ISO9

Prior to your company undergoing a full certification audit, it is recommended that your company conduct a pre-assessment audit. The purpose of the pre-assessment audit is to ensure you are ready to proceed with the full certification audit. Essentially, the pre-assessment audit is a dress rehearsal for the real thing.

It is important that your company conduct a pre-assessment audit because this process allows your company to identify any nonconformities and implement corrective actions before the registrar's certification audit.

On the day of the pre-assessment audit the registrar will come to your office and perform an in-depth review of your company's compliance with each element of the standard. Any nonconformities or observations are provided to you in writing in the pre-assessment audit report. In many cases, the pre-assessment audit report may be available to your company from the auditor on the same day, but this depends on the individual auditor.

If the auditor discovers a number of nonconformities, it is recommended that your company postpone the final certification audit (if scheduled), address and correct any nonconformities and conduct another pre-assessment audit. This is only recommended if more than three or four major nonconformities are discovered. If your company receives 10-20 nonconformities, and they are all minor adjustments to your Quality Management System (QMS), there usually is no need to cancel the certification audit or conduct a second pre-assessment audit.

It is important to remember that a registrar's time is limited and audits can be costly. It would be better to postpone a final audit and ensure that your company complies rather than rush the process only for the registrar to find a number of major nonconformities.