What is the difference between DoD 5015.2 and ISO 15489?

Both are major records management standards, but they operate very differently — one tests software, the other describes principles.

DoD 5015.2 — product-focused

DoD 5015.2 is a U.S. Department of Defense standard that specifies the functional requirements records management software must meet — how it declares, classifies, retains, and disposes of records, controls access, and produces audit trails. Products are formally tested and certified against it (by the Joint Interoperability Test Command). For years it was the de facto federal baseline — though in 2022 NARA revoked its endorsement of 5015.2 in favor of its own Universal ERM Requirements (it remains a DoD standard and a recognized product credential). In short, it answers: “does this system do the recordkeeping fundamentals correctly?”

ISO 15489 — principles-focused

ISO 15489 is the international standard for records management. It’s principles-based: rather than testing software, it describes the concepts of good recordkeeping — the characteristics of an authoritative record (authenticity, reliability, integrity, usability) and the processes that maintain them — independent of any technology or country. It answers: “what is good records management?”

How they complement each other

They’re not competitors; they work at different layers:

• ISO 15489 gives you the principles to design a sound program.
• DoD 5015.2 lets you verify that a software product supports those principles.
• ISO 16175 sits between them, specifying functional requirements for records in digital environments internationally.

A mature program often uses all three: ISO 15489 to frame the discipline, ISO 16175 and/or DoD 5015.2 to evaluate tools, and audit practices to demonstrate compliance. Put simply: ISO 15489 is the why and what; DoD 5015.2 is the does-the-software-do-it.