Overview

Since the introduction of ISO 9001:2000 there are certain sections of the industry that see compliance auditing as being no longer 'fashionable' and performance auditing is the only way forward. Compliance auditing is, however, a mandatory requirement under clause 8.2.2 which clearly states that ' The organisation shall conduct internal audits at planned intervals to determine whether the quality management system conforms to the planned arrangements to the requirements of this international standard and the quality management system requirements established by the organisation.'

This is amplified in clause 6.4.3 of ISO 19011:2002 ( 'Guidelines for quality and/or environmental management systems auditing' ) which states:

The audit team members should review information relevant to their audit assignment and prepare work documents as necessary for reference and for recording audit proceedings. Such documents may include:

• Checklists and audit sampling plans, and

• Forms for recording information, such as supporting evidence, audit findings and records of meetings.

The use of checklists and forms should not restrict the extent of audit activities, which can change as a result of information collected during the audit.

Thus, creating an auditing system will require putting together audit checklists.

Whilst not always required by management system standards, audit checklists (composed of items relating to both compliance with the requirements of the standard and items that check the performance of the organisation's processes) are just one tool available from the 'auditor's toolbox'. Most auditors will find it beneficial to audit from the organisation's quality management system...