PECB ISO-9001-Lead-Auditor Exam With Confidence Using Practice Dumps

Based on the scenario and the concept of an ‘audit trail’ within the context of ISO 9001, the three statements that apply would likely be:

A. Decisions on improvement action timescales not involving departmental managers. This indicates a lack of involvement and communication with those responsible for implementing the improvements, which is a key part of an effective audit trail1.

B. Evaluation of the results of the improvement action not always documented by the Quality Manager. Proper documentation is essential for an audit trail, as it provides evidence that actions have been evaluated and are effective1.

C. Limited knowledge of the content of Quality Improvement Requests by departmental staff. An audit trail should ensure that all relevant parties are aware of and understand the actions being taken, which is not the case here1.

These points suggest issues with the communication, documentation, and involvement of relevant personnel in the quality management system processes, which are crucial for maintaining an effective audit trail and, by extension, a robust quality management system.

According to the ISO 9001:2015 standard, clause 6.2.1 requires organizations to establish quality objectives at relevant functions, levels, and processes needed for the quality management system. The quality objectives must be consistent with the quality policy and the strategic direction of the organization. The quality objectives must also be measurable, monitored, communicated, and updated as appropriate.

In this scenario, the Quality Manager of XYZ Corporation has set quality objectives for every employee in the organization except top management. This has created a lot of resistance to the QMS, and the Chief Executive is asking questions about the cost and the method of setting objectives. The Quality Manager asks for your opinion as an auditor on whether this is the correct method of setting objectives.

As an auditor, you cannot provide advice to the organization on how it should operate its QMS. Your role is to assess the conformity and effectiveness of the QMS against the requirements of the standard and the organization’s own policies and objectives. Therefore, you should respond with the following options:

B. Advise the Quality Manager to read the ISO 9001 standard and interpret in relation to the organization’s requirements: You can suggest that the Quality Manager should familiarize himself with the requirements of clause 6.2.1 and understand how they apply to his organization. He should also consider the context and the needs and expectations of interested parties when setting quality objectives. He should ensure that the quality objectives are aligned with the quality policy and the strategic direction of the organization.

C. Advise the Quality Manager that you will raise an opportunity for improvement if the quality objectives are not addressed properly: You can inform the Quality Manager that you will evaluate the quality objectives during the audit and check whether they meet the requirements of clause 6.2.1. If you find any gaps or weaknesses in the quality objectives, you will raise an opportunity for improvement to help the organization improve its QMS. You will also verify whether the quality objectives are monitored, communicated, and updated as appropriate.

D. Inform the Quality Manager that you will comment on the subject in your audit report: You can inform the Quality Manager that you will document your findings and observations on the quality objectives in your audit report. You will also provide a summary of the audit results and any recommendations for improvement. You will also indicate the level of conformity and effectiveness of the QMS.

These three options would help you to maintain your impartiality and professionalism as an auditor and to provide constructive feedback to the organization

Clause 8.2.4 of ISO 9001:2015 – Changes to Requirements for Products and Services:ISO 9001:2015 Clause 8.2.4 states that when changes to requirements for products or services are made, they must be communicated and agreed upon with relevant interested parties (in this case, the Health Trust). The lack of communication and agreement for substituting the cleaning chemical represents a clear violation of this clause.

Analysis of the Corrective Action Proposed:The organization proposed "obtaining a concession from the Health Trust for the use of the new chemical." This action is reactive and assumes approval from the Health Trust without addressing the systemic issue: the lack of a defined change control process for managing contract changes.

Option Analysis:

A. The substitute chemical has not been used before in the Health Trust:Incorrect. While this may be a concern, it is not directly relevant to the root cause of the nonconformity, which is the absence of a process to handle contract changes.

B. The action assumes that the Health Trust will agree to the change:Incorrect. Although this is true, it is not the primary issue. The nonconformity lies in the lack of a structured approach to obtain agreement, not whether the Health Trust agrees.

C. Staff have not been trained in the use of the new chemical:Incorrect. This is a separate issue related to staff competence (Clause 7.2), but it is not the main reason why the corrective action is unacceptable under Clause 8.2.4.

D. The process for making changes to the contract has not been addressed:Correct. The fundamental issue is the organization's failure to follow or establish a change control process for amending contracts, including gaining formal agreement from the Health Trust. The proposed corrective action does not ensure that such issues will be systematically prevented in the future.

E. The substitute chemical may not be as effective as the original:Incorrect. The effectiveness of the substitute chemical is secondary to the primary issue, which is the lack of a change management process.

ISO 9001 References Supporting the Correct Answer:

Clause 8.2.4: Requires that changes to product/service requirements be reviewed, communicated, and agreed upon with the customer.

Clause 10.2 (Nonconformity and Corrective Action): Requires the organization to address the root cause of the nonconformity and take actions to ensure it does not recur. In this case, the root cause is the absence of a change control process.

Why D is the Best Answer:The core issue is that the organization did not have a formalized process for managing and agreeing upon changes to contract requirements. Addressing this process gap is essential to prevent recurrence of similar nonconformities. Merely seeking a concession from the Health Trust is a one-off solution that does not address the systemic issue.