A Forum member is more than a job title. Membership is a commitment to a way of working, set out below. It is what makes the Forum name a mark of trust, for the clients we serve and for the profession we are building.
Every member of the ISO Consulting Forum agrees to uphold this Code. It is written by consultants, for consultants, and it sets out what good practice looks like across three relationships: the work we do for clients, the profession we represent, and the way we treat each other in the Forum. Members are expected to apply it in spirit as well as in letter.
Every Forum member is expected to align their practice with ISO 20700, the international guideline for management consultancy services. It is the benchmark behind this Code.
ISO 20700 exists to improve transparency and understanding between consultants and their clients, so engagements deliver better value and carry less risk. It captures good practice for how consultancy work is specified, carried out, accepted and closed, drawn from the experience of consultants and clients worldwide. By raising quality, professionalism and ethical behaviour, it helps the whole profession mature.
It applies to consultants of every size and specialism, from sole practitioners to large firms. It sets out what good consulting looks like in its outcomes, while leaving every member free to use their own methods and approach. The commitments below put that guideline into everyday practice.
We act honestly at all times. We do not misrepresent our qualifications, our experience, or the outcomes a client can realistically expect. We give clients our genuine assessment, even when it is not what they hoped to hear.
We take on only the work we are competent to deliver, and we keep our knowledge current. We are clear about the difference between consulting, auditing and certification, and we never blur those lines to win an engagement. Where a client needs expertise we do not hold, we say so.
We give advice in the client's interest, free from undisclosed influence. We declare any commission, referral arrangement, financial interest or relationship, including with certification bodies, that could colour the advice we give. When a conflict cannot be managed, we step away.
We protect the information a client shares and use it only for the purpose it was given. We safeguard records and data in our care, and our duty of confidence continues after the engagement ends.
We agree scope, fees, deliverables and timelines in writing before work begins, so the client always knows what they are paying for and what they will receive. We are responsible for our work, while respecting that the final decisions, and their consequences, rest with the client.
We are clear about who owns what we create, and we do not use the methods, materials or proprietary information of others without permission. We give credit where it is due.
We recommend solutions that serve the client's long term interest, not just the easy or the lucrative one. We weigh the wider impact of our advice on people, organisations and the community we work in.
We stay aware of, and work within, the laws and obligations that apply to our practice and to each engagement. We never advise or assist a client to act unlawfully.
We treat fellow consultants, clients and the wider industry with fairness and respect. We compete on merit, not by disparaging others, and we deal honestly with everyone we work alongside.
In Forum sessions and spaces we share openly and in good faith. We do not use the Forum to sell, recruit or push our own services. We keep the tone collaborative, practical and solution focused, and we help newer members the way we would have valued ourselves.
We treat every engagement as a chance to learn. We seek feedback, reflect on what worked and what did not, and bring that learning back so the whole community gets better.
We conduct ourselves in a way that strengthens trust in consulting as a profession. Every member carries the reputation of the Forum, and we act accordingly.
Membership is voluntary, and so is the commitment to this Code. By joining, members agree to be guided by it and to represent the Forum well. If a member believes the Code has been seriously breached, they can raise it with the Forum in confidence.
The Code is the foundation of the verified tier in our consultant directory, where a listing signals more than a self description. As the Forum grows toward a recognised professional body, this Code, and a fair process for handling concerns, will develop with the input of our members.