Document Review

An auditor reviews the company's quality manual to be sure they have all the policies and procedures required by the standards. The documentation review can be done off site or on-site. The stage one process is finalizing the document review preparing for the registration. If everything looks good, the auditor will confirm a date to proceed on to stage two, which is the assessment audit.

Assessment Audit

The audit will start with an opening meeting, introductions, a review of requirements, and the schedule for the day. After the meeting, the auditors will tour the plant and start interviewing personnel. During the audit it is best to assign someone to guide the auditors around. If any findings are found during the audit you will be informed right away. You may correct any non-conformances found during the audit. If the corrective action is approved the auditor can close the findings at that time. When the audit is completed, a closing meeting is held. At the closing meeting the auditor will present any findings/nonconformance issues found and inform the company whether they have been recommended or not. Most of the time, a client is recommended pending response and closure of findings found. The client receives a copy of the report and findings at the end of the meeting. All audit information is passed on to the certification committee, and once the findings are closed with evidence, and approved by the auditor, a certificate is issued.

An audit service can help guide you through paperwork, internal auditor training, an ISO overview, or management review training. They can also recommend system support services that can help with management support or perform internal auditing.

A company that does not understand ISO and is just starting out to develop their system could take eight month to one year to get ready for registration. Ideally, they would contact an audit service before or during this process. A company who understands ISO and has their system already developed, could contact an audit service and have their audit performed within two to four weeks, after an agreement with that service company is in place. Specialty standards like medical, aerospace, and automotive will likely take three to four months for registration.