26 Things You Must Check Before the ISO Auditor Comes

ISO9001 and other Quality Systems require that theHuman Resources:
organization conduct periodical compliance audits during- Has your training plan been updated?
the course of the year. As the date of the Third Party- Is there evidence that you measure the
audit (Registration or Surveillance) approaches, theeffectiveness of the training?
urgency to conduct internal audits to demonstrateInfrastructure:
compliance with this requirement and to detect and- Are maintenance records up to date?
correct any nonconformance increases substantially. A- Is the workplace clean and orderly?
lot of anxiety is experienced before such audits. This isDesign and Product Development (where applicable):
particularly true for small companies without prior ISO- Are all design controls being used?
audit experience. Often, your audit team does not- Is there evidence that formal design reviews have
know how to identify the most important things thattaken place?
need double-checking before the Registrar visit. BelowPurchasing:
is an abbreviated checklist that zeroes in on the most- Has the approved vendor list been kept up to date?
important issues that your internal audit team should- Are vendor evaluations conducted periodically?
review :- Are all Supplier Corrective Actions closed?
General Requirements:Product realization:
- Is the Quality Policy posted at various locations?- Is there a plan for controlling product Quality? Are
- Do employees understand the policy and are theyprocesses controlled at predetermined points?
able to explain it in their own words?- Is there evidence that product and parts are
- Are your Management Review minutes documentedprotected from damage throughout?
and easily accessible?- Are products and assemblies identified throughout?
- Do employees understand the Company's QualityMonitoring Measuring Devices:
Objectives and how their jobs contribute to them?- Are all measuring devices calibrated and properly
- Can employees explain how they know their jobslabeled?
are being done correctly?Corrective Actions:
Document Controls:- Are all Corrective Actions closed?
- Are prior revisions of all documents (procedures,- Have you confirmed that the Corrective Actions
work instructions, and forms) removed from all workwere effective?
stations?- Are nonconforming products and parts segregated
- Are all document revisions properly logged?and identified?
- Are obsolete procedures marked as such andOnce your audit team assures compliance with the
stored in an archived file?above audit points, it can spend any remaining time
Records Control:addressing other details that may come up during the
- Are records stored in an orderly manner?Registrar audit. This list will also assist process owners
- Are record files complete and easily accessible toin sustaining the Quality Management System.
the auditor?