Editor’s story update 6/15/2017: This article was originally published on our site in 2004. Although it references ISO 9001:2000 rather than the current version of the quality management standard, Cochran’s 10 questions remain useful for organizations preparing for an audit.

All experienced auditors accumulate favorite audit questions, and I’m no exception. I have a short, punchy list of queries I invariably ask while evaluating a management system. Favorites aside, though, what are truly the most important audit questions? What questions will reveal a system’s effectiveness and an organization’s overall performance? I compiled a list of the top 10.

1. How do you contribute to achieving your organization’s objectives?

ISO 9001:2000 requires that organizations establish measurable objectives at relevant functions and levels. Perhaps an even more significant requirement is that personnel understand how they contribute to these objectives. This requirement doesn’t apply only to some employees; it applies to everyone. All personnel must be able to communicate, in their own words, how they help move objectives in the right direction. It’s conceivable that not all objectives apply to everyone in the company, and in those cases, auditors would only expect that personnel understand the objectives that apply to them.

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