Annex C: a free-form measurement construct (training effectiveness)
Annex C shows that a construct does not need the table.
What the published 2016 guidance says
Annex C shows that a construct does not need the table. The example asks whether formal training conveys the policy better than publishing it online. The population is all staff (S1). S2 acknowledged reading the online policy; S3 attended awareness training. A common test gives pass and fail counts for the read-only group (S4P, S4F) and the trained group (S5P, S5F). E1 is S1 minus S2, the people with no exposure yet, with a threshold that can raise an alert and a deadline for new starters. E2 and E3 are the pass proportions. E4 is E3 divided by E2, the effectiveness ratio of training against self-instruction. Thresholds can rise as the culture matures, and failed questions can improve the policy wording.
What it means in practice
Some questions do not fit the table. The free-form construct compares two ways of communicating the policy and derives an effectiveness ratio from the two pass rates. The lesson is that a construct can be simple, explicit and testable without a template; the arithmetic still has to be written down.
Status of this record. For C, this page states the published 2016 guidance, not the DIS text. The DIS is at stage 40.60 and is not public. Check the published edition before you rely on the row.
What good looks like
Use the free-form construct when the table is too rigid. Write the question, the population, the comparison and the ratio. Define the thresholds and the review point. Keep the arithmetic visible so a reader can repeat it.
Evidence an assessor asks for
- Awareness and trainingPolicy acknowledgement records and training attendance lists
- Performance evaluationTest results split by exposure route
- Awareness and trainingThe derived ratios with their thresholds and alert rules
The question an assessor will ask
An assessor will ask for policy acknowledgement records and training attendance lists. The test for C is whether that record can be produced for a live sample, not whether the guidance is described in a procedure.
Common gaps
- Training effectiveness inferred from attendance alone
- No control group, so the training's effect cannot be separated from self-instruction
- Thresholds never revisited as the culture matures
Before the next review
Before the next review, test this against one live record: training effectiveness inferred from attendance alone.
What to check when the revision publishes
When DIS 27004 is published, compare the C Annex C: a free-form measurement construct (training effectiveness) record with this page. Ask whether the information need, the formula, the target, the frequency or the owner changes. Update the measure register and the kit, not the requirement, because the clause 9.1 duty stays as it is.