ISO 56001 for Startups: A Phase-Based Framework

ISO 56001 for Startups: A Phase-Based Framework | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article ISO 56001 for Startups: A Phase-Based Framework Artemis Kontou, Panayiotis Kolios, Demetris Eliades This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8405403/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The ISO 56000 family of standards seeks to support organizations in managing innovation in a systematic way with ISO 56001 providing a certifiable standard for innovation management systems. While these standards claim applicability to organizations of all types and sizes, early-stage startups often operate with fluid structures, minimal documentation and evolving metrics, which raises ques- tions about the practical relevance of a fully formalized innovation management system in this context. This study examines ISO 56001 from a startup perspec- tive and develops a startup-compatible framework for its implementation. The research is based on a qualitative document analysis of the draft ISO 56001 requirements, supported by close reading of related documents in the ISO 56000 series. Requirements in clauses 4-10 are coded for implicit assumptions about organizational maturity, structure, resources and existing management systems, and then interpreted against typical characteristics of early-stage startups. The analysis identifies four main clusters of maturity assumptions: governance and roles, documentation and process formalization, metrics and performance eval- uation, and integration with other management systems and resources. These clusters often presuppose a level of structural stability and resource availabil- ity that is uncommon in early-stage ventures. In response, the paper proposes a three-phase framework: (i) problem-solution exploration, (ii) product-market fit search and (iii) early scaling that offers stage-appropriate interpretations of ISO 56001 requirements and illustrates clause-level adaptations for startups. ISO 56001 innovation management system startups entrepreneurship management system standards Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8405403","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":563015350,"identity":"624e2d14-3b94-40e7-8a34-d94025f92cf1","order_by":0,"name":"Artemis Kontou","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA/ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACCRReAoMNUVoYG8AsNrCWNFK1MDAcJqxFsr33+IOPbQzy5vObj2548Od8Yv+MBMYPPxjsEhtwaJHmOZfYOLONwXDOMba0G4lttxNn3EhgluxhSMapRU4ix7CZt42BcQYbj9mNxIbbiRskEhikGRgOENRiP4ON/9uNhD/nQFqYf+PTIg3Vkgi0he1GAtsBkBY2vLZI9pwxnDnjnETyDLY0oMPako1nnHnYZtljkGyMS4vE8R6DDx/KbGxnMB9+dvPHHzvZ/vbkwzd+VNjJ4tIC04nEFgA5yYDBkYAWZMB/AEzZE69jFIyCUTAKhjkAAM5yWJGg/h9QAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0480-0796","institution":"KIOS Research \u0026 Innovation Centre of Excellence, University of Cyprus","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Artemis","middleName":"","lastName":"Kontou","suffix":""},{"id":563015552,"identity":"cb10e99d-7e36-43af-bbbf-30654367390e","order_by":1,"name":"Panayiotis Kolios","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3981-993X","institution":"Department of Computer Science, University of Cyprus","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Panayiotis","middleName":"","lastName":"Kolios","suffix":""},{"id":563015909,"identity":"3589001c-95ed-468d-b075-a0e5c543a847","order_by":2,"name":"Demetris Eliades","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"KIOS Research \u0026 Innovation Centre of Excellence, University of Cyprus","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Demetris","middleName":"","lastName":"Eliades","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-12-19 13:46:02","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8405403/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8405403/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":98776872,"identity":"d7847ce5-79c0-40f2-b62e-69415d2868cd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-22 12:23:52","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":325386,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ISO56001forStartups1.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8405403/v1_covered_7bfc58f2-7f17-4ef4-8805-bb6a918f3026.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eISO 56001 for Startups: A Phase-Based Framework\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"KIOS Research \u0026 Innovation Centre of Excellence, University of Cyprus","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"ISO 56001, innovation management system, startups, entrepreneurship, management system standards","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8405403/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8405403/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe ISO 56000 family of standards seeks to support organizations in managing innovation in a systematic way with ISO 56001 providing a certifiable standard for innovation management systems. While these standards claim applicability to organizations of all types and sizes, early-stage startups often operate with fluid structures, minimal documentation and evolving metrics, which raises ques- tions about the practical relevance of a fully formalized innovation management system in this context. This study examines ISO 56001 from a startup perspec- tive and develops a startup-compatible framework for its implementation. The research is based on a qualitative document analysis of the draft ISO 56001 requirements, supported by close reading of related documents in the ISO 56000 series. Requirements in clauses 4-10 are coded for implicit assumptions about organizational maturity, structure, resources and existing management systems, and then interpreted against typical characteristics of early-stage startups. 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