6.1 Clause
General
The general subclause introduces the capability groups and the way a capability claim is meant to be stated. The public preview does not carry the descriptor wording, so this page sets out the reading discipline a team needs rather than inventing entries.
What this settles
The unit of a capability claim is the sentence a reviewer can test. If the claim cannot be tested, the description is a brochure. The general subclause is the place to fix that standard.
Who it binds
The organisation, as a method choice. It creates no duty, but it creates an internal expectation that a capability claim is evidenced.
What to do in your practice
Write each capability as a testable sentence with a population, a condition and a measure. "Summarises contracts" is not testable; "summarises a 20 page commercial contract into the parties, term and termination clause with 95 percent field accuracy on the 2026 test set" is.
Evidence an auditor or regulator asks for
| A capability statement template with population, condition and measure. | Makes claims testable by design. |
|---|---|
| Two capability statements rewritten from brochure language. | Proves the template changes the text. |
| The reviewer sign-off on the rewritten statements. | Shows the standard is enforced. |
Which of our capability statements could not be tested by a stranger with the evidence we hold?
Common gaps this page catches
- Capability statements are adjectives rather than measures.
- The test set is not named, so no one can reproduce the result.
- A reviewer signs off on wording they cannot test.
What to prepare before publication
Rewrite the five most important capability statements into the testable form. Where no measure exists, that is the first evidence gap to schedule.
How to test it here
Take one live system rather than a template, find the field or sentence where General is used, and put this page beside it. Record the answer, the artefact and the date. A glossary entry on its own is an intention; a dated record beside a live artefact is evidence.
What this page does not claim
The page does not reproduce the draft, does not know the descriptor wording that the public preview withholds, and does not certify the system or the organisation. It states the unit at the claim level "capabilities clause" and stops where the public record stops.
Common questions
- What does General mean in ISO/IEC DIS 42102?
- The general subclause introduces the capability groups and the way a capability claim is meant to be stated. The public preview does not carry the descriptor wording, so this page sets out the reading discipline a team needs rather than inventing entries.
- What evidence should we keep for 6.1?
- A capability statement template with population, condition and measure. Two capability statements rewritten from brochure language.
- Is General a requirement?
- No. The draft is a descriptive framework. It sets no management system requirement and no conformity test. It becomes binding only when a contract, a regulator or a management system adopts it.
Related units
Last updated: · Markdown version · Check your system