What Is an Audit?
A product audit assesses samples drawn from goods ready for despatch, independently of the production flow and from the customer's point of view. That is what separates it from final inspection: final inspection is part of production, whereas a product audit also questions how effective that final inspection is.
Why Is It Done?
The aim is to catch deviations that look technically compliant with the specification but are unacceptable to the customer. A significant share of complaints comes from products whose dimensions are right but whose appearance, assembly or feel in use is not.
Who Requests It?
- Automotive and appliance OEMs
- Brand owners and retail chains
- Manufacturers experiencing customer complaints
- Buyers wanting pre-shipment verification
- Organisations with a product-audit obligation under IATF 16949
Audit Criteria
The criteria are the technical drawing and specification together with customer-specific requirements; limit samples and appearance standards are added to these. Concretising visual acceptance criteria with a sample reduces subjective assessment.
Audit Scope
- Dimensional check and comparison against the technical drawing
- Visual inspection: surface, colour, burrs, marks, coating
- Function and assembly trial
- Label, marking and documentation check
- Adequacy of packaging and protection
- Comparison against limit samples
- Defect classification (critical / major / minor)
- Consistency with final-inspection records
- Conformity with the sampling plan
- Trend analysis of findings
Related Standards
- VDA 6.5
- IATF 16949
- ISO 2859-1
- ISO 19011
Audit Process
- 1Defining the Scope and CriteriaWhat is to be audited and against which criteria is set out in writing: a customer code of conduct, a specification, a standard or a checklist.
- 2Preliminary Information GatheringThe size and activity of the party to be audited, its audit history and any open nonconformities are reviewed.
- 3Audit PlanThe audit date, team and timetable are prepared; the areas to be visited and the roles to be interviewed are planned.
- 4Opening MeetingThe purpose, scope, method and reporting format of the audit are explained; the principles of confidentiality and impartiality are confirmed.
- 5On-site AuditProduction or service areas are walked, records are examined and workers are interviewed. Findings are recorded on the spot.
- 6Classification of FindingsDeterminations are graded according to the classification of the scheme in use (critical / major / minor / observation).
- 7Closing MeetingThe findings are presented to management, their justification is explained and the expectation for corrective action is set out.
- 8Report and Follow-upThe audit report is issued; a corrective action plan is obtained and its close-out is followed up. Where necessary a follow-up audit is carried out.
Findings
Findings are assessed by defect class. A batch is rejected if even a single critical defect (with a safety or regulatory impact) is found; for major and minor defects, the acceptance numbers in the sampling plan apply.
Audit Report
- Details of the audit body, the auditor and the auditee
- Date, duration and scope of the audit
- Criteria or checklist applied
- Areas and processes audited
- Findings and their classification
- Evidence and photographs supporting the findings
- Scoring or rating, where the scheme requires it
- Corrective action plan and close-out status
Limits of the Output
This audit documents the situation observed at the time of the audit and within the scope audited. Auditing is sampling-based: the records examined and the areas visited are selected to represent the whole, but this does not mean that every record was checked. The report is neither a guarantee nor a certificate, and it does not relieve the auditee of its responsibility.
Accreditation
Accreditation differs with the type of audit. Third-party audits underpinning management system certification are carried out under ISO/IEC 17021-1 and those underpinning product certification under ISO/IEC 17065; these scopes are subject to accreditation. First- and second-party audits, and audits governed by a scheme owner's own rules (such as SMETA or amfori BSCI), do not fall within accredited certification; they are conducted following the ISO 19011 guidance and produce a report. EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation under ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065, granted by accreditation bodies that are signatories to the IAF multilateral recognition arrangement; which audits can be offered within accredited scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.
Scope and authorisationsRelated Audits
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should carry out the product audit?
Personnel independent of production should carry it out; the person doing final inspection would be auditing their own work. The auditor is expected to be trained to represent the customer's viewpoint.
What is a limit sample?
It is a physical sample showing the boundary between acceptable and unacceptable. A written description is often insufficient for appearance defects; a limit sample removes this dispute and is kept after being approved with the customer.
Is the audit sampling-based?
Yes. The auditor cannot examine every record and every product; sampling is done to represent the whole. No findings arising from an audit therefore does not mean there is no nonconformity at all; an audit provides assurance, not absolute proof.
Is the audit date announced in advance?
It depends on the scheme and the buyer's policy. Announced, semi-announced (given a time window) and unannounced audits can be used. An unannounced audit aims to prevent records from being prepared for the audit and is becoming increasingly common.