Many SMEs avoid ISO standards because the interpretation and implementation process can feel expensive, time-consuming and require external expertise. But what if the entire barrier -the weeks of synthesis, the consultant fees, the complexity – could be compressed into minutes?

The Reality

Standards are generic. They’re designed to apply across industries, business sizes, and contexts. Businesses are specific. Translating a comprehensive standard into something relevant to how you actually work is where the real effort happens.

Traditionally, this translation requires either external consultants (cost plus time) or internal expertise (time plus resources). For SMEs without standards experience, this can feel like an insurmountable barrier or a step not worth taking… “its too corporate”, “its not for us”

But that’s changed. AI can now do this translation in minutes, creating a framework that’s relevant to your context, not a generic template.

The Power of Context

A generic self-assessment guide misses the reality of individual business context. It’s built for everyone, which means it’s built for no one in particular.

When using AI, adding context changes everything. When you specify that you’re an SME, your industry, your niche, your USPs, that you have no prior standards experience, and that you need something practical and implementable, the framework shifts. The questions become relevant. The priorities become clear.

The difference is stark:

• “Summarize ISO 42001” gives you a generic overview
• “Create a self-assessment guide for an SME new to standards, with no prior experience, focused on practical implementation” gives you something you can actually use

Context shapes the questions the LLM generates. A self-assessment built for your reality is infinitely more useful than one built for an abstract audience. You’re not getting a template; you’re getting your framework.

The Walkthrough

ISO 42001 is the international standard for AI management systems. It covers governance, risk management, and operational controls around AI use. For SMEs, it’s increasingly relevant – AI governance is no longer optional.

Here’s the approach…

Upload the ISO 42001 standard. Ask the LLM to create a self-assessment framework. Add context: SME size, no prior standards experience, focus on practical implementation. Be rich with context setting, guide it, give it focus.

Your AI assistant will deliver back to you a structured set of self-assessment questions organized by ISO 42001 domains. Not generic. Not overwhelming. Relevant.

The context we provided shapes everything:

– The standard is the input: The full ISO 42001 document

– The context makes it relevant: SME size, no standards background, practical focus

– The output as a working tool: A self-assessment framework that can be used immediately

– Refinement through iteration: Adding more context makes it even more relevant

This doesn’t create a consultant’s generic implementation roadmap, its a diagnostic tool built for specific situations.

From Self-Assessment to Action

Turning a standard into a quizzing self-assessment is of course only step one, but once you’re there the opportunities really open up. We can use this framework as a personal thought building exercise, work on it as a team, or even cross reference our own personal reflections to help identify gaps not only in the business, but in our perceptions. Its a really powerful methodology that’s at all of our fingertips

It helps to identify that not all gaps are equal. Some are quick wins. Some require systemic change. The framework helps to prioritise

The self-assessment became the foundation for implementation but it isn’t theoretical, its grounded in reality.

Why This Changes Things for SMEs

This removes consultant gatekeeping. It democratises access to structured thinking. You’re no longer dependent on external expertise to engage meaningfully with standards.

The shift is significant:

• Speed: From weeks of synthesis work to minutes
• Cost: From consultant fees to your time
• Relevance: Built for your context, not generic
• Ownership: You understand the framework. You can refine it. You control it.

You can engage with ISO 42001 (or any standard) on your own timeline and budget. You own the process.

The Real Question

This isn’t about replacing expertise. It’s about translating expertise into your context. Any SME can do this now. The methodology is the same – standard plus context equals practical framework meaning the barrier isn’t expertise or budget anymore. It’s willingness to try.

ISO 42001 is no longer something you need external help to implement. You have the tools to make it relevant to your business, quickly.

The question isn’t “Can I afford to implement this?” It’s “What’s stopping us from starting?”

Have you tried this approach? What context did you add to make a standard relevant to your business? Share your experience in the comments.