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These basically are audits done by external agencies and there are at least two distinct types of external audits - second and third party.

Second party audits

These are audits performed by one company on another and are those which originally came along with the idea of quality assurance where a major purchaser would audit its vendors.

Third party audit

As a result of the huge growth in interest in quality assurance during the 1960’s and 1970’s, more and more second party audits and assessments were being carried out and some companies in certain fields had to employ specific people whose sole task was to accompany visiting auditors around the company. Clearly this state of affairs was helping nobody, particularly the vendor.
Third party audits are audits conducted by independent parties (parties other than supplier and customer).
The ISO 9000 series standards are used mainly for Second and Third party audits.

To prepare for an audit, your managers should:
1. Become familiar with the documents for their area
2. Walk through the area for a spot check on operations
3. Verify everyone knows and follows document control system
4. Ensure the work areas are clean and orderly
5. Brief employees on how to interact with auditors
6. Communicate a positive view about the audit - it’s a learning opportunity

For external audits, auditor needs a guide, your guides should:
A. Know the management system and how it operates
B. Understand the audit plan and functional areas
C. Be available to stay with the audit team
D. Refrain from speaking during interviews unless requested by the auditor
E. Act as witnesses for any audit findings
F. Help keep the auditors on the planned schedule
G. Take good notes for possible follow-up actions

Employees in the areas to be audited should:
a. Understand the quality policy and management system objectives and their role
b. Prepare by participating in internal audits
c. Know where their documents are kept
d. Be able to quickly retrieve their quality records
e. Know how to respond to auditor’s questions
f. Be prepared to demonstrate their activities
g. Understand the policy and management objectives for their area

About The Author

Manoj Jain is CEO and Founder Director of Innovative Matrix Softech Pvt. Ltd., providing worldwide management consulting, training and research for companies of all sizes. The company is also developing Discrete ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) Software solutions for small and medium business enterprises. The company is providing best business management resources through its web site http://www.isohelpline.com. Author can be contacted at manoj@isohelpline.com. Find more information about ISO 9001 2008 and ISO 9001 implementation here.

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