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ISO 27001 Documented Information Beginner’s Guide

Last updated Mar 30, 2025

Author: Stuart Barker, ISO 27001 expert, thought leader and your number 1 source for everything ISO 27001.

ISO 27001 Documented Information Tutorial

Table of contents

What is ISO 27001 Documented Information?

The standard requires documentation for the information security management system ( ISMS ) and the organisations operational procedures.

The driver is based on having process maturity.

The standard wants processes to be conducted in the same way and to deliver the same result irrespective of who operates it.

It acknowledges that the extent of the documented information can differ depending on organisational size.

The level and extent of your documentation will be based on

  • your size
  • your activity
  • your products
  • your services
  • the complexity of who you are
  • your processes
  • and the competency of persons.

Why is it important?

Having documentation is important for the following reasons

Consistency: having documented processes ensures a consistent approach to doing things. In turn this can reduce errors and mistakes.

Evidence: having processes that create documented records will evidence that the process is in place and that the process is operating effectively and as intended.

Process Maturity: having process maturity can provide a model of progressive improvement in processes that can be used to assess an organisation’s capabilities and to provide an improvement path.

Accountability: documented information drives organisational accountability.

ISO 27001 requirement for Documented Information

As the standard heavily relies on documented information the following ISO 27001 Clauses and ISO 27001 Annex A controls address it directly. You should read implementation guide for details on exactly what is required and how to implement it.

ISO 27001 Clause 7.5.1 Documented Information

ISO 27001 Clause 7.5.2 Creating and Updating Documented Information

ISO 27001 Clause 7.5.3 Control of Documented Information

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.37 Documented operating procedures

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ISO 27001 Clauses

ISO 27001 Clause 4.1 – Understanding The Organisation And Its Context

ISO 27001 Clause 4.2 – Understanding The Needs And Expectations of Interested Parties

ISO 27001 Clause 4.3 – Determining The Scope Of The Information Security Management System

ISO 27001 Clause 4.4 – Information Security Management System

ISO 27001 Clause 5.1 – Leadership and Commitment

ISO 27001 Clause 5.3 – Organisational Roles, Responsibilities and Authorities

ISO 27001 Clause 6.1.1 – Planning General

ISO 27001 Clause 6.1.2 – Information Security Risk Assessment

ISO 27001 Clause 6.1.3 – Information Security Risk Treatment

ISO 27001 Clause 6.2 – Information Security Objectives and Planning to Achieve Them

ISO 27001 Clause 6.3 – Planning Of Changes

ISO 27001 Clause 7.1 – Resources

ISO 27001 Clause 7.2 – Competence

ISO 27001 Clause 7.3 – Awareness

ISO 27001 Clause 7.4 – Communication

ISO 27001 Clause 7.5.1 – Documented Information

ISO 27001 Clause 7.5.2 – Creating and Updating Documented Information

ISO 27001 Clause 7.5.3 – Control of Documented Information

ISO 27001 Clause 8.1 – Operational Planning and Control

ISO 27001 Clause 8.2 – Information Security Risk Assessment

ISO 27001 Clause 8.3 – Information Security Risk Treatment

ISO 27001 Clause 9.1 – Monitoring, Measurement, Analysis, Evaluation

ISO 27001 Clause 9.2 – Internal Audit

ISO 27001 Clause 9.3 – Management Review

ISO 27001 Clause 10.1 – Continual Improvement

ISO 27001 Clause 10.2 – Nonconformity and Corrective Action

ISO 27001 Organisation Controls

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.1: Policies for information security

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.2: Information Security Roles and Responsibilities

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.3: Segregation of duties

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.4: Management responsibilities

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.5: Contact with authorities

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.6: Contact with special interest groups

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.7: Threat intelligence

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.8: Information security in project management

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.9: Inventory of information and other associated assets

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.10: Acceptable use of information and other associated assets

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.11: Return of assets

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.12: Classification of information

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.13: Labelling of information

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.14: Information transfer

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.15: Access control

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.16: Identity management

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.17: Authentication information

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.18: Access rights

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.19: Information security in supplier relationships

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.20: Addressing information security within supplier agreements

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.21: Managing information security in the ICT supply chain

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.22: Monitoring, review and change management of supplier services

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.23: Information security for use of cloud services

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.24: Information security incident management planning and preparation

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.25: Assessment and decision on information security events

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.26: Response to information security incidents

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.27: Learning from information security incidents

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.28: Collection of evidence

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.29: Information security during disruption

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.30: ICT readiness for business continuity

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.31: Identification of legal, statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.32: Intellectual property rights

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.33: Protection of records

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.34: Privacy and protection of PII

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.35: Independent review of information security

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.36: Compliance with policies and standards for information security

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.37: Documented operating procedures

ISO 27001 People Controls

ISO 27001 Annex A 6.1: Screening

ISO 27001 Annex A 6.2: Terms and conditions of employment

ISO 27001 Annex A 6.3: Information security awareness, education and training

ISO 27001 Annex A 6.4: Disciplinary process

ISO 27001 Annex A 6.5: Responsibilities after termination or change of employment

ISO 27001 Annex A 6.6: Confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements

ISO 27001 Annex A 6.7: Remote working

ISO 27001 Annex A 6.8: Information security event reporting

Stuart Barker, ISO 27001 expert

About the author

Stuart Barker is an information security practitioner of over 30 years. He holds an MSc in Software and Systems Security and an undergraduate degree in Software Engineering. He is an ISO 27001 expert and thought leader holding both ISO 27001 Lead Implementer and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor qualifications. In 2010 he started his first cyber security consulting business that he sold in 2018. He worked for over a decade for GE, leading a data governance team across Europe and since then has gone on to deliver hundreds of client engagements and audits.

He regularly mentors and trains professionals on information security and runs a successful ISO 27001 YouTube channel where he shows people how they can implement ISO 27001 themselves. He is passionate that knowledge should not be hoarded and brought to market the first of its kind online ISO 27001 store for all the tools and templates people need when they want to do it themselves.

In his personal life he is an active and a hobbyist kickboxer.

His specialisms are ISO 27001 and SOC 2 and his niche is start up and early stage business.