Getting Certified-Compliance Audits-ISO PROS #37

Getting Certified & Implementing Compliance Audits

Do you think it is simple to conduct audits? This is a serious question and we are not trying to make a joke out of this. The reason behind it is because we have known many companies and people overall that are not familiar with audits or have read a lot about it and think that audits can’t be that difficult. To be honest, conducting an audit isn’t that difficult when you know the principles, guidelines, and you are were prepared for it.

Therefore, this takes us to a conclusion: if you are an amateur or very new to this world you will have a hard time since Compliance Audits—in this case—require well-qualified and prepared experts. This is why companies and people who want to conduct them need to get certified in Compliance Audits, which is one of the types we consider to be part of the most difficult ones.

Why? Well, most auditing processes involve determining the degree of conformance of the company with the ISO standards it implements. And for this, you only have to be familiar with the standard itself which takes time, but standards aren’t too difficult to understand.

However, for Compliance Audits, you will be reviewing all the regulations, rules, laws, and every requirement and limitation that applies to your company. And unlike Internal Audits or other types, this isn’t conducted one by one or in a general way.

Compliance Audits always review every regulation and law, which is what makes people struggle with the entire process.

Therefore, you need to learn how to do it properly and make sure that your company has auditors that meet these qualifications:

  • Solid background in audit related to reviewing laws, regulations, and guidelines.
  • Well-trained in the area of audits and the ISO standards to conduct them properly.
  • Well-informed and knowledgeable about all the local, national and international laws and regulations.
  • Knows the internal policies, rules, and standards from head to foot.
  • Independent enough to make decisions and come to a conclusion without problems.

Of course, most Compliance Audits aren’t conducted for one or two auditors only. This audit—unlike others—usually takes a couple of people unless you are willing to spend a lot of time in the process and overload your auditor with work, which isn’t what we would suggest at all.

As you can see, there is a lot to cover and consider when thinking about conducting this audit, and your company in general will need the certification once every standard is in place as well. Here we provide went too fast since we haven’t talked or discussed the standards so far.

What standards apply for Compliance Audits?

ISO 9001 is the standard all audits have in common since it has all the guidelines and requirements companies and auditors need to follow and meet. Therefore, this standard and your need of getting certified in it won’t change. However, do you actually know about the guidelines and how to meet all the requirements?

This is where our company’s support and assistance come in handy. At ISO Pros, we are specialized in assisting companies or particulars to keep their Compliance Audits ISO standards in check and implement all of them. In this way, they are able to conduct the audits without issues nor difficulties that lead them to rely on someone else for the task.

Now, when we say “standards” we aren’t making a mistake. Besides ISO 9001, several ISO standards need to be implemented depending on the company you are auditing and the industry it is part of. After all, regulations, rules, and laws can be general and global for any business but some of them depend on the industry.

If your company is focused on the aerospace, automotive, or any other industry, you will need to learn not only the laws and regulations of it but also the standards that apply and implement them. Otherwise, you won’t be able to conduct the auditing process correctly. It is starting to get more complicated than you thought, right? You don’t have to worry about it.

With our support, you will keep and maintain your ISO system on track and your auditors and you will be able to conduct Compliance Audits without a problem. Keep in mind that once you implement all ISOs and learn about the rules and regulations, you will need to get certified, which is going to show organizations and companies you are able to conduct this audit for yourself and even for them.

After all, Compliance Audits can be conducted on behalf of other companies that are unable to do it themselves. You can cover a lot of areas and options when getting certified, so don’t underestimate how worth it is once you obtain your certification.

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Do the audit criteria change too much?

As we mentioned before, companies from different industries have their own regulations and laws. Therefore, you can’t expect to conduct a Compliance Audit following the same criteria. So, the answer to the question would be “yes” without a doubt.

Of course, you don’t have to conduct every Compliance Audit someone requests you if you are not willing to provide such service. And you can also decide to do it for yourself only since it is important already and quite useful. Or you can choose the industries you decide to focus your efforts in order to learn about their regulations and laws.

It is completely up to you but just make sure you are accessing, analyzing, and studying the correct criteria depending on the company. For healthcare and aerospace, you won’t share the same rules and laws. Therefore, take your time with the process, and for now, just focus on getting certified.

In our company, besides support and assistance, we can provide you with the certification you need. After all, we are a validated company that provides certifications in several types of audits, including Compliance ones. Therefore, don’t hesitate to contact us for this and more services available.