DAkkS adapts organisational structure
On 1 February 2022, Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS) starts with the gradual implementation of a new organisational structure. With the new organisational structure, DAkkS is creating the conditions required to ensure that it continues to offer a competent, professional and efficient service as a key component of the German quality infrastructure.
Scope of the organisational restructuring
With the new organisational structure, DAkkS is moving towards a much leaner departmental structure. In the future, all accreditations will be managed by a total of 26 departments in four divisions. With this move, DAkkS is concentrating its technical competences in each of the subject areas and reflecting the various economic sectors in a more compact structure. In addition, all relevant accreditation activities in a subject area (such as tests, inspections, certifications) will now be handled by a single department.
As accreditations become increasingly complex, these measures will enable improved, effective and efficient case processing. Until now, the accreditation body’s organisational structure comprised around 50 departments spread across five divisions.
“Our new organisational structure will make it possible to continue to develop DAkkS systematically. Our aspiration is to support innovation, to be able to respond quickly and flexibly to developments in the market, in the legal basis and in the standards landscape, and to fulfil our responsibilities as best we can. At the same time, we are seeing that the requirements placed on DAkkS as a national accreditation body are becoming increasingly complex. With this restructuring, we are creating the conditions required to ensure that we continue to achieve our goals in the long term,” says Dr.-Ing. Stephan Finke, Chief Executive Officer of DAkkS.
New positions in the DAkkS departments
The newly formed departments will each be led by a department head. These managers, experts in their fields, will in future lead each of the departments and, together with a competent team, will be responsible for all of their cases. With greater autonomy, these more agile units will be able to handle accreditation cases more rigorously and quickly. “This will significantly improve the service we provide to our customers,” adds Finke.
Also new is the position of departmental experts, who will contribute their particular expertise on specific subject areas to their department and support the department heads. As with our case managers, they will process the cases handled by each of the departments and work as assessors. In addition, team assistants will provide significant support with the management of cases.
Particularly complex, cross-disciplinary cases will in future be coordinated by operational project managers, who will also be the central contact person for the accreditation in question.
Newly created Accreditation Service division
In addition to the restructuring of the divisions responsible for our operational accreditation services, many strategic, supportive responsibilities related to accreditation are also being reorganised and relocated. With this approach, DAkkS will ensure the best possible service and discharge of its duties in the long term.
The new “Accreditation Service” division will concentrate activities related to accreditation in several service areas and will be responsible for the accompanying range of services offered by DAkkS. It will be home to the “Application Service and New Client Support | International Contact” department and the team for “Management of Complex Accreditation Cases”.
The service departments “Scheme Evaluation | Product Development”, the “DAkkS-Academy” and the projects handled by the “Technical Cooperation | International Partnerships” unit complete the range of services relating to accreditation offered by DAkkS in a new structure.
The “Competence Centre Standards and Regulatory Affairs | Committee Coordination”, which is also part of the Accreditation Service division, will ensure that a uniform understanding of horizontal, normative, regulatory and administrative law issues is developed and implemented. It will also coordinate participation in national and international standardisation and accreditation bodies and agree the position taken by DAkkS in each case. These units will in future be the accreditation body’s “knowledge organisation” with regard to all issues requiring overall harmonisation and communication.
When will implementation take place and to what extent will contact persons change?
To ensure the continuity of all ongoing cases, DAkkS will gradually convert to the new organisational structure in the coming months.
Important to know: Notwithstanding changing job titles and organisational units, the present contact persons for accredited bodies, external assessors and interested parties remain in place for the time being. DAkkS will actively inform you if contact persons change as part of this process.
