ISMS Roles, Responsibilities and RACI Template (ISO/IEC 27001 5.3)

ISMS role definitions, authorities and decision rights, RACI for clauses 4 to 10 and Annex A, audit independence, deputies, combined-role guardrails

ISMS और ISO/IEC 27001पूर्णISO/IEC 27001:2022 + Amd 1:2024 clause 5.3, A.5.2 to A.5.4 (cited only); ISO/IEC 27002:2022roles raciअपडेट किया गया 1 नव॰ 2026

एडिटर में खोलें.md डाउनलोड करें

उपयोग कैसे करें: Use it when you start an ISMS, after a reorganisation or before a certification audit, to show clause 5.3 is met. Fill the role definitions and the role assignment register first, then the RACI matrices. The main pitfall is a RACI where a team rather than one named role is Accountable, or where one person in a small organisation checks their own work without a compensating control.

प्रीव्यू

ISMS Roles, Responsibilities and RACI: [Organization name]

Defines who does what in the information security management system (ISMS): the roles, their responsibilities and authorities, the deputies, and a RACI matrix across the ISO/IEC 27001 clause 4 to 10 processes and the key Annex A processes. It supports ISO/IEC 27001:2022 + Amd 1:2024 clause 5.3 (organizational roles, responsibilities and authorities) and Annex A controls A.5.2 (security roles and responsibilities), A.5.3 (segregation of duties) and A.5.4 (management responsibilities for security), with guidance from ISO/IEC 27002:2022. Replace every [bracketed] value and every row marked Example.

Document control

Field	Value
Document ID	DOC-ISMS-006
Version	[1.0]
Status	[Draft / In review / Approved / Superseded]
Owner	[@isms-manager]
Approvers/reviewers	[@ceo or top management sponsor], [@ciso], [@hr-lead], [@internal-auditor]
Last updated	YYYY-MM-DD
Classification	[Internal]
Standard and edition	ISO/IEC 27001:2022 + Amd 1:2024 (clause 5.3, A.5.2 to A.5.4); ISO/IEC 27002:2022
Next scheduled review	YYYY-MM-DD (at least every [12] months and after any reorganisation)
ISMS scope	[Reference to DOC-ISMS-002 ISMS scope]
Organisation size tier	[Small / Medium / Large or multi-site]
Related documents	DOC-ISMS-005 policy framework, DOC-ISMS-007 steering committee charter, DOC-ISMS-010 risk methodology, DOC-ISMS-026 competence and training matrix

Approvals

Role	Name	Decision	Date
ISMS owner (prepared by)	[@isms-manager]	[Prepared]	YYYY-MM-DD
Top management sponsor	[@ceo]	[Approved / Approved with changes]	YYYY-MM-DD
HR lead (role descriptions)	[@hr-lead]	[Reviewed]	YYYY-MM-DD

Revision history

Version	Date	Author	Change
1.0	YYYY-MM-DD	[@isms-manager]	First issue
[x.y]	YYYY-MM-DD	[@author]	[Change summary]

1. Purpose and scope
2. Governance structure
3. Role definitions
4. Authorities and decision rights
5. RACI: ISMS clause processes
6. RACI: key Annex A processes
7. Independence of internal audit
8. Deputies and continuity of roles
9. Combining roles and conflict-of-interest guardrails
10. Size tiers
11. Role assignment register
12. Communication and acceptance of roles
13. Records and evidence
14. Review and maintenance
15. References
Standard and licence note

1. Purpose and scope

This document says who does what, and who may decide what, to set up, run and keep improving the ISMS of [Organization name] within the scope defined in DOC-ISMS-002. It answers three questions an auditor and every role holder will ask:

Who keeps the ISMS in line with ISO/IEC 27001, and who tells top management how well it is working (clause 5.3)?
Who decides: who approves policies, accepts risks, grants exceptions, approves the Statement of Applicability and releases budget?
Who does the work in each ISMS process and each key control area, and who checks it?

Item	Value
Organisation and legal entities covered	[Organization name, legal entities]
Sites covered	[Sites from DOC-ISMS-002]
Roles outside the ISMS scope that carry ISMS duties	[Group HR, group legal, shared service desk]
Out of scope	[Business units outside the ISMS scope; their own role charts apply]
Effective from	YYYY-MM-DD

Job descriptions and employment contracts reference the roles here; the security terms of employment are covered by the employee security handbook (DOC-ISMS-073, isms/employee-security-handbook).

2. Governance structure

The diagram shows the reporting and escalation lines for information security. Solid arrows point from a role to the body it reports to; dotted lines show coordination without line management (risk, asset and control owners report through their own line managers). Internal audit reports directly to top management (or the audit committee) and not through the ISMS manager.

Body or role	Reports to	Reporting content	Frequency
ISMS manager	CISO (or top management where no CISO exists)	ISMS performance, risks, objectives, nonconformities	[Monthly]
CISO or security lead	Steering committee and top management	Security posture, High and Critical risks, incidents, budget	[Quarterly]
Steering committee	Top management	Decisions, escalations, inputs for management review	[Quarterly]
Internal auditor	Top management or audit committee	Audit results, independence statement	[Per audit and annually]
DPO or privacy lead	Top management (with direct access as required by applicable privacy law)	Privacy risks, data subject requests, breaches	[Quarterly]

3. Role definitions

Every role below has a purpose, responsibilities, authorities and a minimum competence. Competence requirements and the evidence for them are kept in the competence and training matrix (DOC-ISMS-026, isms/isms-competence-training-matrix), as clause 7.2 requires.

3.1 Governance roles

Role	Purpose	Key responsibilities	Authorities	Minimum competence
Top management	Lead and commit to the ISMS (clause 5.1)	Set direction, approve the information security policy (DOC-ISMS-001), make resources available, chair or attend management review (9.3), accept High risks	Approve policy, budget, objectives and High or Critical risk acceptance	ISMS awareness briefing for executives
ISMS steering committee	Coordinate security decisions between management reviews	Track objectives and risks, approve topic-specific policies, prioritise treatment, prepare management review inputs	Decision rights defined in DOC-ISMS-007	Members briefed on the risk method
CISO or security lead	Own the security strategy and the security function	Security strategy, security architecture, incident escalation, risk reporting, budget proposal	Stop a change or release that creates an unacceptable risk; declare a security incident	Senior security qualification or equivalent experience
ISMS manager	Run the management system day to day	Ensure the ISMS conforms to ISO/IEC 27001, keep documented information, run the risk cycle, coordinate the SoA, track corrective actions, report ISMS performance (clause 5.3 a and b)	Request evidence from any role, schedule ISMS activities, raise nonconformities	ISO/IEC 27001 implementer training; knowledge of ISO/IEC 27005

3.2 Ownership roles

Role	Purpose	Key responsibilities	Authorities	Minimum competence
Risk owner	Own named information security risks (clause 6.1.2 c)	Choose the treatment option, approve treatment plan entries, accept residual risk within delegated limits (6.1.3 f)	Accept Low residual risks, and Medium together with the department head, per DOC-ISMS-010; spend from own budget on treatment	Risk method briefing
Asset owner	Own information and associated assets in the inventory (A.5.9)	Classify information (A.5.12), approve access to the asset, review access rights, confirm the inventory entry	Approve or refuse access requests to the asset	Classification and handling training
Control owner	Operate and evidence one or more controls	Implement the control, keep its records, report failures, attend audits	Define the operating procedure for the control within policy	Training for the specific control
Process owner	Own an ISMS process (for example change, supplier management)	Keep the process documented, measured and improved	Approve changes to the process procedure	Process training

3.3 Assurance and specialist roles

Role	Purpose	Key responsibilities	Authorities	Minimum competence
Internal auditor	Provide independent assurance (clause 9.2)	Plan and perform audits per the audit programme (DOC-ISMS-082), report results, verify corrective actions	Access to all records, people and sites in scope; report directly to top management	ISO/IEC 27001 auditor training; ISO 19011:2026 principles
DPO or privacy lead	Oversee personal data protection (A.5.34)	Advise on privacy risks, DPIAs and breach assessments, act as contact for authorities and data subjects where required	Escalate privacy risks to top management directly	Data protection qualification relevant to applicable law
Incident manager	Coordinate incident response (A.5.24 to A.5.28)	Triage, coordinate response, preserve evidence, run post-incident reviews	Mobilise responders; invoke the incident response plan (DOC-ISMS-020)	Incident handling training and exercises
Security operations	Monitor and respond to events (A.8.15, A.8.16)	Monitor alerts, triage events, contain incidents, manage vulnerabilities	Isolate devices and accounts under the incident procedure	Technical security training

3.4 Supporting functions

Role	ISMS responsibilities	Main controls
HR	Screening, contract terms, onboarding and offboarding, disciplinary process, awareness records	A.6.1, A.6.2, A.6.3, A.6.4, A.6.5
Legal and compliance	Legal register, contract security clauses, intellectual property, regulator notifications	A.5.31, A.5.32, A.5.20
IT operations	Identity lifecycle, endpoints, backup, configuration, capacity, change implementation	A.5.16, A.8.1, A.8.6, A.8.9, A.8.13, A.8.32
Engineering and development	Secure development, code review, test data, separation of environments	A.8.25 to A.8.29, A.8.31, A.8.33
Procurement and vendor management	Supplier selection, due diligence, contract records, supplier register	A.5.19 to A.5.22
Facilities	Perimeters, entry control, utilities, equipment siting	A.7.1 to A.7.8, A.7.11
Finance	ISMS budget, insurance, payment controls against fraud	Clause 7.1 resources
All staff and contractors	Follow policies, complete training, report events (A.6.8)	A.5.10, A.6.3, A.6.8

3.5 Suppliers and external parties

External role	ISMS responsibilities	How assigned
Critical suppliers and cloud providers	Meet agreed security requirements, notify incidents, support audits	Supplier security agreement (DOC-ISMS-068) and register entry (DOC-ISMS-066)
Outsourced developers	Follow the outsourced development requirements	DOC-ISMS-077
External internal-audit provider	Perform audits independently and confidentially	Engagement letter with independence statement
Managed security service provider	Monitoring and response tasks defined in the service contract	Contract schedule, RACI annex

Responsibility for a control stays with [Organization name] even when a supplier operates it. Name an internal control owner for every outsourced control.

4. Authorities and decision rights

Decision	Prepared by	Decided by	Limit or condition	Record
Approve the information security policy (5.2)	ISMS manager	Top management	Whole policy	Approval block in DOC-ISMS-001
Approve topic-specific policies	Policy owner	Steering committee	Per DOC-ISMS-005 approval levels	Committee minutes
Approve standards and baselines	Control owner	CISO or ISMS manager	Within approved policy (DOC-ISMS-005 section 4)	Document approval block
Approve procedures and operating instructions	Process or control owner	Owner's line manager	Within approved policy and standards (DOC-ISMS-005 section 4)	Document approval block or workflow
Approve the risk methodology and criteria	ISMS manager	Top management	Major changes only	Approval block in DOC-ISMS-010
Accept Low residual risk	Risk owner	Risk owner	Score 1 to 4, within appetite	Risk register DOC-ISMS-016
Accept Medium residual risk	Risk owner	Risk owner plus department head; top management if the category is Averse (DOC-ISMS-015 section 9 rule 1)	Score 5 to 9	Risk register DOC-ISMS-016; DOC-ISMS-019 if above the category appetite
Accept High residual risk	Risk owner	Top management, with a treatment decision	Score 10 to 16	Risk acceptance record DOC-ISMS-019
Accept Critical residual risk	Risk owner and CISO	Top management, documented decision only	Score 17 to 25 (in practice 20 and 25), exceptional	DOC-ISMS-019 and minutes
Approve the Statement of Applicability	ISMS manager	CISO and top management sponsor	Each version	Approval block in DOC-ISMS-011
Grant a policy exception	Requester and control owner; CISO or ISMS manager assesses	By residual risk, as for risk acceptance: Low by the risk owner, Medium by the risk owner plus department head, High by top management with a treatment decision; Critical not approvable	Low or Medium up to [12] months, High up to [6] months, reassessed at expiry; same limits as DOC-ISMS-005 section 7, DOC-ISMS-007 section 6 and DOC-ISMS-122 section 7	Exception request DOC-ISMS-122; DOC-ISMS-019 for High
Release ISMS budget	CISO	Steering committee, with the finance lead voting, up to USD [50,000] per item; CEO above (Example)	Within approved annual budget (DOC-ISMS-031); same limit as DOC-ISMS-007 section 6	Committee minutes or budget approval record
Declare a security incident and invoke the response plan	Security operations	Incident manager or CISO	Any time	Incident register DOC-ISMS-021
Stop a release or change for security reasons	Any reviewer	CISO or delegate	Until the risk owner decides	Change record
Appoint the internal auditor	ISMS manager proposes	Top management	Independence confirmed (section 7)	Appointment letter

Risk acceptance limits follow DOC-ISMS-010 and the risk appetite and criteria (DOC-ISMS-015): scores 1 to 4 are Low, 5 to 9 Medium, 10 to 16 High and 17 to 25 Critical (in practice 20 and 25).

5. RACI: ISMS clause processes

Legend: R responsible, A accountable (exactly one per row), C consulted, I informed. Column abbreviations: TM top management, SC steering committee, CISO, IM ISMS manager, RO risk owners, AO asset owners, CO control owners, IA internal auditor, DPO, HR, LEG legal, ITO IT operations.

Clause	Process	TM	SC	CISO	IM	RO	AO	CO	IA	DPO	HR	LEG	ITO
4.1, 4.2	Context, interested parties and requirements (DOC-ISMS-003)	I	C	A	R	C				C		C
4.3	Define and maintain ISMS scope (DOC-ISMS-002)	A	C	C	R				I			C	C
4.4	Define ISMS processes and interactions (DOC-ISMS-004)	I	C	A	R			C					C
5.1	Leadership and commitment	A	R	R	C
5.2	Information security policy (DOC-ISMS-001)	A	C	R	R					C	C	C
5.3	Roles, responsibilities and authorities (this document)	A	C	C	R	I	I	I	I	I	C		I
6.1.1	Plan actions for risks and opportunities	I	C	A	R	C
6.1.2	Information security risk assessment	I	I	A	R	R	C	C		C			C
6.1.3	Risk treatment and SoA (DOC-ISMS-011, DOC-ISMS-013)	C	C	A	R	R		C					C
6.2	Objectives and plans (DOC-ISMS-024)	A	R	R	R			C
6.3	Planning of changes to the ISMS (DOC-ISMS-025)	I	A	C	R	C
7.1	Resources	A	C	R	C						C
7.2	Competence (DOC-ISMS-026)	I		C	A						R
7.3	Awareness	I		C	A						R
7.4	Communication (DOC-ISMS-027)	I	C	C	A					C	R	C
7.5	Documented information (DOC-ISMS-028)			I	A			R					C
8.1	Operational planning and control	I		C	A			R					R
8.2	Risk assessment at planned intervals and on change	I	I	A	R	R	C	C
8.3	Implement risk treatment plan	I	I	A	C	R		R					R
9.1	Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation (DOC-ISMS-080)	I	I	A	R			R					C
9.2	Internal audit (DOC-ISMS-082)	A	I	I	C			C	R
9.3	Management review (DOC-ISMS-085)	A	C	R	R				C	C
10.1	Continual improvement (DOC-ISMS-088)	I	C	A	R			R
10.2	Nonconformity and corrective action (DOC-ISMS-087)	I	I	C	A	C		R	C

Notes on the matrix:

Internal audit (9.2) is Accountable to top management, not to the ISMS manager. The ISMS manager is Consulted on scheduling and is audited like any other process owner.
The CISO is Accountable for risk assessment; risk owners are Responsible for scoring their own risks and accepting residual risk within limits.
Where no CISO exists, the ISMS manager takes the CISO column and top management takes the Accountable entries for 6.1.2, 6.1.3 and 9.1.

6. RACI: key Annex A processes

Column abbreviations as in section 5, plus DPO, PRC procurement, ENG engineering, FAC facilities, SUP supplier, ALL all staff.

Control area	Process	CISO	IM	AO	CO	HR	LEG	DPO	ITO	ENG	PRC	FAC	SUP	ALL
A.5.9, A.5.12	Asset inventory and classification	C	A	R					R					I
A.5.15 to A.5.18	Access control and access reviews	A	C	R		C			R
A.5.19 to A.5.22	Supplier security lifecycle	C	C				C				A		R
A.5.23	Cloud service use	A	C	C			C		R	R	C		C
A.5.24 to A.5.28	Incident management	A	C		R		C	C	R	R			C	I
A.5.29, A.5.30	Continuity and ICT readiness	A	C		R				R	R		C	C
A.5.31, A.5.32	Legal, regulatory and contractual requirements	C	C				A	C			C			I
A.5.34	Privacy and PII protection	C	C	C		C	C	A						I
A.6.1 to A.6.5	People lifecycle: screening to leaving	C	C			A	C	C	R
A.6.3	Awareness, education and training	C	A			R								R
A.6.8	Reporting security events	A	C		R			I						R
A.7.1 to A.7.4	Physical entry and monitoring	C	C									A	C	I
A.8.7, A.8.8	Malware and vulnerability management	A	C		R				R	R			C
A.8.13	Backup and restore testing	C	C	C					A	R			C
A.8.15, A.8.16	Logging and monitoring	A	C		R				R	R			C
A.8.25 to A.8.29	Secure development	C	C							A			C
A.8.32	Change management	C	I						A	R			C

Replace the matrix with the control areas that apply to your SoA, and keep exactly one A per row.

7. Independence of internal audit

Auditors must not audit their own work. [Organization name] secures objectivity and impartiality (clause 9.2.2) as follows:

Safeguard	Rule	Evidence
Reporting line	The internal auditor reports results to top management or the audit committee, not to the ISMS manager	Audit report distribution list
No self-review	An auditor does not audit a process they designed, operate or managed in the last [12] months	Independence declaration per audit
Rotation	Auditors are rotated across process areas at least every [3] audit cycles (Example)	Audit programme assignments
External support	Where no independent internal resource exists, an external auditor or a peer from another business unit audits the ISMS manager's processes	Engagement letter
Access	Auditors have unrestricted access to records, people and systems in scope	Audit charter clause
Escalation	An auditor who meets interference escalates directly to top management	Audit charter clause

Independence declaration (Example):

Audit ID	Auditor	Areas audited	Prior involvement in last 12 months	Declared independent	Date
IA-2027-01 (Example)	[@internal-auditor]	Clauses 6.1, 8.2, 8.3; A.5.15 to A.5.18	None	Yes	2027-03-08
IA-2027-02 (Example)	[@external-auditor]	Clauses 4 to 10 processes run by the ISMS manager	None (external)	Yes	2027-03-15

8. Deputies and continuity of roles

Role	Primary holder	Deputy	Deputy authority	Handover trigger
CISO or security lead	[@ciso]	[@isms-manager]	Full, except budget above USD [10,000] (Example)	Absence over [2] working days
ISMS manager	[@isms-manager]	[@security-engineer]	Run ISMS activities, raise nonconformities	Absence over [5] working days
Incident manager	[@incident-manager]	[On-call rota per DOC-ISMS-020]	Full during the incident	Out of hours, absence
DPO or privacy lead	[@dpo]	[@legal-counsel]	Advice and authority contact	Absence over [2] working days
Top management risk acceptance	[@ceo]	[@coo]	Accept High risks; not Critical	Absence over [5] working days
Internal auditor	[@internal-auditor]	[External provider]	Perform scheduled audits	Unavailability or conflict

Rules for deputies:

Deputies have the access, training and authority needed before they act, not after. Record their competence in DOC-ISMS-026.
A deputy's decisions are recorded under the deputy's name with the reason for acting.
The primary holder reviews decisions taken in their absence within [5] working days of return.
When a role holder leaves, the deputy acts until a successor is appointed, and the ISMS manager updates section 11 within [10] working days.

9. Combining roles and conflict-of-interest guardrails

9.1 Incompatible combinations

Combination	Conflict	Allowed?	Compensating control if combined
ISMS manager and internal auditor of ISMS processes	Self-review	No	External or peer auditor for processes the ISMS manager runs
Requester and approver of the same access	Self-approval	No	Second approver; automated workflow blocks self-approval
System administrator and log reviewer for own activity	Can hide own actions	Only with compensation	Logs forwarded to a store the administrator cannot alter; monthly review by another person
Developer and production deployer of own code	Unreviewed change	Only with compensation	Mandatory peer review and pipeline approval before deployment
Risk owner and risk acceptor above own limit	Accepting own High risk	No	Escalate to top management per section 4
Exception requester and exception approver	Self-granted exception	No	Approver at the next level for the residual risk band (DOC-ISMS-122 section 7)
Finance payment approver and supplier master-data editor	Fraud risk	Only with compensation	Dual control on bank detail changes; monthly reconciliation
CISO and head of IT operations	Security oversight of own operations	Allowed in small and medium tiers	Steering committee reviews security metrics; internal audit covers IT operations each year

9.2 Combining roles in a small organisation

In a small organisation one person often holds several roles. Record each combination in the register below with the reason and the compensating control. Review it at every management review.

Combination ID	Person	Roles combined	Conflict	Compensating control	Approved by	Review date
CMB-001 (Example)	Head of Engineering Operations (Quillmere Analytics)	ISMS manager (0.5 FTE), control owner for backup and change	Assesses the controls they operate	Internal audit of these controls by an external auditor; CEO reviews backup test results quarterly	CEO	2027-06-30
CMB-002 (Example)	CTO (Quillmere Analytics)	CISO role, engineering lead	Security oversight of own engineering decisions	Monthly leadership meeting acting as steering committee (CEO, CTO, COO, Head of Engineering Operations) reviews security metrics; release approvals logged	CEO	2027-06-30
CMB-003 (Example)	COO (Quillmere Analytics)	Privacy lead, HR lead	Advises on own HR data processing	External privacy counsel reviews HR data processing annually	CEO	2027-06-30

10. Size tiers

Topic	Small: Quillmere Analytics Ltd (46 staff)	Medium: Quillmere Health Systems (320 staff)	Large: Quillmere Group (2,400 staff, 6 sites)
ISMS manager	Head of Engineering Operations, part time (0.5 FTE)	Full-time ISMS manager	Group ISMS manager in the CISO office, with site ISMS coordinators
Security function	No separate team; CTO holds the CISO role	ISMS manager plus a 3-person security team	CISO with a 14-person security office
Steering body	Monthly leadership meeting with a security agenda item, chaired by the CEO	ISMS steering committee, quarterly	Group security council plus site committees; integrated with the 9001 and 22301 governance
Risk owners	Executives own all risks (about 5 people)	Department heads	Site directors and group function heads; OT risks owned by plant managers
Internal audit	External auditor engaged per audit	Trained staff from quality plus an external auditor for ISMS manager processes	Group internal audit with ISMS-trained auditors; integrated audits
DPO or privacy lead	COO with external privacy counsel	Designated privacy lead; DPO where law requires (processor and controller roles)	Group DPO network with local privacy contacts in each country
Deputies	Pairs among executives	Named deputy per role	Deputy per role per site, recorded in the group role register
Combined roles	Several, recorded in section 9.2	Few, mainly CISO and IT operations oversight	Rare; full separation expected
RACI granularity	Section 5 only, Annex A owners in the SoA	Sections 5 and 6	Sections 5 and 6 per site, plus a group overlay for shared services

11. Role assignment register

Assignment ID	Role	Holder	Deputy	Scope (sites, systems)	FTE share for ISMS	Accepted on	Competence record
ROLE-001 (Example)	ISMS manager	Head of Engineering Operations	Senior platform engineer	Whole scope	0.5	2027-01-11	DOC-ISMS-026 row COMP-004
ROLE-002 (Example)	CISO role	CTO	Head of Engineering Operations	Whole scope	0.2	2027-01-11	DOC-ISMS-026 row COMP-002
ROLE-003 (Example)	Risk owner: customer data platform	VP Product	CTO	Analytics platform, both cloud regions	0.05	2027-01-18	Risk briefing 2027-01-18
ROLE-004 (Example)	Asset owner: customer datasets	Head of Data	VP Product	Customer data stores	0.05	2027-01-18	Classification training 2027-01-20
ROLE-005 (Example)	Internal auditor	External ISMS auditor (contract)	Second external auditor	ISMS processes run by internal staff	Contract	2027-02-01	Auditor certificate on file
ROLE-006 (Example)	Privacy lead	COO	External privacy counsel	Customer and staff personal data	0.1	2027-01-11	Privacy course record
[ROLE-NNN]	[Role]	[Holder]	[Deputy]	[Scope]	[0.0]	YYYY-MM-DD	[Reference]

The FTE shares in this example total 0.9 FTE of internal time, plus the contracted auditor.

12. Communication and acceptance of roles

Publish this document on [intranet or document system] and link it from the ISMS manual (DOC-ISMS-008).
Each role holder receives a role letter or an entry in the HR system with the role, responsibilities, authorities and deputy, and confirms acceptance (date recorded in section 11).
New role holders receive a handover briefing from the outgoing holder or the ISMS manager within [10] working days.
All staff learn the reporting route for security events (A.6.8) and the name of the ISMS manager in onboarding and annual awareness training.
Changes to roles are announced through the channels in the communication plan (DOC-ISMS-027).
Supplier roles are communicated through contracts and kick-off meetings, recorded in the supplier register (DOC-ISMS-066).

13. Records and evidence

Record	Proves	Kept by	Where	Retention (Example)
Approved version of this document	Roles and authorities assigned by top management (5.3)	ISMS manager	Document management system	Current plus [3] previous versions
Role assignment register (section 11) with acceptance dates	Roles communicated and accepted	ISMS manager	This document or HR system	[3] years after role ends
Role letters or HR role entries	Individual communication	HR	HR system	Employment plus [3] years
Combined-role register (section 9.2) with approvals	Segregation of duties handled (A.5.3)	ISMS manager	This document	[3] years
Auditor independence declarations	Objective and impartial audits (9.2)	Internal auditor	Audit file	[3] years or one certification cycle
Deputy decisions log	Continuity of authority	Each deputy	Decision log or minutes	[3] years
Competence records for role holders	Competence (7.2)	HR and ISMS manager	DOC-ISMS-026	Employment plus [3] years
Management review minutes covering role changes	Top management oversight	ISMS manager	DOC-ISMS-085	[3] years

Map these records to A.5.2, A.5.3, A.5.4 and clause 5.3 in the control evidence matrix (DOC-ISMS-033).

14. Review and maintenance

Planned review every [12] months, before the management review.
Unplanned review when: a role holder leaves or changes job; the organisation is restructured; the ISMS scope changes (DOC-ISMS-002); a new site, legal entity or major supplier is added; an audit finding concerns roles, independence or segregation of duties; a role combination is added in section 9.2.
After each review, update the assignment register, re-confirm deputies, and record the change in the revision history.

15. References

Reference	Edition	Use
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 + Amd 1:2024	Current (https://www.iso.org/standard/82875.html, Amd 1: https://www.iso.org/standard/88435.html)	Clauses 5.1, 5.3, 7.2, 9.2; A.5.2, A.5.3, A.5.4
ISO/IEC 27002:2022	Current (https://www.iso.org/standard/75652.html)	Guidance on roles, segregation and management responsibilities
ISO/IEC 27003:2017	Current; a revision is in progress, check for a newer edition (https://www.iso.org/standard/63417.html)	ISMS implementation guidance on leadership and roles
ISO/IEC 27014:2020	Current; a new edition is at FDIS stage in 2026 (https://www.iso.org/standard/74046.html)	Governing body and executive responsibilities
ISO/IEC 27021:2017 + Amd 1:2021	Current (https://www.iso.org/standard/61003.html)	Competence of ISMS professionals
ISO 19011:2026	Current (https://www.iso.org/standard/88984.html)	Auditor independence and competence principles

Related templates: isms/isms-steering-committee-charter, isms/isms-policy-framework, isms/isms-manual, isms/isms-competence-training-matrix, isms/isms-communication-plan, compliance/risk-methodology, compliance/statement-of-applicability, compliance/internal-audit-program, compliance/management-review, security/security-exception-request, isms/control-evidence-matrix.

Standard and licence note

Structure aligned with ISO/IEC 27001:2022 + Amd 1:2024 (clause 5.3 and Annex A controls A.5.2 to A.5.4), with guidance from ISO/IEC 27002:2022, ISO/IEC 27003:2017, ISO/IEC 27014:2020 and ISO 19011:2026. The text, tables, RACI matrices and examples are original. No ISO/IEC text is reproduced: clause and control numbers are cited with short labels written for this template, not official titles. Obtain the official standards from ISO, IEC or your national standards body to implement and audit the ISMS, and check the current edition before use (ISO/IEC 27003 and ISO/IEC 27014 are under revision). Quillmere entities are fictional.

Template licence: MIT.