Regulations, Standards and Certification: Three Different Things

Division of labour

Regulation states what must be done. Standards describe how and how to verify. Certification is a third-party evaluation against a standard.

Common misunderstandings

A certificate does not automatically mean regulatory compliance (certificates have scope and validity). Meeting a standard is not the same as being certified.

Practice

Keep three lists at project start: applicable regulations, referenced standards, and required certificates or test reports.