ISO 9001:2015 Lead Auditor Certification Training

This part introduces the seven quality management principles:

• Customer Focus
  The organization must demonstrate its commitment to quality by cultivating a strong customer focus, and by striving to meet and exceed customer needs.
• Leadership
  Endorse strong leadership that communicates the organization's vision and objectives.
• Engagement of People
  Engage and empower people at all levels of the organization. The organization should foster a culture of frank, open communication in which employees feel valued and are encouraged to thrive.
• Process Approach
  An ISO 9001 system consists of several different processes working together. Larger organizations might have dozens or even hundreds of different processes. Organizations need to make sure that designated people understand these processes and their expected outcomes.
• Improvement
  Continual improvement is a key tenet of ISO 9001 and a core objective of an organization's Quality Management System.
• Evidence-Based Decision Making
  Making decisions is not always easy, but decisions based on the analysis and evaluation of reliable data are more likely to produce desired outcomes.
• Relationship Management
  Develop mutually beneficial relationships with interested parties, including suppliers, partners, customers, and other stakeholders.

Next, the lead auditor course discusses Annex SL, which is the new high-level structure for ISO management system standards. What this means, in a nutshell, is that a management system standard such as ISO 9001 can now be implemented fairly easily alongside other management system standards such as ISO 14001.

This part introduces the Process Approach and the Plan Do Act Cycle (PDCA). Topics include:

• The Process Approach
• The Elements of a Process
• Real-Life Examples of the Process Approach
• The PDCA Cycle
• How the PDCA Cycle Benefits Organizations

This part sheds light on all ISO 9001 requirements and their interpretation. The lessons look in detail at each and every requirement of the ISO 9001 standard and explain them from the auditor's point of view. Numerous examples and practical tips show the learner how to interpret the requirements for different companies and judge compliance.

This part discusses documents and records.

A point to note here is that documents are used for storing and sharing information, while records are essentially hard copies of results (such as from an audit) or evidence of activities that have been performed. And while documents get revised from to time and are generally kept up-to-date, records are static and never revised.

This part introduces auditing techniques, including the fundamentals (audit methodologies), and the roles and responsibilities expected from a company's internal auditor.

• Internal Auditing Basics
• Audit Types
• Roles and Responsibilities

Audit proceedings and findings must be documented according to ISO's specific requirements. The reports you compile (which show nonconformities and the corrective actions taken to address them) must be retained as they will be reviewed during the certification audit and subsequent surveillance audits. Points covered in this module include:

• Audit Preparation
• Conducting an Audit
• Audit Reporting
• Audit Completion and Follow-Up

• Audit Program Basics
• Establishing the Internal Audit Program
• Implementing the Internal Audit Program
• Managing and Improving the Internal Audit Program

• Lead Auditors
• Audit Preparation and Planning
• Leading the Audit
• Audit Reporting and Follow-Up

The ISO 9001 training concludes with the official lead auditor examination. It's a multiple-choice assessment with a passing score of 70% and includes free re-takes. It consists of 141 questions and takes about 2 - 3 hours to complete.