Can You Have One Audit for Multiple ISO Standards?
If your organisation is certified to more than one ISO management system standard, or is planning to become certified, you've probably wondered whether you need a separate audit for each standard.
The good news is that, in many cases, the answer is no.
An integrated audit allows multiple compatible management system standards to be audited during a single assessment. This approach can reduce disruption, improve efficiency and provide a more joined-up view of how your management systems are performing.
In this blog, we'll explain how integrated audits work, which ISO standards can be combined and what the benefits are for your organisation.
An integrated audit is a certification audit that assesses two or more management system standards at the same time.
Rather than treating each standard as a completely separate system, the audit recognises that many ISO standards share common management principles and requirements. This means auditors can evaluate shared processes while still ensuring that the specific requirements of each standard are fully assessed.
For organisations operating an Integrated Management System (IMS), an integrated audit is often the most practical and efficient approach.
Many ISO management system standards have been developed using a common framework, making integration much easier.
Examples include:
Depending on your organisation's activities and the maturity of your management system, these standards can often be audited during the same certification visit.
For example, an organisation may combine:
The suitability of an integrated audit will depend on factors such as the scope of certification, organisational structure and how well the management systems have been integrated.
An integrated audit doesn't simply merge several independent audits into one.
Instead, the auditor plans the assessment to examine processes that satisfy requirements across multiple standards.
The auditor will also review the requirements that are unique to each standard, ensuring that every certification requirement is fully assessed.
Instead of preparing for several certification visits throughout the year, your organisation can complete much of the assessment during a single audit programme.
This reduces the amount of time employees spend supporting audits and minimises interruptions to day-to-day operations.
Many management processes apply across multiple standards.
Auditing these shared processes once, rather than repeating them during separate audits, creates a more streamlined certification process.
Integrated audits encourage organisations to view their management systems as a single framework rather than separate programmes.
This often highlights opportunities to improve governance, risk management and operational performance across the business.
An integrated approach can reduce duplicated preparation, administration and audit planning, helping organisations make better use of internal resources.
Where management systems are genuinely integrated, certification rules may allow a reduction of up to 20% in the required audit time. This recognises that many management processes are shared across multiple standards and therefore do not need to be assessed separately.
A reduction in audit time can translate into lower certification costs, while still ensuring that all applicable standard requirements are thoroughly evaluated. The exact reduction available will depend on the level of integration within your management system and will be determined during the audit planning process.
This is a key advantage of implementing a well-designed Integrated Management System, delivering both operational efficiencies and potential cost savings without compromising the integrity of the certification process.
Where management systems are genuinely integrated, certification rules allow for a reduction of up to 20% in the required audit time compared with auditing each management system separately. This recognises that many processes, such as management review, internal audits, document control and corrective actions, are shared across multiple standards and only need to be assessed once.
The exact audit duration will depend on several factors, including:
The more integrated your management systems are, the greater the opportunity to benefit from reduced audit time. During the quotation and planning stage, your certification body will assess your management system to determine whether a reduction in audit time can be applied.
Not always.
Integrated audits work best when your management systems are genuinely integrated and managed through common processes.
If each standard is operated independently with different documentation, responsibilities and management processes, separate audits may be more appropriate.
An experienced certification body can help determine the most suitable audit approach for your organisation. Our team can help you determine whether an integrated audit is the right approach for your organisation. Contact us to discuss your requirements.
If you're planning an integrated certification audit, it's worth reviewing whether your organisation has:
The more integrated your management systems are, the more efficient your certification audit is likely to be.
Whether you're seeking certification to one standard or several, TÜV UK can help you plan an audit programme that aligns with your organisation's needs.
Our auditors have experience across a wide range of management system standards, including quality, environmental, occupational health and safety, information security, artificial intelligence and energy management (and more…).
We'll work with you to determine whether an integrated audit is appropriate and develop an efficient certification programme that provides confidence in your management systems while minimising disruption to your business.
If you're considering certification to multiple ISO standards or would like to combine your existing audits into a more efficient programme, contact TÜV UK to discuss your requirements.
Our team can help you understand your options and develop a certification approach tailored to your organisation.
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