Records Management Standards Compared
DoD 5015.2, ISO 15489, and ISO 16175 are the three standards most often cited for trustworthy recordkeeping. They're frequently confused, but they operate at different layers — one sets principles, one tests software, one specifies digital functionality. Here's how they compare and fit together.
Federal status update: In NARA Bulletin 2022-01, the National Archives revoked its endorsement of DoD 5015.2 and moved to its own Universal Electronic Records Management Requirements (under FERMI) as the federal reference. DoD 5015.2 remains a DoD standard and a recognized product credential, but it is no longer NARA's endorsed federal baseline. The comparison below reflects what each standard is; for U.S. federal procurements, check the current NARA requirements.
| Attribute | DoD 5015.2-STD | ISO 15489 | ISO 16175 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Electronic Records Management Software Applications Design Criteria Standard | Information and documentation — Records management — Concepts and principles | Processes and functional requirements for records in digital environments |
| Issued by | U.S. Department of Defense | International Organization for Standardization | International Organization for Standardization |
| Reach | United States — DoD standard (NARA endorsement revoked 2022) | International | International |
| Type | Product / functional — software tested against it | Principles — concepts, not a product test | Functional requirements for digital systems |
| Focus | What records management software must be able to do (declare, classify, retain, dispose, control access, audit). | What good records management is: the characteristics of an authoritative record (authenticity, reliability, integrity, usability) and the core processes. | What a system must do to manage records in digital environments — capture, classification, retention, disposition, metadata, access. |
| Certification / testing | Yes — tested & certified by the Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC). | No product certification — it is a principles standard. | Used for conformance evaluation; not a single certification scheme. |
| Best used for | Procuring or evaluating RM software, especially for U.S. federal and defense buyers. | Designing and assessing a records management program; shared professional vocabulary. | Specifying or evaluating digital recordkeeping functionality internationally. |
| Learn more | On RM University → Official source | On RM University → Official source | On RM University → Official source |
How they work together
These standards aren't competitors — they sit at different layers, and a mature program uses them together:
- ISO 15489 gives you the principles — what trustworthy records and recordkeeping actually are.
- ISO 16175 turns those principles into functional requirements for digital recordkeeping systems.
- DoD 5015.2 lets you verify a software product does the recordkeeping fundamentals — through formal certification.
In short: ISO 15489 is the why and what, ISO 16175 is the what a digital system must do, and DoD 5015.2 is the does-this-software-do-it. Pair them with audit trails and documented practice to demonstrate compliance. For the bigger picture, see the Compliance & Standards topic.