Press Release: Publication of International Standard ISO 24896 – Notation for Business Reporting
IBCS Association welcomes the Publication of International Standard ISO 24896 – Notation for Business Reporting
The standard was released on June 11, 2026, after earning unanimous approval from 100% of voting P-Members.
Kreuzlingen, Switzerland – June 11, 2026 – The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) released on June 11, 2026 ISO 24896:2026 – Notation for Business Reporting, the first international standard to set consistent design requirements for the visual notation of business reports: charts, tables, and text elements (https://bit.ly/ISO24896). The initiative was led by the IBCS Association, the not-for-profit A-liaison to ISO/TC 37 that maintains the IBCS (International Business Communication Standards) framework founded by its president, Rolf Hichert, through Diego Berea and Jürgen Faisst.
ISO 24896 was developed to improve the clarity, consistency, and efficiency of business communication worldwide by establishing a common notation for written reports, presentations, and dashboards. The standard builds on the principles of ISO 24495-1 (Plain language) and distinguishes between universal requirements and organizational requirements, allowing each organization to tailor implementation to its own context while preserving consistency. Its adoption is expected to help companies cut the time spent decoding inconsistent visuals and to improve the quality of management decisions.
The document was developed within ISO/TC 37 WG 11, led by Angelika Vaasa, who coordinated the international editorial work. The project followed the full ISO life cycle for an international standard (NP, CD, DIS, and publication) starting from ISO/TC 37 Resolution 2023-1, adopted at the plenary assembly hosted by the European Parliament in Brussels in June 2023.
International Editorial Team
The editorial team responsible for drafting ISO 24896 brought together international experts nominated by national standards bodies anhd by the IBCS Association:
- Diego Berea – project leader (Portugal · IPQ)
- Jürgen Faisst (IBCS Association)
- Annetta Cheek (United States · ANSI)
- Roslyn Abella (Australia · SA)
- Sabine Mahr (Germany · DIN)
- Matthias Giger (Switzerland · SNV)
Unanimous Approval in the DIS Ballot
The Draft International Standard (DIS) ballot, open from October 13, 2025 to January 5, 2026, closed with unanimous support from the participating national standards bodies: All P-Members voted in favor (100%), significantly exceeding the required two-thirds majority threshold. The ballot result was officially recorded as “Approved,” clearing the way for the final editorial processing and publication by ISO.
Statements from the Project Team
“The publication of ISO 24896 is a historic milestone for business communication,” said Diego Berea, project leader of the standard. “It turns a set of best practices that have been applied for years across thousands of organizations through the IBCS framework into an auditable international standard, recognized in 167 countries. It is the result of an exemplary ISO process, with active engagement from bodies on five continents and unanimous approval by the voting P-Members.”
For his part, Jürgen Faisst, IBCS Association liaison to ISO/TC 37, underscored the broader impact of the work: “ISO 24896 elevates the notation part of the IBCS principles to the level of an international standard. Adhering to the new standard will benefit both producers and consumers of business reports by saving time and enabling better decisions.”
Official “ISO 24896 Foundation” Training Now Available from IBCS
Coinciding with the release of the standard, the IBCS Institute launched the official “ISO 24896 Foundation” course as part of their certification program (www.ibcs.com/iso24896-foundation). The program is aimed at managers, business analysts, report authors, data visualization specialists, internal auditors, compliance officers, information architects, and any professional involved in preparing or consuming corporate reports or dashboards.
The curriculum covers the scope, structure, and terminology of the standard; the principles of visual communication; the relationship between ISO 24896 and IBCS; notation requirements for text, charts, and tables; its application in composing compelling reports; and its adoption in tools such as Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, Excel, and SAP Analytics. The course concludes with the official certification exam: 21 multiple-choice questions, 60 minutes, with a 70% passing score.
Diego Berea Appointed to Lead IBCS Stewardship of the ISO 24896 Series
The IBCS Association board approved the appointment of Diego Berea as the person responsible for monitoring and evolving the ISO 24896 standard series and for its alignment with IBCS 3.0, the next major release of the IBCS framework. His mandate includes coordinating IBCS Association’s participation in future ISO/TC 37 work, channeling input from the IBCS community into the systematic reviews built into the standard’s life cycle, and ensuring technical coherence between IBCS 3.0 and subsequent versions of the ISO standard. The role builds on the project leadership Berea has exercised throughout the development of this first edition.
About IBCS Association
IBCS Association is the international not-for-profit organization responsible for the International Business Communication Standards (IBCS), a set of principles for the standardized notation and compelling composition of clear reports, presentations, and dashboards. The association brings together a community of more than 16,000 members, and its rules have been adopted by organizations across every sector and by more than 15 analytics software vendors, including Microsoft and SAP. Since 2023, IBCS Association has held an official A-liaison with ISO/TC 37, and its contribution provides the technical foundation on which ISO 24896 has been built. Headquartered in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland, the association is constituted under articles 60 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code. More information: https://www.ibcs.com.
Press Contact
IBCS Association – Communications Office · press@ibcs.com · www.ibcs.com