BS 7000-4: Comprehensive Revision Published After a Decade

After a decade, the design management systems guide 'BS 7000-4' has undergone a comprehensive revision and has now been published by the BSI. In contrast to its predecessor, the updated version places significant emphasis on key activities essential at crucial milestones during the design process, while still maintaining the importance of information management.

The primary goal of the update was to address the lack of standardization in how organisations handle the design development process. Some organisations have well-established systems, while others lack a structured approach and rely on reactive, often inconsistent methods based on personal preferences and experience.

The revised 'BS 7000-4' serves as a valuable resource, providing guidance and clarity for establishing effective design management systems that can be replicated across projects, allowing for continuous improvement—principles shared by ISO 9000.

Additionally, BS 7000-4 offers guidance on information management considerations for projects where ISO 19650 is not implemented. This is still common across private and some public sector projects. Good information management practices are fundamental to design management and are essential for those who manage the design process or parts of it.

The guide is aimed at those in strategic positions within their organisations. It uses the typical agnostic, sometimes complex terminology found in British and international standards, which may require experienced professionals to assist in interpreting the language and terminology which varies greatly across the different sectors.

As Panel Chair for this guide and a contributor to several information management standards including the ISO 19650 series and formerly BS/PAS 1192, I cant emphasise enough the importance of focusing on the core requirements outlined in the guide, which provide a solid foundation for effective design management.

Reception has been positive so far, with several organisations showing interest in updating their prequalification questions from the older 2013 version of the guide to the latest 2024 update. I would like to thank all of those who contributed to the development of BS7000-4, a lot of volunteered time went into this guide.

For an improved understanding of what changes were made, the challenges in developing the update, read this older article

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/bs7000-4-design-management-systems-2024-update-out-public-john-ford/

Special thanks to Denitza Moreau Richard Fairhead Phillip Ansell Constance Ridout Gethin Davies Gareth Sewell FCIAT