Certification Revocation and Restoration
This chapter defines the procedures for suspension, revocation, restoration, and appeal of TQS certification. It includes the procedures and criteria that project teams and the TQS Committee must follow when certification status changes.
34.3.1. Certification Suspension Reasons
The TQS Committee may suspend certification when the following reasons occur.
| Reason | Judgment Criteria | Advance Notice |
|---|---|---|
| CI pipeline failure for 30+ consecutive days | CircleCI build log verification | 14 days prior notice |
| Grace period exceeded after TQS standard revision | Based on grace period expiration date | 14 days prior notice |
| Non-response after security incident | No action within 30 days after incident notification | Immediate notice |
| Voluntary request by project team | Written request from project team | Not applicable |
34.3.1.1. Long-term CI Pipeline Failure
When the CI pipeline fails consecutively for 30 or more days, the project is deemed to no longer maintain compliance with TQS standards. The TQS Committee issues a warning to the project team at the point of 5 consecutive CI failures and decides to suspend certification if the issue remains unresolved for 30+ days. A 14-day resolution period is granted before the suspension decision.
34.3.1.2. Grace Period Exceeded After TQS Standard Revision
When TQS standards are revised, existing certified projects are granted a grace period (default 3 months). If the changed standard items are not applied within the grace period, certification is suspended after providing 14 days advance notice before the grace period expiration. If a grace period extension has been approved, the same procedure applies when the extended period expires.
34.3.1.3. Non-response After Security Incident
When a security incident occurs in a project, the TQS Committee immediately notifies the project team and requests response measures. If appropriate response measures (root cause analysis, impact scope assessment, recurrence prevention measures) are not taken within 30 days of notification, certification is suspended.
34.3.1.4. Voluntary Request by Project Team
Project teams may voluntarily request certification suspension. This may be utilized in cases where temporary compliance with TQS standards is difficult due to large-scale refactoring, complete technology stack replacement, organizational restructuring, or similar reasons. Voluntary suspension is applied after the TQS Committee approves a written request.
34.3.2. Suspension Effects
When certification is suspended, the following effects take place.
| Item | Effect Upon Suspension |
|---|---|
| TQS Mark usage | Must be immediately discontinued. |
| Certification registry record | Changed to "Suspended" status. |
| External disclosure | External display of certification status must be discontinued. |
| Certificate | The certificate's validity is suspended. |
| Internal portal display | Displayed as "Certification Suspended" status. |
While in suspended status, the TQS Mark must not be used, and TQS certification designation must be removed from all external materials (release notes, technical introduction materials, internal portal, etc.).
Suspension differs from revocation. In suspended status, certification can be recovered through the restoration procedure. During the suspension period, the certification validity period is paused (validity period freeze).
34.3.3. Certification Revocation Procedure
Certification revocation is a more severe measure than suspension, resulting in the complete termination of certification eligibility.
34.3.3.1. Automatic Revocation
If restoration is not completed within 3 months after suspension, certification is automatically revoked.
| Step | Timing | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension decision | Notification to project team |
| 2 | 1 month after suspension | Restoration progress check |
| 3 | 2 months after suspension | Advance notice of pending revocation |
| 4 | 3 months after suspension | Automatic certification revocation |
At each step before automatic revocation, the TQS Committee communicates with the project team and assesses the possibility of restoration.
34.3.3.2. Immediate Revocation
In cases where the following serious reasons occur, certification may be immediately revoked without going through the suspension procedure.
- Customer data breach due to a major security incident
- Fraudulent use of the TQS Mark (display beyond certification scope, continued use after expiration, etc.)
- Confirmed intentional submission of false information during the audit process
Immediate revocation is only possible by unanimous decision of the TQS Committee.
34.3.3.3. Revocation Notification and Follow-up Actions
When certification is revoked, the following procedure is performed.
- The TQS Committee notifies the project team of the revocation decision in writing.
- All TQS Mark usage must be discontinued within 5 business days from the notification date.
- The revocation date and reason are recorded in the certification registry.
- Revoked certification cannot be restored. To obtain certification again, the initial audit procedure (Chapter 31) must be followed from the beginning.
34.3.4. Restoration Procedure
Restoration may be requested from a certification suspension status. If certification has been revoked, restoration is not possible, and the initial audit must be conducted again.
34.3.4.1. Restoration Eligibility
Restoration may only be requested when the following conditions are met.
- Certification must be in suspended status. (Restoration is not possible from revoked status)
- Non-compliant items corresponding to the suspension reason must have been remediated.
- No more than 3 months must have elapsed since the suspension. (Automatic revocation after 3 months)
34.3.4.2. Restoration Procedure Steps
Restoration proceeds through the following steps sequentially.
| Step | Responsible Party | Activity | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Project team | Remediate non-compliant items | 1-4 weeks |
| 2 | Project team | Submit restoration audit request form | 1 day |
| 3 | TQS Committee | Conduct restoration audit | 3-5 days |
| 4 | TQS Committee | Restoration determination and notification | 1 day |
34.3.4.3. Restoration Audit Scope
The restoration audit is performed only on non-compliant items corresponding to the suspension reason. The full checklist is not re-verified.
| Suspension Reason | Restoration Audit Scope |
|---|---|
| Long-term CI failure | Verify CI pipeline normal operation, review recent build logs |
| Standard revision grace period exceeded | Verify compliance with changed standard items |
| Non-response to security incident | Confirm completion of security response measures, re-verify security items |
| Voluntary request | Verify fulfillment of restoration conditions specified in the request |
34.3.4.4. Restoration Results
Restoration audit results are processed as follows.
- Restoration approved: Certification is restored, and the remaining validity period continues. TQS Mark usage is resumed.
- Conditional restoration: If minor additional remediation is needed, remediation must be completed and re-verified within 2 weeks.
- Restoration denied: If non-compliant items have not been resolved, restoration is denied. The project team may reapply for restoration after remediation. (Subject to the 3-month automatic revocation deadline)
34.3.5. Appeal
Project teams may file an appeal against the TQS Committee's certification determination results.
34.3.5.1. Eligible Determinations for Appeal
The following determinations are eligible for appeal.
- Initial audit fail determination
- Renewal audit fail determination
- Certification suspension decision
- Certification revocation decision
- Certification grade downgrade decision
34.3.5.2. Appeal Deadline and Method
Appeals must be submitted in writing within 10 business days from the date the determination result is communicated. Appeals submitted after the deadline are not accepted.
The appeal application must include the following contents.
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Applicant project | Project name, certification number |
| Determination being appealed | Fail, suspension, revocation, etc. |
| Reason for appeal | Specific reasons for disagreeing with the determination |
| Supporting materials | Evidence supporting the appeal reason |
| Request | Re-audit, determination change, etc. |
34.3.5.3. Appeal Review Procedure
When an appeal is received, the appeal review is conducted according to the following procedure.
| Step | Responsible Party | Activity | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TQS Committee | Confirm appeal receipt | 1 day |
| 2 | TQS Committee | Assign appeal review panel | 2 days |
| 3 | Appeal review panel | Review appeal reasons and re-verify | 3-5 days |
| 4 | Appeal review panel | Appeal review determination | 1 day |
| 5 | TQS Committee | Communicate results | 1 day |
34.3.5.4. Appeal Review Principles
The appeal review is conducted in compliance with the following principles.
- Independence: The appeal review is conducted by panel members who did not participate in the original audit. Original audit panel members must not participate in the appeal review.
- Impartiality: Appeal review panel members must be free of any conflict of interest with the project team.
- Finality: The appeal review result is final, and additional appeals on the same matter are not accepted.
- Record retention: The entire process and results of the appeal review are recorded in the certification registry.
34.3.5.5. Appeal Review Results
Appeal review results are classified into the following 3 categories.
| Result | Description | Follow-up Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Appeal upheld | Original determination was inappropriate | Determination changed (grade upgrade, pass conversion, etc.) |
| Appeal partially upheld | Determination was inappropriate for some items | Re-audit conducted for those items |
| Appeal dismissed | Original determination was appropriate | Original determination maintained |
Appeal review results are finalized from the notification date, and re-appeals on the same matter are not permitted.