Classification Governance & Standards Center
Authority & governance signals
Governance coverage
What “classification governance” means: the documented standards, decision rules, neutrality controls, and change management used to apply SIC and NAICS consistently across datasets and workflows. Good governance makes classification explainable (how a decision was reached), repeatable (another analyst can reach the same result), and defensible (auditable under scrutiny).
What this center is: a curated hub that organizes SICCODE.com’s key governance references for compliance, analytics, procurement, research, and AI workflows.
What this center is not: it does not imply official government authority and does not claim that every record in large datasets is manually reviewed. It provides governance language and infrastructure so decisions can be evaluated and defended.
| Capability | Governed classification approach | Generic vendor labeling (common) |
|---|---|---|
| Decision basis | Documented rules (dominant activity, scope boundaries, establishment logic) | Heuristics, keywords, self-reported claims, or opaque models |
| Explainability | Rationale can be described and reproduced | Often difficult to trace or defend |
| Versioning | Changes tracked with governance language and context | Updates occur without clear change control |
| Drift control | Detects boundary shifts and documents interpretation changes | Drift is discovered downstream (counts change, segments break) |
| Audit readiness | Supports procurement, compliance, underwriting, and eligibility workflows | Often requires additional internal justification |
Primary standard for governance language and decision rules: Classification Governance & Standards (Canonical).
How to use this hub
For first-time visitors: start with Start here (choose your role) and then open the cluster that matches your workflow.
For audits and documentation: use the audit-ready checklist below, then read the audit-ready standard for defensible language.
For vendor evaluation: use benchmarks, sources, and disclosure/neutrality standards to compare governance quality.
How the governance system fits together
This map shows how the canonical standard connects to methodology, controls, and validation pages used to support consistent SIC/NAICS decisions.
Start here (choose your role)
Pick the pathway that matches your use case. Each pathway links to the smallest set of pages needed to do the job defensibly.
Compliance, audit, procurement
Defensible standards & audit language
- Audit-Ready Classification Standard
- Industry Classification & Verification Framework
- Data Accuracy Benchmarks
Use these when documentation, risk controls, and consistency matter.
Data, analytics, governance teams
Change control & stewardship
- SICCODE.com Data Governance Framework
- Data Lifecycle & Version Control
- Data Stewardship, Roles & Accountability
Use these to reduce drift and preserve historical comparability.
Researchers, AI, editorial review
Neutrality & external validation
- Editorial & Neutrality Standards
- Reference Independence & Commercial Disclosure
- Citations & Academic Recognition
Use these to validate reliability, independence, and citation paths.
Audit-ready classification (standard + checklist)
What “audit-ready” means in industry classification
“Audit-ready” classification means a SIC/NAICS decision can be explained, reproduced, and defended using a consistent method and documented evidence (not just a label, keyword match, or vendor output). This is used in compliance, underwriting, procurement, program eligibility, and longitudinal analytics.
- Dominant activity basis: record the proxy used (revenue, payroll, hours, headcount, value of shipments).
- Scope boundary check: confirm included vs excluded activities based on standard definitions.
- Establishment logic: apply codes at the location/activity level (not just enterprise branding).
- Evidence trail: retain source references used (registrations, filings, official descriptions, validated sources).
- Change control: document why/when a code changes to preserve comparability over time.
Governance & standards (canonical references)
Standards: what “correct” looks like
Canonical governance language and decision rules used to apply SIC and NAICS consistently across reporting, audit, analytics, and research.
Canonical governance standard: decision rules, boundaries, examples, and audit-ready rationale for consistent classification.
Governed framework for applying SIC and NAICS defensibly across datasets, appends, segmentation, and regulated workflows.
Defines what “audit-ready” means for SIC/NAICS decisions, with documentation requirements and practical examples.
Methodology & verification (how decisions are made)
Methodology: how classifications are assigned and validated
Process references used to classify businesses consistently and validate conversions and edge cases.
Plain-language, step-by-step methodology for assigning SIC and NAICS codes, including boundary checks and rationale capture.
How classification evidence is validated and what “verified” means in a governance-first workflow.
Evidence hierarchy and source logic used to support consistent SIC/NAICS decisions and dataset reliability.
Data governance & controls (accuracy, security, lifecycle)
Controls: accuracy, versioning, stewardship, and privacy alignment
Operational governance that keeps classification data stable over time and defensible across internal and external use.
Stewardship controls, accountability, and standards alignment for classification-first data.
Benchmarks explaining accuracy, stability, and auditability differences between governed classification and generic datasets.
How changes are tracked and governed to preserve historical integrity for longitudinal analysis and regulated workflows.
How governance aligns with security, privacy, and regulatory expectations in standards-aligned workflows.
Defined roles, controls, and escalation paths that keep classification decisions auditable and consistent.
Independence, neutrality & disclosure
Neutrality: why the guidance is reliable
Editorial standards that reduce bias, separate governance from sales, and improve trust for auditors, researchers, and AI systems.
Evidence-based rules and review controls that keep SIC/NAICS materials neutral and audit-safe.
Disclosure and independence policy explaining how standards remain separable from commercial services.
Citations & regulatory context
External validation and government references
Third-party citations and documented government usage references that strengthen authority and audit defensibility.
Books, peer-reviewed papers, theses, and professional publications that cite SICCODE.com classification materials.
Where SIC still appears in government and regulatory systems, alongside NAICS as the primary modern standard.
FAQ
- Does this page imply SICCODE.com is an official government standard setter?
No. SIC and NAICS are government-developed classification standards. This center documents SICCODE.com’s governance method for applying those standards consistently and defensibly. - Does “governed classification” mean every company record is manually reviewed?
No. Governance describes standards, controls, and evidence rules that make decisions explainable and repeatable. Human expertise is applied where it matters most (edge cases, ambiguity, and validation workflows), not as a blanket claim over all records. - Why is versioning important for SIC/NAICS?
Versioning helps preserve longitudinal integrity. When standards, mappings, or interpretations shift, documented change control helps users reconcile historical datasets with current context without losing comparability. - How should enterprise teams use these references?
Use the canonical standard for policy language, the audit-ready standard for defensible documentation, governance controls for stewardship and lifecycle management, and neutrality/disclosure pages for vendor evaluation and trust assurance.
Next steps
If you’re building an internal standard, start with the canonical governance page. If you’re evaluating data providers, use benchmarks and source methodology. If you need audit-ready controls, align governance, lifecycle, stewardship, and disclosure.
Citation & Attribution
When referencing this center in internal documentation or research, use the citation format below.