Oman National Competencies Forum Advances AI Governance with ISO 42001, Quality Excellence and ERM

National Competencies Forum: AI Management, Quality Systems, and Accountability

Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-up Unit, in partnership with the Financial Services Authority (FSA), convened a forum on national competencies in quality management. The opening ceremony was held under the auspices of Abdullah Salim Al Salmi, Chairman of the Financial Services Authority. The focus was practical: build partnerships, share what works, and set higher standards across government units.

For managers, the message was clear: invest in systems, define responsibilities, and enforce a cadence of review. The forum showcased real progress, from training programs to governance models that you can apply now.

What managers should note

• Cross-institution partnerships are central to sustained improvement and measurable outcomes.
• Quality systems based on ISO 9001 strengthen process clarity, audits, and performance tracking.
• AI requires a formal management system (ISO/IEC 42001) with clear roles, risk controls, and continuous review.
• ERM ties strategy, risk, and performance-make it a standing agenda item, not a compliance checkbox.

Initiatives highlighted

• Talent Acquisition Initiative: over 200 employees in stage one and 140 in the final phase, building a pipeline of quality-focused talent.
• Quality Management System training: raising institutional awareness of ISO 9001 and driving adoption of performance monitoring.
• 10 workshops led by 10 national trainers: more than 110 government employees trained on excellence models and innovation programs.

AI governance: ISO/IEC 42001 in practice

The forum reviewed AI management against ISO/IEC 42001-the first integrated AI Management System (AIMS). It guides organizations to formalize policy, define roles and responsibilities for intelligent systems, run periodic risk assessments, and enforce continuous improvement through performance reviews.

If you deploy AI, set explicit ownership for model lifecycle, data sources, validation, incident response, and audit trails. Build a review rhythm: pre-deployment checks, quarterly model risk reviews, and annual independent assessment.

Learn more about ISO/IEC 42001

Quality management: ISO 9001 done right

The Directorate's program centered on ISO 9001 to unify processes and performance tracking. Start with process mapping, define KPIs that matter, and schedule internal audits tied to corrective actions. This shifts quality from documentation to outcomes.

ISO 9001 overview

ERM as the backbone

The FSA presented Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) stages, expected outcomes, and achievements. The takeaway: integrate ERM with strategy and project portfolios, and connect it to both ISO 9001 controls and AI governance checkpoints. One view of risk, one cadence, shared accountability.

90-day action plan for managers

• Week 1-2: Appoint owners for Quality, ERM, and AI governance. Approve a unified review calendar.
• Week 3-4: Map top 10 processes and AI use cases. Set baseline KPIs and risk registers.
• Month 2: Roll out ISO 9001 training for process owners; implement AI policy covering data, testing, monitoring, and incidents.
• Month 3: Run an internal audit on two core processes and one AI use case; close gaps with dated actions and owners.

Metrics that signal progress

• On-time completion of audits and risk reviews (target: 95 percent).
• Closed corrective actions within SLA (e.g., 30 days for high-priority items).
• Defect rate or service errors trending down quarter over quarter.
• AI model incidents, drift alerts, and retraining cycles tracked and resolved within defined thresholds.

Why this matters now

The forum showed the scale is already there: hundreds trained, clear frameworks, and national coordination. What moves the needle is execution-owners, cadence, and visible metrics. Start small, standardize, then scale across units.

Upskill your team

If you are building capability across functions, consider role-based learning paths for AI and quality leadership. Curated options by job role can speed up adoption and reduce training noise.

Explore AI courses by job role