Making the most of audits: linking practice and theory

It will not be long until the new version of ISO 9001 is launched next year. Between now and then the CQI will be keeping us up-to-date on what we can expect to see in the new standard. One of the aspects we’ll see is a common approach to audits. In a wider context, that taps in to the open debate the CQI is facilitating: “The quality professional of the future”. The CQI Integrated Management Systems Special Interest Group (IMS SIG) mentions the need for depth of understanding of management systems, and the skills and ability to perform audits “... irrespective of what it relates to” (Quality World, February 2014). It is fairly commonplace to have separate management systems for quality, environment and health & safety (based on ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and BS OHSAS 18001 respectively). Some organisations have formal management systems for IT service management (ISO 20000) and information security controls (ISO 27001).