Introduction

How to prepare employees for ISO audit is the most common question we come across. The ISO audit is a critical part of your business’s international standards strategy. It’s an opportunity for your organization to demonstrate that it meets the requirements set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and other regulatory authorities.

An audit is a process of checking the quality of operations. It focuses on the management system, which is designed to ensure that all activities are performed in accordance with defined standards. This can be applied not only to companies but also to any organization that performs certain tasks or carries out some sort of activity.

When it comes to auditing, there are two main types: internal and external audits. Internal auditors check whether employees comply with existing regulations and policies within a company by testing them on their knowledge thereof; they also check whether employees have been properly trained for their jobs and if they have sufficient working conditions (i.e., do they work remotely). External auditors set up their own procedures when carrying out an external audit; they look at records left behind by previous employees and make sure those records were completed correctly before being sent away from the office (for example, if an employee checks off “completed” on this form then signs off saying it’s okay).

But preparing employees for this kind of event can be a challenge, especially if many of them have never experienced an audit before. Here are three tips for making sure everyone knows what to expect during an audit:

The right time for an ISO audit 

The question, of how to prepare employees for ISO audit is directly related to the question, of how ready the organization is.

The first step in preparing for an ISO audit is to make sure your company is ready. This includes ensuring that you have the documentation necessary, your employees know what to expect, and they’re properly trained so they can answer questions correctly and in a timely manner.

You should also take into consideration any recent changes or developments at your company that may impact the audit process. For example: if one of your products has recently been recalled due to safety concerns or if you’ve recently implemented new processes or procedures related to product quality management, these details could affect how an auditor assesses risk factors associated with internal controls over financial reporting (ICFR).

In turn, this might require auditors to ask more pointed questions about those topics during the actual audit itself—so it makes sense for employees who work on these issues on a regular basis to be familiar with them ahead of time!

Once everything is ready and everyone knows what’s expected of them during the audit process itself (i.e., when someone from their department will be called on by an auditor), training can begin! 

Employees should know what to expect during an ISO audit

Employees should know what to expect during an ISO audit. The audit team will arrive at a predetermined time, so all employees—including those who were not present at the initial meeting with the auditors—should be prepared to answer questions about their roles and responsibilities, including any new or expanded responsibilities that have taken place since the previous audit.

Employees should also be prepared to provide documents that support their answers during the audit as well as document changes in procedures or policies. They should also be able to discuss how these changes affect areas like quality management, environmental management, and occupational health & safety.

Employees should be able to provide a trail of any changes. This is easier if the company has Quality Management Software that comes with an Audit trail. But if not, employees should have documents that show the trail.

Employees should also be aware of all the policies related to their work, e.g. the Quality policy. Employees should know the basic elements and should also have clarity on how it is in sync with the operation they are involved with.

Here are some questions which can be asked during an audit;

1. What is the document control procedure in your area (Related to Document Control)
2. Show me the action item X and show me if the effectiveness was documented (Related to CAPA)
3. What are the findings of the last internal audit? Are any of them past the due date?

Closing meeting with the audit team

A closing meeting is a review of the audit to ensure that all issues have been addressed and that there’s no need for another meeting with the audit team. It should be held within 24 hours of the end of an audit, or as soon as possible afterwards.

The team leader should attend, along with other key stakeholders such as representatives from QA, HR and finance. The closing meeting should cover:

• A summary of what was discussed during each session (reviewing notes if necessary). Any items that were missed can be added to an action plan for future audits.
• A summary of any changes made after the audit started. These may include new policies or procedures implemented by your company since then – make sure these are included in any documentation provided by your company to customers in case they ask about them later on down the line!
• An agreement on how long it will take before conducting another ISO certification process

The team leader should be prepared for the closing meeting with all the line items mentioned above.

Conclusion

We hope this article has provided you with some insight into what to expect during an ISO audit. Remember that the most important thing is to have a prepared team that knows all of the right questions to ask and can answer them confidently. If you follow these tips and keep up with your own training programs, then passing an ISO audit should be no problem at all!