Audit process | Audits types | Audit report format

The audit process follows the PDCA approach( Plan – Do – Check – Act ).

The work of the audit process can be divided into the following stages:

Audit planning & Preparation
Audit execution
Audit reporting
Follow-up

Table of Contents

Audit process – Audit planning & Preparation

The audit planning and preparation steps include:

Appointing and audit co-ordinator
Defining the scope of the audit
Deciding frequency
Preparing audit programme
Making audit schedule/plan
Document review
Preparation of audit checklists

Audit Means | Audit Definition

Auditing is a systematic, independent, and documented method/process for gathering audit information and objectively analyzing it to determine the extent to which the audit criteria are met.

Types of Audit

Audits are classified into major two categories:

First Classification

Adequacy Audit
compliance Audit

Second Classification

Internal Audit
External Audit

Internal Audit

First Party Audit (Us on Us) – e.g. Product and Process audit, System audit by internal qualified auditors.

External Audit

Second Part Audit (Us on them or them on us) – e.g. Customer audit at supplier end, an audit by the consultant.
Third-Party Audit – Registration audit by third party e.g. Re-certification and Surveillance audit by certification bodies like BSI, DNV, UL, BVQI, TUV, etc.

Audit objectives

General objectives of an audit include:

To determine conformity/Non-conformity of management system elements.
To determine the effectiveness of the implemented management system in meeting the system objectives.
To improve the management system.
To permit registration/certification of a company’s management system.

Specific objectives of an audit include:

To evaluate a supplier before establishing a contractual relationship.
To verify a supplier for continued conformance to a management system under contractual relationship.
To evaluate an organization’s own management system.