ISO Audit Guide: Internal Audit, Certification Audit & Surveillance
Understand internal audits, certification audits, surveillance and corrective-action expectations for ISO management systems.
Practical ISO guidance
Standards, scope, documentation, implementation, audits and certification guidance.
Types of ISO audits
Organizations may conduct internal audits to evaluate their management system, while certification bodies conduct external conformity assessments.
Internal audit
A planned and systematic evaluation against applicable requirements and the organization’s own management-system arrangements.
Stage 1
For applicable certification arrangements, Stage 1 commonly reviews readiness, scope, documentation and preparedness for the main assessment.
Stage 2
The certification body evaluates implementation and effectiveness against the applicable standard and scope.
Surveillance
Periodic follow-up assessments check continued conformity during the certification cycle.
What happens after a nonconformity?
The organization normally addresses findings through correction and corrective action according to the certification body’s process.
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