ISO 9001:2015: The questions you may be asked in an audit.

So your organisation has invested time, resources and money to implement ISO 9001:2015 and you now feel that you are ready to achieve certification. However, there is one more step to prepare for, and that’s your audit.

Yes the audit will test your organisation and you can only hope that all your hard work preparing for this day will result in success. What are some of the questions you might be asked and can you prepare for them? Yes and CG Business Consulting Ltd is here to outline some of the questions that you will be asked to ensure that you understand what’s expected of you.

Your audit day is here and the questions begin!

Can you tell us about the context of your organisation?

This is generally a question directed at senior management.  Your auditor will be looking for you to include the internal and external issues that are relevant to your organisation’s purpose, strategy, and the goals of your Quality Management System in your answer.

Who are the interested parties in your organisation?
This can appear to be a broad question, but you will be required to know this information and provide it to your auditor. Interested parties pertains to internal and external people that are relevant to your Quality Management System. Examples are employees, customers, suppliers and regulators.

What are their requirements?

This can be described as part two of the previous question, as even-though you know who your interested parties are, you will also need to know what their corresponding requirements are. Careful planning is required here to understand the individual requirements of each party and evidence will need to be provided in your audit.

Have risks and opportunities been identified and how are you addressing them?

This is one of the major clauses in ISO 9001:2015 and it would be safe to say it is one of the most important. Your auditor will ask you to provide evidence that you have carried out an assessment of all the risks and opportunities that may affect your Quality Management System and the plans you have in place to manage them.

What plans have been put in place to achieve your Quality Management System objectives?

Your auditor will need to determine what plans you have put in place to make it all happen. So if you can show that you are taking the SMART (Specific, Measureable, Actionable, Realistic and Time-Based) approach and show how you are implementing the plans throughout the organisation, this is a great place to start. You should also provide evidence that your employees are aware of how they can contribute to the objectives and that they are familiar with the action plans.

How will your Quality Management System be integrated in to your business processes?

With this question, your auditor is simply looking to define how you will use your ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System to operate your business. Again, this question will be directed at Senior Management as it places an emphasis on how the business will be run and what plans are in place for continual improvement as part of the business strategy.

How will your organisation manage change?

This is a very important question as change will always come into an organisation and you need to be prepared to address it.  You will need to have identified changes that need to be made and provide evidence on how you will manage these changes. Some of the changes may include, changes to employees roles, products, suppliers and changes in customer requirements.

Your auditor will seek evidence on how you are planning to manage these changes and that they will meet the requirements for ISO 9001:2015.

So will you be able to answer the above questions and more in your audit. Let Cg Business Consulting Ltd help you. We have provided you with our FREE ISO 9001:2015 Transition Guide.  If you require any further assistance please feel free to contact us and we will get you ready.