Inputs
Clause 4 needs the business requirements and the case for the system, the design documentation, and the governance material that frames the work.
What clause 4.2 asks
Three kinds of material start the work. The first is the business requirement: what the system is for, the setting in which the bias work happens, and evidence that the system is needed or a business case. The second is the design record. The third is the governance material: diversity and inclusion priorities where they exist, the organization's values, who is accountable, the internal and external governance maps, the documentation rules and the responsible innovation procedures. These are inputs. If an item does not exist, the clause does not ask the team to invent it.
Why it matters
The inputs decide whether the bias work is anchored in a real decision or floats above it. A business case that says only that the system will save money gives the bias work nothing to test against. A design document that shows the user interface and the data flow lets the team see where a difference can enter. The governance material supplies the accountability and the values, and the documentation standards decide how the profile will be kept. The note that missing items are not created here is important: the clause asks the team to collect what exists and to record what does not.
What good looks like
Collect the three inputs into one indexed folder before the workshop. For each input, record whether it exists, who owns it and its date. Where the governance material is missing, record the gap and its effect on the bias work rather than inventing a policy. Read the business case for a statement of necessity, not only a benefit case. Read the design documentation for the user interface and the user experience, because those are where expectation bias enters.
Evidence an assessor asks for
The assessor will ask for the business case and the accountability map first. Those two show whether the bias work has a subject and an owner. A design document with no user interface material is a warning for the clause 9 evaluation.
- Business requirements The function and context of use, with the necessity record or business case
- Design documentation The design record, including the user interface and user experience
- Governance pack Diversity and inclusion priorities, values, accountability map, governance maps, documentation standards and responsible innovation procedures
- Input register A line per input showing whether it exists, its owner, its date and any gap
Where it commonly fails
- The business case is a slide with a benefit figure and no statement of necessity
- The design documentation stops at the model and never shows the user interface
- The accountability map is the org chart, with no named position for the system
What to do before publication
Build the input register before the workshop. A missing input that is recorded is a managed gap; one that is discovered at the audit is a finding.