Panagio idou, E angelia; Choun alas, Panos T.; Magou as, Anas asios I.;
Geo gakellos, Dimi ios A.; Lagodimos, A hanasios G.
A icle
Sys ema ic iden i ica ion and alida ion o c i ical success
ac o s o ISO/IEC 17025 implemen a ion
Adminis a i e Sciences
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: Panagio idou, E angelia; Choun alas, Panos T.; Magou as, Anas asios I.;
Geo gakellos, Dimi ios A.; Lagodimos, A hanasios G. (2025) : Sys ema ic iden i ica ion and
alida ion o c i ical success ac o s o ISO/IEC 17025 implemen a ion, Adminis a i e Sciences,
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Ci a ion: Panagio idou, E.,
Choun alas, P. T., Magou as, A. I.,
Geo gakellos, D. A., & Lagodimos, A.
G. (2025). Sys ema ic Iden i ica ion
and Valida ion o C i ical Success
Fac o s o ISO/IEC 17025
Implemen a ion. Adminis a i e
Sciences,15(2), 60. h ps://
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A icle
Sys ema ic Iden i ica ion and Valida ion o C i ical Success
Fac o s o ISO/IEC 17025 Implemen a ion
E angelia Panagio idou 1, Panos T. Choun alas 1,* , Anas asios I. Magou as 2, Dimi ios A. Geo gakellos 1
and A hanasios G. Lagodimos 1
1Depa men o Business Adminis a ion, Uni e si y o Pi aeus, 18534 Pi aeus, G eece;
[email p o ec ed] (E.P.); dgeo [email p o ec ed] (D.A.G.); [email p o ec ed] (A.G.L.)
2Depa men o Business Adminis a ion, Na ional and Kapodis ian Uni e si y o A hens,
10559 A hens, G eece; [email p o ec ed]
*Co espondence: [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac : In he b oade con ex o quali y managemen , es ing and calib a ion labo-
a o ies a e inc easingly adop ing ISO/IEC 17025 acc edi a ion as a key benchma k o
achie ing ope a ional excellence. This managemen sys em s anda d ou lines he essen-
ial equi emen s labo a o ies mus mee o demons a e hei echnical compe ence and
p oduce accu a e, eliable esul s. This s udy aims o iden i y and alida e he C i ical
Success Fac o s (CSFs) o e ec i e ISO/IEC 17025 implemen a ion. I begins wi h a sys-
ema ic li e a u e e iew ocusing p ima ily on ISO/IEC 17025, supplemen ed by insigh s
om o he es ablished s anda ds such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 o en ich he indings.
This s udy employed an in e iew-based quali a i e app oach o alida e and e ine he
iden i ied CSFs. This en ailed conduc ing 34 semi-s uc u ed in e iews wi h a di e se
g oup o indus y p o essionals—including echnical manage s, quali y manage s, audi o s,
and
clien s— om
calib a ion, chemical, and ci il enginee ing es ing labo a o ies. The
indings led o he es ablishmen o 16 CSFs, including leade ship and s a egic commi -
men , mo i a ion o acc edi a ion, alloca ion o inancial and o ganiza ional esou ces,
and he p o ision o echnical in as uc u e. Also c ucial a e he managemen o hu-
man esou ces—compe ency, aining, and engagemen —and key quali y managemen
elemen s such as e ec i e sys em design, me hod e i ica ion, measu emen aceabili y,
quali y assu ance, con ol, and pe o mance imp o emen . Addi ional ac o s include os-
e ing a quali y-o ien ed cul u e, ensu ing ope a ional in eg i y and impa iali y, managing
supplie ela ionships, ocusing on cus ome needs, and adhe ing o egula o y compli-
ance. Recognizing hese CSFs enables o ganiza ions o ocus on pi o al a eas, s eamline
moni o ing p ocesses, and align wi h s a egic objec i es. This s udy ep esen s he i s
in-dep h explo a ion in o he CSFs o ISO/IEC 17025 implemen a ion wi hin es ing
and calib a ion labo a o ies, he eby con ibu ing di ec ly o enhancing hei quali y and
ope a ional pe o mance.
Keywo ds: ISO/IEC 17025; acc edi a ion; c i ical success ac o s; calib a ion labo a o ies; es ing
labo a o ies; ci il enginee ing labo a o ies; chemical labo a o ies; echnical compe ence;
quali y assu ance; ope a ional in eg i y
1. In oduc ion
Success in compe i i e ma ke s is in luenced by a ious ac o s, including p oduc
quali y, ma ke speed, and compe i o capabili ies (Soh & Ma kus,1995). To ensu e high-
quali y se ices o p oduc s, o ganiza ions inc easingly p io i ize comp ehensi e quali y
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/admsci15020060
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 2 o 30
managemen sys ems (Choun alas e al.,2020;Rod iguez-A naldo & Ma ínez-Lo en e,
2021). By adhe ing o quali y s anda ds, hey aim o achie e goals such as imp o ing
p oduc o se ice quali y, s eamlining in e nal s uc u es, enhancing p oduc i i y, and in-
c easing cus ome sa is ac ion (Abdel-Fa ah,2010;Zgi skas e al.,2021;Zhang & Xia,2013).
Consequen ly, many o ganiza ions seek ce i ica ions based on in e na ionally ecognized
quali y s anda ds (Abdel-Fa ah,2010;Be na do e al.,2012;Choun alas & Lagodimos,2019).
Acco ding o Powell (1995), quali y managemen is a c ucial s a egic o ce in he mode n
indus ial economy. Addi ionally, quali y managemen sys ems p omo e con inuous im-
p o emen and p o ide essen ial quali ica ions o su i al in compe i i e en i onmen s
(An unes e al.,2017;Ma ínez-Cos a & Ma ínez-Lo en e,2008;Sha iq e al.,2019).
Wi hin he ield o quali y managemen , es ing and calib a ion labo a o ies a e in-
c easingly seeking ISO/IEC 17025 (ISO/IEC,2017) acc edi a ion as an essen ial s anda d
o ope a ional excellence (K ismas u i & Habibie,2022;Mandal e al.,2021;Panagio idou
e al.,2024;Sa i & Nu cahyo,2018). These labo a o ies play a c i ical ole in quali y con ol
and assu ance o ma e ial pe o mance by es ing aw ma e ials and inished p oduc s,
and socie y is impac ed by po en ial non-con o mances ha may a ise (Ayub e al.,2021).
Fu he mo e, Ayub e al. (2021) no ed ha inadequa e e i ica ion o ma e ials can lead
o non-con o mances du ing ope a ion o esul in heal h and sa e y issues. I inal p od-
uc s a e no e i ied, cus ome dissa is ac ion may occu . ISO/IEC 17025 speci ies he
essen ial c i e ia ha labo a o ies mus mee o demons a e hei echnical compe ence
in pe o ming accu a e and epea able measu emen s (Hale y,2003;Hem aj & Dhondee,
2006).
In ecen yea s, acc edi a ion has become a legal equi emen o labo a o ies o gain
ma ke accep ance o hei measu emen s. In e na ional ag eemen s on mu ual ecogni ion
o acc edi a ion ha e inc eased i s applica ion in egula ed sec o s like cons uc ion, haz-
a dous ma e ials, medical de ices, and es ing se ices, acili a ing global quali y con ol.
By commi ing o quali y, labo a o ies can imp o e hei echnical capabili ies, enhance
measu emen accu acy, and seek global ecogni ion (Ka hiyayini & Rajend an,2017).
Tes ing and calib a ion labo a o ies ha p o ide specialized se ices mus alida e hei
echnical s a ’s c eden ials, ypically h ough ISO/IEC 17025 acc edi a ion (Co ez,1999;
Khodabocus & Balgobin,2011). To demons a e impa iali y, independence, and echnical
adequacy, hey mus also be acc edi ed unde ISO/IEC 17025 (Papadakis e al.,2017).
Fu he mo e, in a compe i i e en i onmen , ISO/IEC 17025 has shi ed om a olun a y
s anda d o a compe i i e necessi y, and in ce ain ields, such as calib a ion labo a o ies,
i is a p e equisi e o business sus ainabili y (Ba adas & Sampaio,2017;G ochau & en
Ca en,2012).
Se e al echnical and manage ial ac o s a e c ucial o he success ul implemen a ion
o ISO/IEC 17025. While p e ious esea ch has in e mi en ly and selec i ely iden i ied
ce ain ac o s associa ed wi h he ISO/IEC 17025 s anda d (Al-mij ab e al.,2019;Ilie a
e al.,2022;Ka hiyayini & Rajend an,2017;Khodabocus & Balgobin,2011;Mahdi e al.,
2021;Ma ínez-Pe ales e al.,2021), hese s udies o en ocus na owly on isola ed aspec s
wi hou cap u ing he ull ange o ac o s necessa y o success ul implemen a ion. This
agmen ed app oach di e s signi ican ly om he sys ema ic me hodologies employed
in s udies o mo e widely adop ed s anda ds like ISO 9001 (ISO,2015a) and ISO 14001
(ISO,2015b), which end o o e a holis ic iew o CSFs. Consequen ly, he e exis s a
signi ican gap in he li e a u e ega ding a ull and sys ema ic iden i ica ion o all ele an
ac o s c i ical o he e ec i e implemen a ion o ISO/IEC 17025. This gap unde sco es he
need o comp ehensi e esea ch, as also highligh ed by Al-mij ab e al. (2019), o be e
unde s and wha d i es success ul ISO/IEC 17025 implemen a ion.
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 3 o 30
The p ima y objec i e o his s udy is o add ess he exis ing gap by iden i ying he
CSFs essen ial o he e ec i e implemen a ion o ISO/IEC 17025 in es ing and calib a ion
labo a o ies, ul ima ely leading o sus ained high-quali y pe o mance. This esea ch
ma ks a no el e o o conduc a ho ough and sys ema ic explo a ion o bo h gene ic and
ISO/IEC 17025-speci ic CSFs, dis inguishing i as he i s comp ehensi e s udy ocused
explici ly on his s anda d. By ou lining hese ac o s, he s udy aims o add ess he exis ing
gap and con ibu e signi ican ly o he li e a u e on managemen sys em s anda ds.
The s udy begins wi h a sys ema ic li e a u e e iew o iden i y he CSFs ha acili a e
he op imal implemen a ion o Managemen Sys em S anda ds. To compensa e o he
limi ed comp ehensi e esea ch on ISO/IEC 17025, whe e mos s udies ha e ocused on
indi idual ac o s in luencing i s implemen a ion, he cu en e iew also includes insigh s
om o he es ablished s anda ds such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. Addi ionally, his s udy
employs a quali a i e me hodology o alida e he iden i ied CSFs, u ilizing da a ga he ed
h ough semi-s uc u ed in e iews wi h subjec ma e expe s ac oss h ee labo a o y
sec o s: calib a ion, chemical, and ci il enginee ing es ing labo a o ies. To p o ide a
holis ic unde s anding, his in es iga ion includes pe spec i es om a di e se ange o
s akeholde s wi hin each sec o , including echnical manage s, quali y manage s, audi o s,
and clien s.
The emainde o his pape is o ganized as ollows. Sec ion 2p o ides a comp ehen-
si e e iew o he exis ing li e a u e, analyzing he CSFs o he p ominen implemen a ion
o Managemen Sys em S anda ds ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 9001, and ISO 14001. Sec ion 3ou -
lines he quali a i e esea ch me hodology employed, wi h an emphasis on da a collec ion
and analysis echniques. Sec ion 4de ails he indings ob ained om he quali a i e analy-
sis, and Sec ion 5p esen s he conclusions d awn om he ga he ed e idence, emphasizing
he s udy’s esea ch con ibu ions and b oade implica ions.
2. Li e a u e Re iew
This sec ion p o ides a comp ehensi e syn hesis o he exis ing li e a u e on he CSFs
o he e ec i e implemen a ion o ISO/IEC 17025 in es ing and calib a ion labo a o ies.
Due o he limi ed numbe o sys ema ic s udies ocused on iden i ying he CSFs o his
s anda d, his li e a u e e iew also includes CSFs ela ed o ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 o
en ich and suppo he indings.
The li e a u e e iew me hodology employed a h ee-s ep p ocess. Ini ially, a icles
we e sou ced om he Scopus da abase using keywo d combina ions such as “ISO/IEC
17025” OR “ISO 9001” OR “ISO 14001” alongside “C i ical Success Fac o s” in he i les,
abs ac s, o keywo ds o he a icles. The second s ep in ol ed a quali a i e e alua ion
o elimina e a icles ha we e no pe inen o he esea ch opic. Finally, o wa d and
backwa d ci a ion acking, as sugges ed by Webs e and Wa son (2002), was u ilized o
en ich he da ase .
Gi en he speci ic ocus o his s udy, p io i y was gi en o a icles on ISO/IEC 17025;
as a esul , e e y ele an a icle iden i ied ( o aling 25) was included in ou da ase .
Conside ing he ex ensi e li e a u e on ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, a selec i e app oach was
employed, inco po a ing only signi ican wo ks (17 a icles) un il addi ional a icles no
longe p o ided new insigh s, he eby eaching he poin o sa u a ion. This selec ion
app oach, esul ing in a inal da ase o 42 a icles, enhanced he dep h and ele ance o he
analysis while main aining a manageable e iew scope.
2.1. C i ical Success Fac o s o he Implemen a ion o ISO/IEC 17025
The esea ch conduc ed by Ka hiyayini and Rajend an (2017) on es ing and calib a-
ion labo a o ies ac oss a ious sec o s in India highligh ed he signi ican impac o six
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 4 o 30
CSFs on he eliabili y and alidi y o hei measu emen s. The s udy iden i ied essen ial
ac o s in luencing labo a o y epu a ion, se ice quali y, and clien loyal y, including op
managemen ’s commi men o quali y policy, cus ome ocus, an adequa e echnical sys em,
quali y-o ien ed p ocess managemen , a moni o ing sys em o con inuous imp o emen ,
and he compe ence o pe sonnel. No ably, he commi men o op managemen is s ongly
co ela ed wi h labo a o y pe o mance. The indings indica e ha op managemen plays
a c ucial ole in o e seeing he en i e quali y sys em and add essing cus ome issues, a
pe spec i e co obo a ed by esea che s such as Al-mij ab e al. (2019), Gha ibi and Abdul-
lah (2017), Panhwa e al. (2020), and Khodabocus and Balgobin (2011). Ka hiyayini and
Rajend an (2017) u he emphasize ha while op managemen is manda ed by ISO/IEC
17025, he le el o manage ial commi men mus be con inuously e alua ed due o i s
in luence on o e all p ocesses. Addi ionally, inc eased cus ome ocus is associa ed wi h a -
ac ing new clien s. These indings align wi h he esea ch by Sadikoglu and Temu (2012)
ac oss a ious es ing labo a o ies, which unde sco ed he impo ance o op managemen
in enhancing employee sa is ac ion, measu emen eliabili y, quali y pe o mance, and
cus ome sa is ac ion. Top managemen ’s commi men o quali y is essen ial o p o iding
adequa e esou ces and mo i a ing employee engagemen in quali y ini ia i es. Fu he -
mo e, aining can enhance awa eness and commi men o deli e ing high-quali y se ices.
A sha ed unde s anding o acc edi a ion is c i ical o maximizing i s bene i s. Simila ly,
s udies by Khodabocus and Balgobin (2011) and G ochau and en Ca en (2012) indica e ha
indi idual commi men is a key ac o o success ully implemen ing a quali y managemen
sys em based on ISO/IEC 17025. This pe spec i e is also suppo ed by Ma ínez-Pe ales
e al. (2021), in he con ex o es ing esea ch labo a o ies.
Al-mij ab e al. (2019) a gued ha iden i ying CSFs enables labo a o ies o concen a e
on p ima y issues, acili a es moni o ing, and se es s a egic planning me hodologies.
They emphasized he necessi y o ongoing aining o all pe sonnel a e e y le el, as
achie ing a comp ehensi e unde s anding o quali y p ocesses among all eams can lead
o ull compliance wi h quali y s anda ds, a iew suppo ed by Panhwa e al. (2020)
and Ge ônimo e al. (2020). Panhwa e al. (2020) p oposed ha o enhance he quali y
sys em’s e ec i eness, an e alua ion mechanism should be implemen ed based on key
c i e ia such as documen a ion and equipmen . Addi ionally, unde s anding s anda d
equi emen s and applying indica o s and quali y indexes o assess labo a o y pe o -
mance is ecognized as a signi ican ool o con inuous imp o emen (Ca ini e al.,2015;
Manickam & Ankanaga i,2015).
Gha ibi and Abdullah (2017) emphasized he necessi y o cul i a ing a quali y cul u e
wi hin o ganiza ions, which signi ican ly in luences he ope a ional pe o mance o lab-
o a o ies. They also no ed he c i ical ole o depa men heads in selec ing app op ia e
pe sonnel o speci ic asks. In line wi h hese indings, Ge ônimo e al. (2020) conduc ed
a s udy in an en i onmen al labo a o y a he S a e Uni e si y o Ma ingá, B azil, and
ound ha he o ganiza ional cul u e was c ucial o he e ec i e implemen a ion o quali y
sys ems; wi hou he awa eness and engagemen o all s a , he adop ion o s anda ds is
imp ac ical. Fu he suppo ing his, Pi on e al. (2021) conduc ed quan i a i e analysis in
Indonesian es ing labo a o ies, iden i ying human esou ces as a key ac o in main aining
compliance wi h ISO/IEC 17025 equi emen s. Addi ionally, de Jesus e al. (2023) and
Sa i and Nu cahyo (2018) highligh ed he necessi y o bo h echnical and manage ial skills
o he success ul implemen a ion o quali y sys ems. The in eg a ion o bo h manage-
ial and echnical compe encies is essen ial o labo a o ies o e ec i ely achie e hei
ope a ional goals.
Mahdi e al. (2021) expanded on p e ious indings ela ed o he cons uc ion lab-
o a o ies sec o , iden i ying key ac o s o implemen ing ISO/IEC 17025. These ac o s
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 5 o 30
include inancial suppo om op managemen , aining, equipmen calib a ion and epai ,
consul ing, implemen a ion, and e iew p ocesses. Addi ionally, he commi men o op
managemen and s a in ol emen we e highligh ed as essen ial o success. Examin-
ing a ious sec o s o acc edi ed labo a o ies in Is ael, Hale y (2003) iden i ied se e al
pa ame e s c i ical o he success ul implemen a ion o quali y sys ems, such as ailu e
in es iga ions, os e ing a posi i e labo a o y a mosphe e, e ec i e in e nal communica-
ion, cus ome ocus, measu emen alida ion, calib a ion, and pa icipa ion in p o iciency
es ing. Ghe naou e al. (2018) p o ided a unique pe spec i e on he po en ial o Big Da a
Analysis o managing labo a o y acc edi a ion ac i i ies. Las ly, signi ican heal h and
sa e y ac o s we e emphasized in he esea ch conduc ed by Ra seou and Ramphal (2014),
Pi on e al. (2021), and Ab eu e al. (2018).
Ano he impo an aspec discussed in he li e a u e is he ole o human in ol emen
in unde s anding and mee ing he equi emen s o e ec i e s anda ds implemen a ion.
Iden i ying he key ac o s ha a e mos esponsi e is essen ial, especially when posi i e
ou comes a e hinde ed by a lack o impa iali y and independence in a labo a o y. Go don
and Fomin (2019) a gue ha s anda diza ion and e hics a e in e connec ed; e hics canno
exis wi hou s anda ds, and s anda diza ion canno occu wi hou e hics. In his con ex ,
Sadikoglu and Temu (2012) no ed ha imp ope mo i a ions o acc edi a ion can esul
in nega i e ou comes, such as ques ionable and unsa is ac o y measu emen s. They ecom-
mend ha acc edi a ion bodies and labo a o ies ocus on e hics, quali y, and imp o emen
ini ia i es o enhance he impa iali y and quali y o audi s, he eby inc easing he eliabili y
and accu acy o labo a o y measu emen s.
Doyle (2024) emphasizes ha main aining scien i ic in eg i y is a c i ical ac o in
labo a o y ope a ions. ISO/IEC 17025 highligh s he impo ance o ensu ing he alidi y
and e i ica ion o esul s. Howe e , he e ec i eness o hese equi emen s depends on
he in eg i y and compe ence o labo a o y pe sonnel. While in eg i y is p ima ily an indi-
idual a ibu e, i also e lec s he alues o he o ganiza ion. ISO/IEC 17025 ocuses on
o ganiza ional s anda ds and p o ides limi ed guidance on indi idual beha io , s essing
he need o s a o demons a e impa iali y and compe ence. Consequen ly, i is he
o ganiza ion’s esponsibili y o de ine he expec a ions o hones y and e hical beha io
wi hin s a compe ency c i e ia and o implemen e ec i e moni o ing sys ems o ensu e
compliance. In hei esea ch, D o and Pie ce (2020) ound ha e en wi h app op ia e
managemen ac ions o con ol isks ela ing o impa iali y, ba ie s may impede hei
implemen a ion. Fo ensic se ice p o ide s o en ace challenges due o hei close ela ion-
ships wi h s akeholde s, which can complica e decision-making, pa icula ly when poli ical
ac o s in luence agency sus ainabili y. Despi e hese challenges, i is essen ial o ake
p oac i e measu es o comply wi h ele an ISO s anda ds. Fu he mo e, in he con ex
o ood sa e y managemen sys ems, Samoilichenko e al. (2022) a gue ha in e na ional
s anda ds and guidelines do no explici ly equi e documen a ion o impa iali y, leading
o ambigui y and inconsis ency in e idence be ween con o mi y assessmen bodies and
hei supe iso s. This lack o impa iali y can po en ially unde mine he en i e quali y
managemen amewo k. E hics and impa iali y a e in e connec ed wi hin a quali y sys-
em; wi hou e hical conside a ions, he bene i s o a well-implemen ed quali y sys em may
be diminished, e en i i adhe es o i s CSFs.
2.2. C i ical Success Fac o s o he Implemen a ion o ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
P e ious esea ch on ISO 9001 indica es ha se e al ac o s a e essen ial o he
e ec i e implemen a ion and main enance o a quali y managemen sys em. These ac o s
include commi men and suppo om op managemen and he ac i e pa icipa ion o
employees in he implemen a ion p ocess (Ingason,2015). These indings align wi h he
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 6 o 30
conclusions o Zwane e al. (2021), de Guzman San os (2022), and Ca nei o e al. (2021).
Fu he mo e, Ingason (2015) conduc ed a quali a i e s udy in ol ing 21 o ganiza ions
ac oss a ious business sec o s in Iceland, highligh ing ho ough p epa a ion and clea
goal se ing as c ucial o success. Addi ionally, Ca nei o e al. (2021) emphasized he
impo ance o cus ome sa is ac ion and supplie selec ion in enhancing he pe o mance
o B azilian i ms ollowing ISO 9001 ce i ica ion.
The s udy by Boi al (2011) examined a ious sec o s o ce i ied o ganiza ions, includ-
ing hose complying wi h ISO 9001 s anda ds in bo h indus ial and se ice con ex s, as well
as indus ial o ganiza ions acc edi ed unde ISO 14001. The esea ch iden i ied ou c i ical
ac o s. The i s ac o is he mo i a ion behind ISO ce i ica ion; he indings indica e ha
pu suing comme cial ce i ica ion o en exace ba es issues iden i ied a e he ce i ica ion
p ocess, aligning wi h he indings o Sadikoglu and Temu (2012) ega ding ISO/IEC 17025
acc edi ed labo a o ies, sugges ing ha inadequa e mo i a ion o acc edi a ion can lead o
nega i e ou comes such as un eliable and unsa is ac o y measu emen s. O he signi ican
ac o s iden i ied by Boi al (2011) include he adap a ion o s anda ds o he o ganiza ion’s
in e nal s uc u es and p ac ices, employee in ol emen , and he i m’s commi men o he
p inciple o con inual imp o emen . These indings a e also consis en wi h he esea ch o
Kim e al. (2011), which emphasized he impo ance o o ganiza ions ailo ing ISO 9001
equi emen s o align wi h hei objec i es and s a egies o e ec i e implemen a ion o
he s anda d. O ganiza ions ha do no cus omize hese equi emen s may ace employee
esis ance and ind hem incompa ible wi h hei exis ing sys ems.
Ab Wahid and Co ne (2009) iden i ied ha manage ial commi men and employee
in ol emen as he p ima y CSFs o main aining ISO 9001 ce i ica ion. This inding aligns
wi h he esea ch conduc ed by He as-Saiza bi o ia (2011). Addi ionally, Ab Wahid and
Co ne (2009) emphasized he impo ance o eamwo k, ewa d sys ems, communica ion,
pe o mance measu emen , and unde s anding o he s anda d. These poin s a e u he
suppo ed by he indings o de Guzman San os (2022). Ul ima ely, hey concluded ha he
con inuous imp o emen o p ocesses, pe sonnel, and sys ems is essen ial o sus aining
quali y managemen sys ems, allowing o ganiza ions o p og ess, g ow, and emain com-
pe i i e. This asse ion is u he alida ed by he s udy conduc ed by
Zwane e al. (2021)
.
In hei s udy o ISO 9001 ce i ied G eek companies ac oss a ious sec o s, Ismy lis
e al. (2015) concluded ha he key elemen s o e ec i e quali y implemen a ion a e man-
agemen , aining, esou ces, and cus ome ocus. Simila ly, Khan e al. (2021) highligh ed
he signi icance o aining o employees and adminis a i e s a . Ka e zopoulos and
Go zamani (2014) iden i ied h ee c i ical ac o s o he success o ISO 9001: employee
a ibu es, o ganiza ional a ibu es (including equipmen , p ocesses, and p oduc ion ech-
nology), and in e nal mo i a ion o ce i ica ion. Addi ionally, Psomas e al. (2010)
iden i ied u he essen ial ac o s such as su icien inancial esou ces, ime managemen ,
and documen a ion managemen o sys em implemen a ion, along wi h an awa eness o
ex e nal ma ke condi ions ele an o he company’s ope a ions. Sweis e al. (2022) speci i-
cally emphasized he impo ance o p e en ing non-con o mance, as well as aining and
main aining cus ome ocus. B iscoe e al. (2005) a gued ha success is la gely dependen
on a quali y-o ien ed app oach, which includes os e ing a cul u e o quali y, minimizing
beha io s ha obs uc ISO 9001 adop ion, conduc ing eadiness assessmen s o ailo he
s anda d’s p og am o company needs, and le e aging a dynamic en i onmen o enhance
quali y awa eness.
2.3. Syn hesis o C i ical Success Fac o s Ac oss ISO Managemen Sys em S anda ds
This sec ion syn hesizes he CSFs iden i ied o he e icien implemen a ion o ISO
managemen sys em s anda ds, speci ically ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 9001, and ISO 14001, as
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 7 o 30
explo ed in he p eceding sec ions o his li e a u e e iew. To acili a e deepe analysis, he
indi idual ac o s iden i ied om he li e a u e a e consolida ed in o six een o e a ching
CSFs. Table 1p esen s hese CSFs and lis s co esponding e e ences om he li e a u e on
ISO/IEC 17025 alongside hose on ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
Table 1. C i ical success ac o s ac oss ISO managemen sys em s anda ds.
C i ical Success Fac o s
ISO/IEC 17025 Li e a u e Re e ences
ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Li e a u e
Re e ences
CSF 1: Leade ship and s a egic
commi men
(Al-mij ab e al.,2019;de Jesus e al.,
2023;Ge ônimo e al.,2020;Gha ibi &
Abdullah,2017;G ochau & en Ca en,
2012;Ilie a e al.,2022;Ka hiyayini
& Rajend an,2017;Khodabocus &
Balgobin,2011;Mahdi e al.,2021;
Ma ínez-Pe ales e al.,2021;
Panhwa e al.,2020;Sadikoglu &
Temu ,2012;Sa i & Nu cahyo,2018)
(Ab Wahid & Co ne ,2009;Boi al,
2011;Ca nei o e al.,2021;de
Guzman San os,2022;Ingason,2015;
Ismy lis e al.,2015;I ano a e al.,
2014;Khan e al.,2021;Kim e al.,
2011;Magd,2010;Psomas e al.,2010;
Zwane e al.,2021)
CSF 2: Mo i a ion o acc edi a ion (Sadikoglu & Temu ,2012) (Psomas e al.,2010)
CSF 3: Financial and o ganiza ional
esou ces
(Al-mij ab e al.,2019;Ilie a e al.,
2022;Mahdi e al.,2021;Panhwa
e al.,2020;Sadikoglu & Temu ,2012)
(Ismy lis e al.,2015;Kim e al.,2011;
Psomas e al.,2010;Zwane e al.,
2021)
CSF 4: Technical esou ces and
in as uc u e
(Belezia & de Almeida,2021;
G ochau & en Ca en,2012;
Ka hiyayini & Rajend an,2017;
Mahdi e al.,2021;Sa i & Nu cahyo,
2018)
(Ka e zopoulos & Go zamani,2014;
Psomas e al.,2010)
CSF 5: Human esou ces
managemen and compe ency
(Belezia & de Almeida,2021;de Jesus
e al.,2023;Gha ibi & Abdullah,2017;
Ka hiyayini & Rajend an,2017;
Khodabocus & Balgobin,2011;
Ma ínez-Pe ales e al.,2021;Sa i &
Nu cahyo,2018)
(Psomas e al.,2010)
CSF 6: Human esou ces aining and
de elopmen
(Al-mij ab e al.,2019;Ca ini e al.,
2015;Ge ônimo e al.,2020;Ilie a
e al.,2022;Ka hiyayini & Rajend an,
2017;Khodabocus & Balgobin,2011;
Mahdi e al.,2021;Manickam &
Ankanaga i,2015;Ma ínez-Pe ales
e al.,2021;Panhwa e al.,2020;
Pi on e al.,2021;Ra seou & Ramphal,
2014;Sadikoglu & Temu ,2012)
(Boi al,2011;de Guzman San os,
2022;Ismy lis e al.,2015;
Ka e zopoulos & Go zamani,2014;
Khan e al.,2021;Kim e al.,2011;
Magd,2010;Psomas e al.,2010;
Sweis e al.,2022;Zwane e al.,2021)
CSF 7: Human esou ces engagemen
(Abdel-Fa ah,2010;Al-mij ab e al.,
2019;de Jesus e al.,2023;Ge ônimo
e al.,2020;G ochau & en Ca en,
2012;Hale y,2003;Ilie a e al.,2022;
Khodabocus & Balgobin,2011;
Mahdi e al.,2021;Manickam &
Ankanaga i,2015;Ma ínez-Pe ales
e al.,2021;Panhwa e al.,2020)
(Ab Wahid & Co ne ,2009;Boi al,
2011;Ca nei o e al.,2021;de
Guzman San os,2022;
He as-Saiza bi o ia,2011;Ingason,
2015;Ismy lis e al.,2015;I ano a
e al.,2014;Ka e zopoulos &
Go zamani,2014;Kim e al.,2011;
Magd,2010;Psomas e al.,2010;
Zwane e al.,2021)
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 8 o 30
Table 1. Con .
C i ical Success Fac o s
ISO/IEC 17025 Li e a u e Re e ences
ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Li e a u e
Re e ences
CSF 8: Quali y managemen sys em
design
(Al-mij ab e al.,2019;de Jesus e al.,
2023;Ghe naou e al.,2018;Hale y,
2003;Ilie a e al.,2022;Mahdi e al.,
2021;Ma ínez-Pe ales e al.,2021;
Sa i & Nu cahyo,2018)
(Boi al,2011;He as-Saiza bi o ia,
2011)
CSF 9: Ve i ica ion o me hods and
aceabili y o measu emen s
(Belezia & de Almeida,2021;
G ochau & en Ca en,2012;Hale y,
2003;Khodabocus & Balgobin,2011;
Mahdi e al.,2021;Sa i & Nu cahyo,
2018)
-
CSF 10: Quali y assu ance and
con ol
(Ca ini e al.,2015;Hale y,2003;
Ka hiyayini & Rajend an,2017;
Khodabocus & Balgobin,2011;
Mahdi e al.,2021;Panhwa e al.,
2020;Sa i & Nu cahyo,2018)
(de Guzman San os,2022;
He as-Saiza bi o ia,2011;
Ka e zopoulos & Go zamani,2014;
Kim e al.,2011;Magd,2010;Psomas
e al.,2010;Sweis e al.,2022;Zwane
e al.,2021)
CSF 11: Pe o mance managemen
and imp o emen
(Al-mij ab e al.,2019;Ca ini e al.,
2015;Ghe naou e al.,2018;Ilie a
e al.,2022;Manickam & Ankanaga i,
2015;Panhwa e al.,2020)
(Ab Wahid & Co ne ,2009;Ingason,
2015;Ismy lis e al.,2015;I ano a
e al.,2014;Ka e zopoulos &
Go zamani,2014;Magd,2010;
Psomas e al.,2010;Zwane e al.,
2021)
CSF 12: Quali y-o ien ed
o ganiza ional cul u e and wo king
en i onmen
(Al-mij ab e al.,2019;de Jesus e al.,
2023;Ge ônimo e al.,2020;Gha ibi &
Abdullah,2017;Ilie a e al.,2022;
Manickam & Ankanaga i,2015;
Ma ínez-Pe ales e al.,2021;Pi on
e al.,2021;Sadikoglu & Temu ,2012)
(Ab Wahid & Co ne ,2009;Boi al,
2011;B iscoe e al.,2005;de Guzman
San os,2022;Den on & Maa gi,2016;
Ismy lis e al.,2015;I ano a e al.,
2014;Ka e zopoulos & Go zamani,
2014;Khan e al.,2021;Kim e al.,
2011;Magd,2010;Psomas e al.,2010;
Sweis e al.,2022;Zwane e al.,2021)
CSF 13: Ope a ional in eg i y and
impa iali y
(Doyle,2024;D o & Pie ce,2020;
Sadikoglu & Temu ,2012)-
CSF 14: Supplie managemen (Belezia & de Almeida,2021) (Ismy lis e al.,2015)
CSF 15: Cus ome ocus
(Ca ini e al.,2015;Gha ibi &
Abdullah,2017;Hale y,2003;
Ka hiyayini & Rajend an,2017,2021;
Panhwa e al.,2020;Ra seou &
Ramphal,2014)
(Ca nei o e al.,2021;Ismy lis e al.,
2015;Kim e al.,2011;Psomas e al.,
2010;Sweis e al.,2022;Zwane e al.,
2021)
CSF 16: Regula o y compliance and
ex e nal ac o s
(Ab eu e al.,2018;Al-mij ab e al.,
2019;Ilie a e al.,2022;Pi on e al.,
2021;Ra seou & Ramphal,2014)
(Sweis e al.,2022;Zwane e al.,2021)
This li e a u e e iew indica es ha he CSFs o he managemen sys ems ISO 9001,
ISO 14001, and ISO/IEC 17025 sha e no able simila i ies, wi h no signi ican di e ences
iden i ied. Al hough hese s anda ds o igina e om di e en ields and ha e ypically been
s udied by a ious esea che s, hei undamen al managemen p inciples and excellence
mechanisms align closely. Howe e , excep ions exis , such as he CSFs “ope a ional in-
eg i y and impa iali y” and “ e i ica ion o me hods and aceabili y o measu emen s”,
which a e absen om he li e a u e conce ning ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. This disc ep-
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 15 o 30
Beyond es ablishing a quali y cul u e, se e al o he issues we e men ioned, including
he in ol emen o all pe sonnel, a common unde s anding o ISO/IEC 17025, impa iali y,
and cul u al change. The In e nal Audi o In -Aud-1 ema ked, “impa iali y, objec i i y,
and con iden iali y a e essen ial in es ing, as iola ing s anda d p inciples can lead o
se e e consequences, including inaccu a e esul s ha may cause signi ican ha m o
a ali ies”. Re lec ing on his, he Technical Supe iso o T-Lab 5 ques ioned he alue o
he quali y sys em “i measu emen s a e no accu a e, impa ial, and c edible”.
A his s age, i is c ucial o u he in es iga e he pe spec i es o labo a o y clien s,
pa icula ly conce ning he p essu es hey may exe on labo a o ies and he po en ial
impac on he labo a o ies’ in eg i y. O e hal o he clien s su eyed in his s udy we e
awa e o labo a o ies willing o comp omise measu emen accu acy o mee clien s’ de-
mands. Se e al clien s admi ed ha hey ha e on mul iple occasions p essu ed hei
pa ne labo a o ies o deli e a o able esul s in cases whe e he es ed ma e ials did no
comply wi h egula o y o p ojec -speci ic s anda ds. T-Clien 7 commen ed, “in majo
p ojec s, s ic imelines and cos ly delay clauses c ea e signi ican p essu e. When es
esul s de ia e om equi ed speci ica ions, i can c ea e majo challenges, leading clien s
o expec labo a o ies o adjus esul s o keep p ojec s and pa ne ships on ack. Simila ly,
T-Clien 2 and C-Clien 3 sha ed ha hey ha e wo ked wi h many labo a o ies willing o
modi y esul s o sa is y clien needs and main ain business s abili y.
Fu he mo e, ega ding he managemen o cul u al change, he Technical Supe iso
o T-Lab 10 emphasized he impo ance o add essing his issue, pa icula ly o olde
s a , o mi iga e esis ance o he changes necessa y o implemen ing he quali y sys em.
The In e nal Audi o In -Aud-1 added ha “cul u al change is c ucial o he e ec i e
applica ion o he quali y sys em wi hin he o ganiza ion. Olde employees o en belie e
hei p ac ices a e co ec , while younge employees may mis akenly iew hei inno a ions
as inhe en ly bene icial. I is essen ial o he company o de elop p ocesses ha manage
eac ions and esis ance o quali y sys em equi emen s, ocusing on enhancing se ice and
p oduc quali y while simul aneously inc easing p oduc i i y wi hou comp omising he
quali y sys em”.
Cus ome ocus also eme ged as a signi ican ac o du ing he in e iews wi h Tech-
nical Supe iso s ac oss a ious labo a o y sec o s. The In e nal Audi o In -Aud-1 high-
ligh ed he g owing impo ance o cus ome ocus, indica ing ha “ISO/IEC 17025 has
ansi ioned in o a cus ome -cen e ed s anda d”. Suppo ing his pe spec i e, he Technical
Supe iso o T-Lab 6 emphasized he necessi y o add essing cus ome needs, which
“no only builds posi i e ela ionships bu also enhances us ; o ins ance, in calib a ion
labo a o ies, o e ing consul ing se ices o clien s no only mee s hei equi emen s bu
also s eng hens hei con idence in he labo a o y’s capabili ies”.
Fu he mo e, he pa icipan s unde sco ed he bene icial impac o con inuous moni-
o ing and e alua ion h ough quali y indices, labo a o y in o ma ion sys ems, sys ema ic
s a is ical da a analysis, and isk analysis, which a e essen ial o achie ing ongoing im-
p o emen . The Technical Supe iso o T-Lab 10 no ed he impo ance o quali y indices
in e alua ing labo a o y pe o mance and iden i ying eme ging ends. Fu he mo e, he
main enance o s a is ical da a was ecognized as c i ical o his assessmen .
A consensus among esponden s om acc edi ed es ing labo a o ies highligh ed he
signi icance o o ganiza ional s anda diza ion, including well-de ined w i en p ocedu es
ha enhance he e iciency and e ec i eness o labo a o y ope a ions. The Technical Supe -
iso o T-Lab 5 ema ked, “ he lab adhe es o speci ic ules, s eamlining ou p ocesses”.
The Technical Di ec o o T-Lab 7 added, “acc edi a ion acili a es e ec i e p ocess ca ego-
iza ion”, while he Technical Supe iso o T-Lab 1 no ed ha “ echnicians ope a e wi h
g ea e awa eness and educed guesswo k”.
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 16 o 30
The in e iew-based quali a i e app oach employed in his s udy p o ided insigh s
om subjec ma e expe s ha con i med, e ined, o enhanced he indings om he
sys ema ic li e a u e e iew de ailed in Sec ion 2. Table 3ou lines he alida ed CSFs
essen ial o he e ec i e implemen a ion o ISO/IEC 17025, wi h expe s’ insigh s no
p e iously no ed in he li e a u e unde lined in each desc ip ion.
Table 3. Valida ed c i ical success ac o s o ISO/IEC 17025 implemen a ion.
CSFs Desc ip ion
CSF 1: Leade ship and s a egic commi men
E ec i e leade ship in ol es op managemen ’s suppo , commi men , and
ac i e engagemen in he quali y sys em, along wi h s ong leade ship quali ies
ha encompass echnical expe ise and manage ial skills. The o ganiza ion’s
ision and mission should align wi h he equi emen s o ISO/IEC 17025.
CSF 2: Mo i a ion o acc edi a ion
Mo i a ion o adop ing ISO/IEC 17025 should p ima ily in ol e in e nal
ac o s aimed a enhancing measu emen accu acy and quali y managemen ,
ahead o ex e nal ac o s d i en by ma ke p essu es.
CSF 3: Financial and o ganiza ional esou ces The e should be adequa e and balanced alloca ion o inancial and
o ganiza ional esou ces.
CSF 4: Technical esou ces and in as uc u e
Rele an echnical esou ces and in as uc u e mus be p o ided, including
equipmen , acili ies, and
au oma ion o es ing, digi aliza ion, and measu emen eco ding.
CSF 5: Human esou ces managemen and
compe ency
Human esou ce managemen in ol es e ec i e s a ing con igu a ions,
selec ion o pe sonnel, and ensu ing wo k o ce quali ica ions including
educa ion, scien i ic compe ence, echnical and manage ial skills, and
pe sonali y a ibu es. I also conside s he numbe o employees and
he s abili y o employmen con ac s.
CSF 6: Human esou ces aining and
de elopmen
Con inuous aining o pe sonnel a all le els is essen ial in o de o main ain
and enhance echnical compe ence,
emphasizing quali ies such as a en i eness, conscien iousness, and
obse a ional skills.
CSF 7: Human esou ces engagemen
Employee engagemen includes commi men , awa eness, and in ol emen . I
also in ol es mechanisms o e alua ing s a pe o mance, assessing
sa is ac ion, and p o iding incen i es o imp o e p oduc i i y and ensu e
adhe ence o quali y p ocedu es c i ical o accu a e esul s.
CSF 8: Quali y managemen sys em design
The implemen a ion o he quali y sys em should be e icien ly planned and
o ganized, po en ially in ol ing ex e nal consul an s. A p ocess-o ien ed
app oach is essen ial, co e ing planning, o ganiza ion, con ol, and e iew.
The chosen design o he quali y sys em, whe he s ingen o lexible,
should align wi h he o ganiza ion’s s a egic objec i es. This design mus be
ho oughly documen ed, wi h p ocedu es es ablished o all ac i i ies.
CSF 9: Ve i ica ion o me hods and T aceabili y o
measu emen s
This in ol es selec ing app op ia e es ing p ocedu es and e i ying es
me hods o ensu e hey mee he equi ed pe o mance s anda ds. I includes
de e mining measu emen p ecision and e alua ing measu emen unce ain y,
as well as es ablishing me ological aceabili y h ough a documen ed,
unin e up ed chain o calib a ions.
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 17 o 30
Table 3. Con .
CSFs Desc ip ion
CSF 10: Quali y assu ance and con ol
Quali y con ol p ocedu es mus adhe e o ISO/IEC 17025 s anda ds. These
include conduc ing quali y con ol es s, p o iciency es ing, in e nal
equipmen checks and main enance, moni o ing and add essing
non-con o mance, implemen ing co ec i e ac ions, in es iga ing ailu es,
audi ing, conduc ing managemen e iews, pe o ming isk analysis, and
ensu ing a minimum quo a o es s o each ca ego y.
CSF 11: Pe o mance managemen and
imp o emen
This in ol es moni o ing and e alua ing he implemen a ion o he quali y
sys em o ensu e con inuous imp o emen , u ilizing quali y indica o s and
employing so wa e ools o pe o mance measu emen .
CSF 12: Quali y o ien ed o ganiza ional cul u e
and wo king en i onmen
Es ablishing a quali y-o ien ed cul u e in ol es p omo ing consciousness o
quali y among all s akeholde s and c ea ing an en i onmen conduci e o
con inuous imp o emen . I also includes managing cul u al change and
ecognizing i s impo ance o adap a ion. A posi i e wo king en i onmen is
essen ial, cha ac e ized by e ec i e communica ion, a pleasan a mosphe e,
balanced wo kloads, and eamwo k.
CSF 13: Ope a ional in eg i y and impa iali y
This emphasizes he impo ance o impa iali y, hones y, scien i ic in eg i y,
and independence om con lic ing in e es s, o bo h he o ganiza ion and i s
employees.
CSF 14: Supplie managemen E ec i e managemen o supplie ela ionships is c ucial o ensu ing
coope a ion and quali y.
CSF 15: Cus ome ocus A cus ome -cen ic app oach in ol es assessing and analyzing cus ome
equi emen s and sa is ac ion while being esponsi e o hei changing needs.
CSF 16: Regula o y compliance and ex e nal
ac o s
This includes he ype o egula o y amewo k go e ning he labo a o y’s
ope a ions, encompassing go e nmen suppo o acc edi a ion,
di e en ia ing be ween ce i ied and acc edi ed labo a o ies, manda o y
licensing o echnicians, compliance wi h legisla ion a ec ing labo a o y
ope a ions and heal h and sa e y p o ocols, and
es ablishing mechanisms o a bi a ion.
5. Conclusions
This s udy ca ied ou an in-dep h in es iga ion o he CSFs essen ial o he e ec i e
implemen a ion o ISO/IEC 17025 and he es ablishmen o a obus quali y sys em in
acc edi ed es ing and calib a ion labo a o ies. Iden i ying hese CSFs is bene icial as
i enables o ganiza ions o ocus on ele an issues o he success ul implemen a ion
o he ISO/IEC 17025 quali y sys em, align hei s a egic planning wi h he s anda d’s
equi emen s, and p omo e con inuous imp o emen owa ds excellence.
5.1. Key Findings
This s udy o e s a mul idimensional pe spec i e on CSFs, which dis inguishes i om
ypical single-sou ce esea ch ha has mos ly elied on indi idual case s udies. I begins
wi h a li e a u e e iew ha iden i ies he CSFs essen ial o he e ec i e implemen a ion o
ISO/IEC 17025, while also inco po a ing insigh s om ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 s anda ds o
enhance hese indings. The e iew iden i ies 16 dis inc CSFs; hese we e u he con i med,
e ined, and enhanced h ough quali a i e analysis based on in e iews.
The 16 alida ed CSFs a e essen ial o he adop ion and main enance o ISO/IEC
17025, encompassing manage ial, human esou ce, and echnical domains. Wi hin he
manage ial domain, leade ship and s a egic commi men a e highligh ed as pa icula ly
signi ican , necessi a ing obus suppo and ac i e engagemen in he quali y sys em. This
includes leade ship quali ies ha in eg a e echnical expe ise wi h manage ial skills o
ensu e alignmen be ween he o ganiza ion’s ision and ISO/IEC 17025 equi emen s.
Mo i a ion o acc edi a ion is ano he c i ical ac o , e lec ing he o ganiza ion’s ambi ion
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 18 o 30
and incen i es o achie e ISO/IEC 17025 acc edi a ion. The a ailabili y o inancial and o -
ganiza ional esou ces is also i al o labo a o y ope a ions, as a e echnical in as uc u e
and equipmen . Pe o mance managemen and imp o emen a e add essed h ough he
moni o ing and e alua ion o he quali y sys em’s implemen a ion o ensu e con inuous
imp o emen , suppo ed by quali y indica o s and pe o mance measu emen ools. Ad-
di ionally, p omo ing a quali y-o ien ed o ganiza ional cul u e and a suppo i e wo king
en i onmen ocusing on e ec i e communica ion and eamwo k a e c ucial o success ul
acc edi a ion. Managing cul u al change and de eloping a suppo i e wo kplace a e also
impo an . Fu he mo e, he esea ch unde sco es he impo ance o ope a ional in eg i y
and impa iali y, highligh ing he necessi y o hones y, scien i ic in eg i y, and indepen-
dence om con lic s o in e es a bo h o ganiza ional and indi idual le els. E ec i e
supplie managemen and a s ong cus ome ocus a e ecognized as key CSFs. Finally,
egula o y compliance, which includes he legisla i e and egula o y amewo k go e ning
each labo a o y sec o and go e nmen al suppo o acc edi a ion, is iden i ied as a c i ical
componen o success.
The second domain encompasses human esou ce ac o s, beginning wi h human e-
sou ces managemen and compe ence, including s a ing con igu a ion, pe sonnel selec ion,
and wo k o ce quali ica ions. Fu he mo e, human esou ces engagemen — e lec ing em-
ployees’ commi men , awa eness, and ac i e pa icipa ion in he quali y sys em, and ain-
ing and de elopmen a e ega ded as i al componen s. Collec i ely, hese elemen s unde -
sco e he signi ican impac o human compe ency on he labo a o y’s
o e all pe o mance
.
The hi d domain add esses he echnical equi emen s o ISO/IEC 17025, which e e
o he design o he quali y managemen sys em, e i ica ion o es me hods, and measu e-
men aceabili y. Quali y assu ance and con ol en ail s ic quali y con ol p ocedu es
as equi ed by he s anda d, such as quali y con ol es s, p o iciency es ing, equipmen
inspec ions, co ec i e ac ions, audi s, managemen e iews, and isk analysis.
This comp ehensi e o e iew o 16 alida ed CSFs o he e ec i e implemen a ion
o ISO/IEC 17025 o e s a mo e in eg a ed iew han p e iously a ailable in agmen ed
s udies. By syn hesizing insigh s om ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 hen e ining and con i ming
hem h ough quali a i e in e iews, his esea ch p o ides he i s sys ema ic explo a ion
o bo h gene ic and ISO/IEC 17025-speci ic CSFs. In doing so, i di ec ly add esses he
li e a u e gap highligh ed by ea lie s udies (2019), b idging manage ial, human esou ce,
and echnical dimensions unde one obus amewo k. Consequen ly, he indings in o m
p ac i ione s and acc edi ing bodies abou he mul i ace ed na u e o success ul ISO/IEC
17025 implemen a ion and se he ounda ion o u u e esea ch o examine hese ac o s
in di e en o ganiza ional and indus ial con ex s.
5.2. Manage ial and Socie al Implica ions
The indings o his s udy o e impo an insigh s o he acc edi ed labo a o y sec-
o , p o iding ecommenda ions o enhance he quali y and ope a ional pe o mance o
labo a o ies. Iden i ying CSFs o he e ec i e implemen a ion o ISO/IEC 17025 enables
o ganiza ions o p io i ize key a eas and align hei s a egic planning acco dingly. I is
c ucial o op managemen o ecognize he signi icance o acc edi a ion a all o ganiza-
ional le els. S a egic planning mus in eg a e acc edi a ion equi emen s and p omo e
awa eness o he bene i s associa ed wi h adop ing ISO/IEC 17025. Addi ionally, he s udy
emphasizes he in luence o he egula o y amewo k on labo a o y ope a ions, high-
ligh ing i s impac ac oss a ious egula o y domains. This insigh is pa icula ly ele an
o policymake s and egula o y bodies in sec o s whe e acc edi a ion is no manda o y,
sugges ing a po en ial need o simila equi emen s o enhance public sa e y and us .
Inc easing cus ome awa eness o he impo ance o acc edi a ion can mo i a e hem o
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 19 o 30
selec acc edi ed labo a o ies, he eby p o iding inancial incen i es o hese labo a o ies
o es ablish and main ain obus quali y sys ems.
Fu he mo e, his s udy poin s ou signi ican socie al implica ions, emphasizing he
essen ial ole o acc edi a ion in p omo ing public sa e y. By ensu ing compliance wi h
sa e y s anda ds o ood, wa e , uel, building ma e ials, and o he es ed p oduc s, acc ed-
i a ion plays a i al ole in educing isks o public sa e y ac oss mul iple sec o s. Howe e ,
his s udy indica es ha acc edi a ion alone does no gua an ee he eliabili y o measu e-
men s, as echnical equi emen s mus be suppo ed by equally impo an manage ial and
human esou ce ac o s o he success ul implemen a ion o ISO/IEC 17025.
5.3. Limi a ions and Fu u e Resea ch Di ec ions
Despi e i s aluable con ibu ions, his s udy has ce ain limi a ions ha should be con-
side ed. The esea ch was conduc ed wi h a ela i ely small sample size o 34 pa icipan s,
all loca ed in G eece and ep esen ing h ee sec o s: ci il enginee ing es ing labo a o ies,
chemical labo a o ies, and calib a ion labo a o ies. This limi ed scope may es ic he
gene alizabili y o he indings. Fu u e esea ch should seek o b oaden he s udy bo h
geog aphically and ac oss a wide ange o es ing sec o s. Inco po a ing di e se labo a o y
ypes om a ious coun ies would allow mo e comp ehensi e compa ison o CSFs ac oss
di e en es ing ac i i ies and egions. Gi en he in e ela ed na u e o independen CSFs,
employing a mul i-c i e ia decision-making me hod would be ad an ageous o explo ing
he complex ela ionships among hem. This app oach would p io i ize he signi icance o
hese ac o s and es ablish causal links. The esul s o such esea ch could aid s akeholde s
and decision-make s in comp ehensi ely unde s anding he s uc u e o he p oblem, high-
ligh ing how ac ions in one a ea impac o he s. This would acili a e in o med and s a egic
decision-making, iden i ying key a eas o labo a o ies o ocus on o enhance excellence in
hei es ing and calib a ion se ices.
5.4. Concluding Rema ks
In conclusion, his esea ch enhances he heo e ical unde s anding o he ac o s ha
con ibu e o he success ul implemen a ion o he ISO/IEC 17025 quali y sys em. The
indings indica e ha an in eg a ed app oach o manage ial ac o s, pa icula ly in ela ion
o leade ship, s a egic managemen , mo i a ion, aining, and ope a ional in eg i y, can
signi ican ly imp o e he applica ion o ISO/IEC 17025 in acc edi ed labo a o ies, hus
inc easing he eliabili y o measu emen s. This imp o emen os e s public us , as
acc edi a ion assu es he communi y o he sa e y and eliabili y o public in as uc u e
and o he p oduc s.
Au ho Con ibu ions: Concep ualiza ion, E.P., P.T.C. and A.I.M.; me hodology, E.P. and P.T.C.;
so wa e, E.P. and P.T.C.; alida ion, A.I.M. and D.A.G.; o mal analysis, E.P., P.T.C. and A.I.M.;
in es iga ion, E.P. and P.T.C.; esou ces, E.P.; da a cu a ion, P.T.C. and A.I.M.; w i ing—o iginal
d a p epa a ion, E.P., P.T.C., A.I.M., D.A.G. and A.G.L.; w i ing— e iew and edi ing, E.P., P.T.C.,
A.I.M., D.A.G. and A.G.L.; isualiza ion, E.P. and P.T.C.; supe ision, D.A.G. and A.G.L.; p ojec
adminis a ion, D.A.G. and A.G.L.; unding acquisi ion, P.T.C. All au ho s ha e ead and ag eed o
he published e sion o he manusc ip .
Funding: The publica ion o his pape has been pa ly suppo ed by he Uni e si y o Pi aeus
Resea ch Cen e .
Ins i u ional Re iew Boa d S a emen : No applicable.
In o med Consen S a emen : In o med consen was ob ained om all subjec s in ol ed in he s udy.
Da a A ailabili y S a emen : Da a a e con ained wi hin he a icle.
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 20 o 30
Con lic s o In e es : The au ho s decla e no con lic s o in e es .
Appendix A
Table A1. Dis ibu ion o selec ed a icles add essing he c i ical success ac o s o ISO/IEC 17025
implemen a ion.
Re e ences C i ical Success Fac o s o ISO/IEC 17025 Implemen a ion
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
(Abdel-Fa ah,
2010)✓
(Sa i & Nu cahyo,
2018)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Hale y,2003)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Ka hiyayini &
Rajend an,2017)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Khodabocus &
Balgobin,2011)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(G ochau & en
Ca en,2012)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Ilie a e al.,
2022)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Al-mij ab e al.,
2019)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Mahdi e al.,
2021)✓ ✓✓ ✓✓✓✓✓
(Ma ínez-
Pe ales e al.,
2021)
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Gha ibi &
Abdullah,2017)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Panhwa e al.,
2020)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Sadikoglu &
Temu ,2012)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Ge ônimo e al.,
2020)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Manickam &
Ankanaga i,
2015)
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Ca ini e al.,
2015)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Pi on e al.,2021)
✓ ✓ ✓
(de Jesus e al.,
2023)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Ghe naou e al.,
2018)✓ ✓
(Ra seou &
Ramphal,2014)✓ ✓ ✓
(Ab eu e al.,
2018)✓
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 21 o 30
Table A1. Con .
Re e ences C i ical Success Fac o s o ISO/IEC 17025 Implemen a ion
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
(Doyle,2024)✓
(D o & Pie ce,
2020)✓
(Belezia & de
Almeida,2021)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Ka hiyayini &
Rajend an,2021)✓
Table A2. Dis ibu ion o selec ed a icles add essing he c i ical success ac o s o ISO 9001 and ISO
14001 implemen a ion.
Re e ences C i ical Success Fac o s o ISO 9001 and ISO14001 Implemen a ion
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
(Ingason,2015)✓ ✓ ✓
(Zwane e al.,
2021)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(de Guzman
San os,2022)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Ca nei o e al.,
2021)✓ ✓ ✓
(Boi al,2011)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Kim e al.,2011)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Ab Wahid &
Co ne ,2009)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(He as-
Saiza bi o ia,
2011)
✓ ✓ ✓
(Ismy lis e al.,
2015)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Khan e al.,2021)
✓ ✓ ✓
(Ka e zopoulos &
Go zamani,2014)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Psomas e al.,
2010)✓✓✓✓✓✓✓ ✓✓✓ ✓
(Sweis e al.,
2022)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(B iscoe e al.,
2005)✓
(I ano a e al.,
2014)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Magd,2010)✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Den on &
Maa gi,2016)✓
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 22 o 30
Table A3. De ailed pa icipan p o iles.
Pa icipan
Code
S akeholde
Type Gende Age G oup
Highes
Academic
Quali ica ion
P o essional
Role
Labo a o y
Expe ience
(Yea s)
Acc edi a ion
Expe ience
(Yea s)
Cons uc ion
Indus y
Expe ience
(Yea s)
In e iew
Da e
In e iew
Du a ion
(min)
In e iew
Mode
TLab-1
Ci il
Enginee ing
Tes ing
Labo a o y
P o essional
Male 55–65 Uni e si y
Deg ee
Technical
Supe iso ,
Acc edi ed Tes ing
Labo a o y
28 22 - 16/02/2024 90 Face- o- ace
TLab-2
Ci il
Enginee ing
Tes ing
Labo a o y
P o essional
Female 55–65 Uni e si y
Deg ee
Quali y Manage ,
Acc edi ed Tes ing
Labo a o y
34 21 - 19/02/2024 60 Face- o- ace
TLab-3
Ci il
Enginee ing
Tes ing
Labo a o y
P o essional
Male 45–54 Technical
School
Technical
Supe iso ,
Acc edi ed Tes ing
Labo a o y
Di ision
22 20 - 20/02/2024 50 Face- o- ace
TLab-4
Ci il
Enginee ing
Tes ing
Labo a o y
P o essional
Female 55–65 Uni e si y
Deg ee
Technical
Supe iso ,
Ce i ied Tes ing
Labo a o y
24 24 - 28/02/2024 60 Face- o- ace
TLab-5
Ci il
Enginee ing
Tes ing
Labo a o y
P o essional
Female 35–44
MEng, Msc,
MBA, PhD
Candi a e
Technical
Supe iso and
Quali y Manage ,
Acc edi ed Tes ing
Labo a o y
14 14 - 28/02/2024 90 Face- o- ace
TLab-6
Ci il
Enginee ing
Tes ing
Labo a o y
P o essional
Male 55–65 PhD
Mul i ace ed
Technical
Supe iso and
Quali y
Consul an ,
Acc edi ed Tes ing
Labo a o ies
27 18 - 12/03/2024 120 Web
con e ence
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 23 o 30
Table A3. Con .
Pa icipan
Code
S akeholde
Type Gende Age G oup
Highes
Academic
Quali ica ion
P o essional
Role
Labo a o y
Expe ience
(Yea s)
Acc edi a ion
Expe ience
(Yea s)
Cons uc ion
Indus y
Expe ience
(Yea s)
In e iew
Da e
In e iew
Du a ion
(min)
In e iew
Mode
TLab-7
Ci il
Enginee ing
Tes ing
Labo a o y
P o essional
Female 45–54 Msc
Technical Di ec o ,
Acc edi ed Tes ing
Labo a o ies
25 22 - 12/03/2024 100 Web
con e ence
TLab-8
Ci il
Enginee ing
Tes ing
Labo a o y
P o essional
Female 35–44 MEng, Msc
Quali y Manage ,
Acc edi ed Tes ing
Labo a o y
16 16 - 13/03/2024 50 Face- o- ace
TLab-9
Ci il
Enginee ing
Tes ing
Labo a o y
P o essional
Female 35–44 Uni e si y
Deg ee
Quali y Manage ,
Acc edi ed Tes ing
Labo a o y
17 17 - 29/03/2024 50 Face- o- ace
TLab-10
Ci il
Enginee ing
Tes ing
Labo a o y
P o essional
Male 45–54 Uni e si y
Deg ee
Technical
Supe iso ,
Acc edi ed Tes ing
Labo a o y
Di ision
30 20 - 01/04/2024 45 Phone
TLab-11
Ci il
Enginee ing
Tes ing
Labo a o y
P o essional
Male 45–54 MEng, MBA
Head Di ec o ,
Acc edi ed Tes ing
Labo a o ies
30 21 - 08/04/2024 40 Face- o- ace
C-Lab-1
Calib a ion
Labo a o y
P o essional
Male 45–54 Uni e si y
Deg ee
Quali y Manage ,
Acc edi ed
Calib a ion
Labo a o y
20 20 - 12/02/2024 80 Phone
C-Lab-2
Calib a ion
Labo a o y
P o essional
Male 45–54 MEng, MBA
Technical Di ec o ,
Acc edi ed
Calib a ion
Labo a o y
16 16 - 22/02/2024 80 Phone
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 60 24 o 30
Table A3. Con .
Pa icipan
Code
S akeholde
Type Gende Age G oup
Highes
Academic
Quali ica ion
P o essional
Role
Labo a o y
Expe ience
(Yea s)
Acc edi a ion
Expe ience
(Yea s)
Cons uc ion
Indus y
Expe ience
(Yea s)
In e iew
Da e
In e iew
Du a ion
(min)
In e iew
Mode
C-Lab-3
Calib a ion
Labo a o y
P o essional
Male 35–44 Uni e si y
Deg ee
Technical
Supe iso ,
Acc edi ed
Calib a ion
Labo a o y
12 8 - 23/02/2024 40 Face- o- ace
C-Lab-4
Calib a ion
Labo a o y
P o essional
Male 35–44 Uni e si y
Deg ee
Technical Di ec o ,
Acc edi ed
Calib a ion
Labo a o y
16 16 - 11/03/2024 50 Phone
C-Lab-5
Calib a ion
Labo a o y
P o essional
Male 45–54 PhD
Quali y Manage ,
Acc edi ed
Calib a ion
Labo a o y
10 10 - 29/03/2024 90 Phone
Chem-Lab-1
Chemical
Labo a o y
P o essional
Female 45–54 Msc
Quali y Manage ,
Acc edi ed
Chemical and
Mic obiological
Labo a o y
20 5 - 20/02/2024 45 Phone
Chem-Lab-2
Chemical
Labo a o y
P o essional
Female 55–65 Technical
School
Technical
Supe iso ,
Acc edi ed
Chemical
Labo a o y
Di ision
15 5 - 04/03/2024 40 Phone
Chem-Lab-3
Chemical
Labo a o y
P o essional
Female 45–54 PhD
Technical
Supe iso ,
Acc edi ed
Chemical
Labo a o y
Di ision
20 15 - 05/03/2024 60 Phone
