ISO-9001-Lead-Auditor Exam Results

Comprehensive and Detailed In-Depth Explanation:

Auditors must report findings truthfully and accurately to ensure an unbiased assessment of the QMS.

Clause References:

ISO 19011:2018, Clause 4 – Principles of Auditing:

Fair Presentation → Requires auditors to report truthfully and accurately, without bias or omission.

Integrity → Ensures auditors adhere to ethical conduct.

Why is the Correct Answer A?

The audit team reported findings truthfully, based on collected evidence.

Fair presentation ensures that both positive and negative findings are included in the audit report.

Objective evidence was gathered through interviews, document reviews, and observations.

Why are the Other Options Incorrect?

B (Integrity) → Related to ethics and professional conduct, but not specifically about presenting findings.

C (Confidentiality) → Important, but does not apply to the principle of reporting findings accurately.

D (Objectivity) → Ensures impartiality, but " fair presentation " directly addresses accurate reporting of findings.

In this scenario, the organisation A has two plants, A1 and A2, but the production in A2 was discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the plant was rented to another organisation B. There are no A employees working in A2, and the organisation A expects to reassume production in A2 as soon as possible. Therefore, the appropriate action to plan the internal audit of A’s quality management system is:

•Interview the A2 plant manager, now working in Plant A1: This action involves interviewing the person who is responsible for the management and operation of the plant A2, and who is currently working in the plant A1. The interview should aim to gather information about the status and condition of the plant A2, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality management system, the arrangements and agreements with the organisation B, and the plans and actions to resume production in the plant A25 . This action is relevant and necessary for the internal audit, as it can help to assess the readiness and effectiveness of the quality management system, and to identify any gaps or nonconformities that need to be addressed.

The other options are not appropriate actions to plan the internal audit of A’s quality management system, according to the web search results from my internal tool. They are:

•Visit Plant A2 to interview personnel of company B: This action involves visiting the plant A2 and interviewing the personnel of the organisation B, who are not related to the organisation A and who are not part of the quality management system. This action is irrelevant and unnecessary for the internal audit, as it can not provide any evidence or information about the conformity and improvement of the quality management system of the organisation A5 .

•Visit Plant A2 to interview B’s quality manager: This action involves visiting the plant A2 and interviewing the quality manager of the organisation B, who is not related to the organisation A and who is not part of the quality management system. This action is irrelevant and unnecessary for the internal audit, as it can not provide any evidence or information about the conformity and improvement of the quality management system of the organisation A5 .

•Visit Plant A2 to interview A’s security personnel and B’s maintenance department: This action involves visiting the plant A2 and interviewing the security personnel of the organisation A and the maintenance department of the organisation B, who are not directly involved in the quality management system. This action is irrelevant and unnecessary for the internal audit, as it can not provide any evidence or information about the conformity and improvement of the quality management system of the organisation A5 .

Therefore, the correct answer is D.

ISO 9001 audits (including second-party audits) must be conducted in line with audit principles of fairness, objectivity, and impartiality , with guidance provided by ISO 19011:2018 for audit activities, including closing meetings.

Relevant ISO guidance

ISO 19011 – Closing meeting guidance states that the purpose of the closing meeting is to:

present audit findings and conclusions,

ensure the auditee understands the non-conformities,

explain the next steps, including reporting and follow-up.

Auditors must not :

prescribe solutions,

analyse or design corrective actions,

make commercial or approval decisions on behalf of the audited organisation.

Explanation of the correct option:

C. Present the non-conformities and inform them that the report will be sent within ten working days, close the meeting and leave the site.

This option correctly reflects the auditor’s role:

The non-conformities are presented clearly and transparently in the closing meeting.

The auditee is informed of the reporting process and timeline.

The auditor does not analyse solutions, recommend actions, or influence supplier approval decisions.

The meeting is closed professionally and objectively, in line with ISO 19011.

Explanation of why the other options are incorrect:

A : Closing meetings must be conducted with the agreed auditee representatives; hiding findings undermines transparency and audit integrity.

B : Analysing how to overcome the situation constitutes consulting , which compromises auditor impartiality.

D : Recommending removal from an approved supplier list exceeds the auditor’s authority and violates audit independence.

ISO-aligned conclusion:

The auditor’s responsibility at the closing meeting is limited to presenting findings and explaining next steps , not advising, consulting, or making business decisions. Therefore, the correct and ISO-compliant option is C .

To certify an organization ' s ISO 9001:2015-based Quality Management System (QMS) for the first time, the correct sequence of activities would be:

Establish the management system (already in place).

Supplier audit

Internal audit

Management review

Initial certification audit – stage 1

Initial certification audit – stage 2 (already in place).

This sequence follows the typical path for preparing and ensuring that a QMS is functioning as required, leading up to certification.