Using Your ISO 9001 Audit Checklist

The Benefits of the ISO 9001 Audit Checklist

Normal inner audits are carried out to make certain compliance is taken care of and the ISO 9001 audit checklist comes in helpful for this purpose. This is just one particular of a lot of resources that are accessible from the auditors' toolbox that assist make sure the audit addresses the needed requirements. It stands as a referencepoint prior to, in the course of and soon after the audit approach and if formulated for a particular audit and utilized appropriately will offer the subsequent positive aspects:

- Ensures the audit is conducted systematically
- Encourages audit planning
- Assures a constant audit technique
- Actively supports the organization's audit method
- Serves as an aide memoire
- Offers a repository for notes collected in the course of the audit approach
- Assures uniformity in the performance of different auditors
- Provides objective evidence

Structuring the Audit Checklist

One of the simplest strategies of structuring the ISO 9001 audit checklist is by taking the applicable demands from an organization's policies, procedures and of course, from the standard alone, and turning each need into a question. Be certain to include the 'organization shall' demands as well.

Create a section for remarks, increase examine boxes for compliant or non-compliant and you can even add a column to notice objective proof and to supply an audit trial. Every element of the audit process need to have custom-made checklists to serve as documentation outputs from the audit process alone.

This type of method is largely utilised by exterior auditors, like registration and certification human body auditors, but the technique can equally be used by any organization actively seeking to boost their audit method.

Adding Worth to the Checklist

Organizations ought to assess the prospective worth that the ISO 9001 audit checklist can carry in supporting their audit procedure to build. It can be worth remembering that a very good checklist is no substitute for an inquiring brain and a good questioning strategy.

If an internal auditor uses the checklist to question narrowly focused queries then little gain will be derived from the audit. If, on the other hand, the auditors conduct thorough preparation of the requirements of the approach they intend to cover for the duration of the audit the checklist then becomes an priceless output for recording and communicating that preparation perform.

Employing the ISO 9001 audit checklist really should not limit the scope of audit actions, considering that that scope may possibly alter as a outcome of information really collected in the course of the audit. The key to unlocking the checklist's appeal is the willingness of the business to use it as a manual rather than getting a slave to it.

Related Articles - ISO 9001, ISO, ISO 9001 checklist,

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