An ISO audit independently assesses and evaluates your management system, its effectiveness and whether it meets ISO certification criteria. Each management system is different, such as environmental or information security management systems. An audit needs to be systematic, ensuring systems, processes and operations continue to achieve the ISO standard criteria. An ISO audit tends to be conducted once an ISO Gap Analysis has taken place.
ISO management systems require regular auditing and analysis to remain certifiable and ISO compliant. There are plenty of benefits to conducting an ISO audit, these include:
There are several types of ISO audit, each serving a different purpose:
Internal audit: Otherwise known as a First-party audit. This is conducted by an organisation itself to evaluate its own processes, identify areas for improvement, and ensure compliance with ISO standards. This audit is essential for maintaining an effective quality management system and preparing for external audits.
Supplier audit: Otherwise known as a Second-party audit. This is used to assess the quality and compliance of its suppliers or subcontractors. A transparent and robust supply chain is established after this audit, ensuring that suppliers meet the necessary standards.
External audit: Otherwise known as a Third-party audit. This audit is performed by an independent certification body or registrar. The objective of this audit is to ensure an organisation’s quality management system complies with the ISO standard and whether it is effectively implemented. The successful completion of this audit results in ISO certification, which can boost an organisation’s credibility and trustworthiness in the eyes of customers and stakeholders.
During an ISO audit, auditors examine various aspects of the organisation’s operations including:
ISO audits can be conducted by dedicated in-house compliance teams. It can, however, be more cost-effective to use an external ISO auditor and assessor, who can bring expert knowledge that supports your organisation’s certification programme.
Ascentor’s expert ISO consultants can support teams setting up and running an internal audit function. Ascentor can also perform UKAS certified certification audits with our ISO experts, who will assess and award certification in the relevant ISO standard. From quality management systems required for ISO 9001 certification, to an occupational health and safety management system for ISO 45001, Ascentor has you covered.
An ISO audit is a critical process that helps organisations assess their quality management systems’ effectiveness, ensure compliance with ISO standards, and strive for excellence in their products or services. It fosters a culture of quality, efficiency, and customer satisfaction that will lead to improved performance within the organisation and market competitiveness.
An ISO audit independently assesses and evaluates your management system, its effectiveness and whether it meets ISO certification criteria. Each management system is different, such as environmental or information security management systems. An audit needs to be systematic, ensuring systems, processes and operations continue to achieve the ISO standard criteria.
ISO audits can be carried out by dedicated in-house compliance teams. It can, however, be more cost-effective to use an external ISO auditor and assessor, who can bring expert knowledge that supports your organisation’s certification programme.
A surveillance audit can be carried out by internal or external teams. It is designed to ensure that organisations with ISO certification continue to maintain and improve their management systems. These audits are usually conducted annually.
There are three types of ISO audit – internal (known as a ‘first party audit’), a supplier audit (known as a ‘second party audit’) and a certification audit (known as a ‘third party audit’).
Our expert ISO consultants can support teams setting up and running an internal audit function. We also perform UKAS certified certification audits with our ISO experts that assess and award certification in the relevant ISO standard.
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