[Audit Procurement Feiyang] 8 Common Mistakes Auditors Make During Enterprise ISO Audits!

Release Date:

2021-05-24 16:26

Source:

He is neither a management expert nor a technical specialist, but he can effectively use limited knowledge to analyze the infinite conditions of management systems.

They are auditors, possessing the perseverance to relentlessly pursue the essence of things and the determination to never stop continuous improvement. If daily work is like a competition, then auditors are the referees in that competition. With thousands of faces, judgments may not always be the same, so how to make the right calls in the competition is crucial for auditors. Today, we have specially compiled a collection of common auditor questions, hoping to provide some help on your path to becoming a qualified auditor.

Eight Common Mistakes Made by Auditors

1 Not understanding products and processes

If you know nothing about the activities, processes, products, and services to be audited, no matter how detailed the checklist is, it cannot improve the effectiveness of the audit because you only dare to read the checklist without any extended questioning.

2 Insufficient audit preparation

The first step of an audit should be to collect information including standard requirements, system document requirements, concentrated issues from the last audit, key and difficult points in management, etc. However, some auditors are lazy and skip this preparation step.

3 No communication during the audit

After the opening meeting, each auditor starts the audit directly. In fact, the audit team leader should hold a meeting among team members before starting the audit to communicate the audit intent, clarify audit focus and special attention points, and remind everyone to have a team collaboration awareness to jointly help the factory deeply uncover valuable audit findings.

4 Lack of audit depth

During the audit, there is insufficient experience to identify and judge the difficult and key points in management, and no ability to explore the root causes in depth and breadth for the discovered tip of the iceberg.

5 Biased audit sampling

Some auditors have 'ulterior motives' when sampling, continuously checking or holding a stack of documents until they find a problem and immediately record it as an audit finding. Samples should be closely related to the audit purpose, representative, and in quantities between 3 and 12.

6 Lack of audit skills

During the audit, effective work involves good listening, observing, checking, questioning, and recording. Some auditors ask questions like 'How do you do operational planning?' which leaves the auditee confused.

7 Nitpicking in audits

One should understand continuous improvement, remind minor issues gently, and focus on major system deficiencies. Always adhere to the audit concept of 'effectiveness'.

8 Starting strong but ending weak in audits

The entire audit process should follow PDCA, but some auditors spend a lot of time and effort preparing and conducting the audit but are not strict in following up on corrective actions and closure, greatly reducing the value of the audit work. (Especially for internal audits)

Only by finding problems can problems be solved. Qualified auditors are the driving force for continuous improvement in enterprises. In our daily work's 'thousand-mile dike,' timely identification of that dreadful 'ant nest' is crucial.

END

About Beijing United Intelligence Certification Co., Ltd.

Beijing United Intelligence Certification Co., Ltd. is an important member of the United Intelligence Productivity Group, an international, comprehensive high-tech service organization. It provides technical services in standardization, green low-carbon, ecological environment, emergency safety, quality management, informatization, and other fields to nearly all industry customers worldwide, offering deep intellectual support for the sustainable development of enterprises and government organizations.

The company’s main certification fields have obtained dual recognition from the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS) and the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). It is a credit AAA-level enterprise and has received the Beijing Integrity Model honor.

United Intelligence has more than a thousand full-time and part-time technical staff, has established branches in more than twenty cities domestically, and has offices in several countries and regions abroad. It serves over 50,000 client organizations, has issued more than 100,000 certification certificates cumulatively, ranks among the top in the domestic industry for many years, and has earned praise from a wide range of clients and stakeholders.

Contact Us

Switchboard: 010-84850008

Direct Business Line: 010-84852218

Address: 17th Floor, Block C, Triumph City, No. 170 Beiyuan Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

[Customer Focus] Several questions about the ISO three-system certification that enterprises care about are all solved here!

[Customer Focus] How enterprises control quality boils down to these three key checkpoints!

The national zero-carbon factory policy is now in effect! United Zhiye provides precise support to help clients seize the initiative in their transformation.

Based on the strategic plan proposed by the headquarters, United Zhiye takes the upgrade of its product system as a key driver to build a three-tiered business structure—comprising “zero-carbon factory solutions + carbon-related products + integrated comprehensive services”—and thereby develop end-to-end service capabilities. The original enterprise’s integrated approach to low-carbon development has been upgraded to an integrated approach to zero-carbon development, which we regard as a milestone event. While the zero-carbon factory business focuses on deepening engagement in the manufacturing sector, the integrated approach to zero-carbon enterprise development transcends industry boundaries, extending its reach to the service sector and thus covering a broader scope of services.

For the first time, technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises have been included in the scope of tiered cultivation for high-quality SMEs.

Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the latest revised "Administrative Measures for the Tiered Cultivation of High-Quality Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises" (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures"), which have expanded the scope of cultivation by including technology-based SMEs in the tiered cultivation system for the first time. In the future, the tiered system for high-quality SMEs will encompass technology- and innovation-driven SMEs, specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs, and "Little Giant" enterprises that are specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative. The "Measures" will take effect from April 1, 2026.

Five departments jointly issued the "Guiding Opinions on Carrying Out the Construction of Zero-Carbon Factories."

Recently, five departments—the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, and the National Energy Administration—jointly issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Construction of Zero-Carbon Factories" (MIIT Joint [2026] No. 13, hereinafter referred to as the "Guiding Opinions"). These opinions aim to tap deeply into the potential for energy conservation and carbon reduction in the industrial and information technology sectors, drive carbon reduction and efficiency improvements in key industries, promote a green and low-carbon transformation, and foster the development of new-quality productive forces.

Notice on Certification Risk Management and Standard Implementation Services | Top Management of Certified Organizations Must Complete Training on the New Version of Quality Management System Certification Rules

This standardization effort will provide an in-depth interpretation of the new version of the rules and systematically analyze the significant changes and implementation requirements of the new rules in areas such as audit procedures, responsibilities of top management, evidence management, and risk control.

Understand at a Glance | Guangdong Province’s Zero-Carbon Park Development Plan

Recently, the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, and the Guangdong Provincial Energy Administration jointly issued the "Guangdong Province Zero-Carbon Park Construction Plan."

Related Downloads