ICA Global Cx & OA Standards

At ICxA, we champion commissioning not as a final check, but as a transdisciplinary leadership practice – one that governs complexity, protects stakeholder objectives, and delivers public value from concept to operational readiness, and longer-term adaptation.

ICxA offers two globally recognised standards that work in tandem to ensure outcomes that are not only complete but coherent – transforming how capital projects are conceived, delivered, and sustained.

Outcome Assurance: Governance for Outcome-Focused Delivery

The ICA Global Outcome Assurance Standard defines the governance practices required to deliver capital projects that achieve their intended outcomes – on time, on budget, and operationally aligned. 

This is not a manual for technical execution. It’s a framework for clarity of purpose, early alignment, and sustained outcome ownership. It ensures leaders don’t just build assets – they deliver the intended business case driven benefits. 

Embedding Commissioning-Led Governance from the Outset

Structured around five interdependent pillars, the Standard safeguards outcome integrity across the lifecycle. Each pillar reflects ICxA’s commitment to strategic intent, system-wide coherence, and operational readiness. 

• Vision & Strategy: Define socio-technical requirements from ideation to steer intended outcomes – aligning sponsors, stakeholders, and delivery teams around a common goal.

• Information Outcome: Govern information flow to establish a knowledge system that drives operational performance, lifecycle value, and evidence-based assurance from the outset. 

• Installation Outcome: Set expectations for quality, readiness, and completeness – ensuring what’s built is fit for purpose. 
• Integration Outcome: Confirm that system architecture and disciplines operate seamlessly before service entry – ensuring performance is evidenced, not presumed. 
• Operation Outcome: Enable confident transfer of control – ensuring system readiness to operate, govern, and adapt for long-term value. 

Why These Standards Matter

Too many projects treat outcomes as assumptions – validated only at the end, often too late to intervene. The ICxA Global Outcome Assurance Standard reverses that logic. It embeds outcome leadership from conception, ensuring that capital investment translates into operational success and public value. Rooted in ICxA’s commitment to sustainable development and institutional integrity, the standard enables: 

• Governance structures that prioritise intended outcomes – protecting business case objectives from early-stage dilution and late-stage compromise. 

• Alignment of planning, procurement, and execution with lifecycle asset performance, resilience, and sustainability goals. 

• Early coordination across disciplines, teams, and contractors – fostering shared and transparent accountability and reducing fragmentation. 

• Clear frameworks for managing complexity and risk – enabling proactive evidence-based decision-making and adaptive delivery. 

• Assurance of real-world system performance – grounded in verified socio-technical readiness to operate, govern with integrity, and adapt to evolving demands. 

The ICxA Global Commissioning Standard

Framework for Operational Readiness

The ICxA Global Commissioning Standard establishes a structured methodology for delivering commissioning and operational readiness across social, economic, and natural infrastructure systems. It translates governance intent into actionable planning, delivery, and continuous improvement – embedding assurance throughout the project lifecycle. 

As a comprehensive value creation framework, it provides clarity, consistency, and confidence to all stakeholders – ensuring commissioning is proactive, integrated, and aligned with intended outcomes. 

Core Documents

• ICA-001: Phases of the Commissioning Process

• ICA-002: Terminology

• ICA-003: Roles & Responsibilities

• ICA-004: Commissioning Strategy & Planning

• ICA-005: Commissioning Engineering, Manufacturing, Construction Completions

• ICA-006: On-Site Testing

• ICA-007: Handover, In-Service, Closeout

• ICA-008: Safety & Risk Management

• ICA-009: Lessons Learned & Continuous Improvement

The ICxA Global Outcome Assurance Standard

Framework for Commissioning-Led Governance

The ICxA Global Outcome Assurance Standard defines early project governance required for commissioning to be successful later in the project.

Core Document

• ICA-010: Outcome Assurance

How the Two Standards Work Together

The Outcome Assurance Standard sets the governance conditions for success. The Commissioning Standard delivers the value creation framework to realise it. Together, they form a unified framework for commissioning-led governance – one that transforms capital investment into operational success, bringing value to the community it serves. 

Access the Standards

Both standards are available at no cost to ICxA members. Join our community to gain access and take the first step toward redefining project success through commissioning leadership.