The ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group (APG) is an informal group of quality management system (QMS) experts, auditors and practitioners, drawn from the the Commonwealth of Nations Accreditation Board (CNAB) and the ISO Technical Committee 176 Quality Management and Quality Assurance (ISO/TC 176).

The APG has prepared a number of papers and presentations on auditing QMSs which are freely available and can be downloaded from the following website link -

ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group

The website is primarily aimed at QMS auditors, consultants and quality practitioners.

The ideas, examples and explanations given reflect the process-based approach that is essential for auditing the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 Quality management systems - Requirements. The papers and presentations that make up the content of the website are not definitive. They reflect a number of different views in QMS auditing. As such, their content may not always be consistent. It is not intended that the website's content will be used as specified requirements, an industry benchmark, or as criteria that all QMS auditors, consultants or practitioners have to follow.

The items listed under "QMS auditing topics" below cover the papers and presentations available at the APG website.

Feedback from users as to whether additional guidance documents should be developed, or if these current ones should be revised is welcomed by the APG. Comments on the papers or presentations can be sent to the following email address: charles.corrie@bsi-global.com.

A further web page has been established to provide guidance to accreditation auditors - see the Accreditation Auditing Practices Group .

QMS Auditing Topics

· Introduction to the ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group

· The need for a 2-stage approach to auditing

· Measuring QMS effectiveness and improvements

· Identification of processes

· Understanding the process approach

· Determination of the “where appropriate” processes

· Auditing the “where appropriate” requirements

· Demonstrating conformity to the standard

· Linking an audit of a particular task, activity or process to the overall system

· Auditing continual improvement

· Auditing a QMS which has minimum documentation

· How to audit top management processes

· The role and value of the audit checklist

· Scope of ISO 9001:2000, Scope of Quality Management System and Defining Scope of Certification

· How to Add Value during the audit process

· Auditing competence and the effectiveness of actions taken

· Auditing Statutory and Regulatory requirements

· Auditing Quality Policy, Quality Objectives, and Management Review

· Auditing ISO 9001, Clause 7.6 Control of monitoring and measuring devices

· Making effective use of ISO 19011

· Auditing Customer Feedback processes

· Documenting a Nonconformity

· Guidance for reviewing and closing nonconformities

· Auditing Internal Communications

· Auditing Preventive Action

· Auditing Service Organizations

· Third Party Auditor Impartiality and Conflict of Interest

· Auditing the Effectiveness of the Internal Audit

· Auditing Electronic Based Management Systems

· Auditing the Management of Resources

· Auditing Customer Communications

· Auditing the Design and Development Process

· Auditor Code of Conduct and Ethics