Occasionally, when I’m waiting for a flight, the small talk with fellow travelers will meander into discussions about the purpose of our respective trips. When I tell them that I’m on my way to conduct an audit, they immediately jump to the conclusion that I’m a certified public accountant (CPA) and that I’m going to be doing a financial audit.Despite the reality that more than 40,000 companies in North America hold certificates for ISO 9001 or a comparable quality management system standard, the quality auditing has still not made it into the mainstream of everyday business parlance. It doesn’t resonate as an integral component of good business practices. People in general—and managers in particular—still don’t comprehend the function of quality system auditors.

Persistent misconceptions include:

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