ISO 19011

The ISO 19011 is a guideline for auditing management systems, such as quality management systems (ISO 9001), environmental management systems (ISO 14001) and other management systems. The standard " is applicable to all organizations, internal or external audits of management systems perform or are responsible for the management of an audit program. " Here, external audits, supplier audits. It is up to each organization to decide whether, and if so what parts of the guide are helpful for the company, meaningful, and actionable.

In Germany the standard as DIN standard DIN EN ISO 19011 is published.

Audits, which are conducted by certification bodies with the objective of certification or certificate maintenance of management systems are not regulated by ISO 19011. ( Requirements for these audits are defined in ISO / IEC 17021. )

Essential contents

Audit planning, audit execution and audit follow-up should be assessed regularly with the goal of continuous improvement (CIP ).

As a result, the available resources should be used in applications where processes and aspects of the management system are essential for the success of the company. It is therefore important to set priorities where significant risks to targeted and to move faster. Requirements for the competence of auditors are to be determined, appropriate auditors to be employed and trained. Independence, integrity, professional care, no-nonsense approach are well-known requirements for auditors, including confidentiality is mentioned in the guide as an essential criterion.

Verbatim quote: " Auditors should be prudent in the use and protection of information they have acquired in the course of their duties. Audit information should not be used inappropriately for personal gain ... that is detrimental to the legitimate interests of the organization to be audited. This concept includes the proper handling of sensitive, confidential information. "

The guide is also " remote audit methods " is mentioned for the first time. These are processes in which a physical presence of the auditor on site is not required. This can range from the document review prior to the actual start of the audit, to telephone interviews with experts and field staff. It can be checked, for example, if the sales representative can actually access the same management specification documents, as specified in the management system.

Historical

The guide is published under the title " Auditing of Quality and Environmental Management Systems " for the first time in 2002. In November 2011, a new version was released with an expanded scope, which now includes the auditing of all management systems.