Lessons Learned provided in Appendix 5 should be

consulted to assist in developing possible approaches to making these decisions. The Lessons

Learned provide, in detail, an historical record of several pilot ISMS verifications and should give

some insight into possible ways to address key questions.

6.3.2.1 Determining the Interface with the Approval Authority

It is important to establish an effective relationship with the Approval Authority. The Team

Leader should gain a good understanding of the scope and expectations for the review and should

establish the mechanisms with which he/she will update the Approval Authority on the status of

review preparations. Items such as the sequence of the review(s) (Phase I, Phase II, Combined

Phase I/II decisions), establishment of the schedule, dedicated team member selection,

establishment of contractor interfaces, and development and approval of the review plan are

subjects for which the Team Leader and the Approval Authority should have complete

agreement. It is also important that the Approval Authority support and assist the Team Leader

in gaining the dedicated resources necessary to ensure that the verification is successfully