[UPDATED Jan-2025] Best Value Available Preparation Guide for ISO-9001-Lead-Auditor Exam [Q60-Q78]

Topic	Details
Topic 1	Closing an ISO 9001 audit: The topic focuses on concluding a QMS audit and conducting audit follow-up activities.
Topic 2	Fundamental principles and concepts of a quality management system: The main objective of this domain is to evaluate your skills of explaining and applying ISO 9001 principles and concepts.
Topic 3	Conducting an ISO 9001 audit: It evaluates your skills to conduct a QMS audit.

NEW QUESTION 60
Match each of the following statements into the table below to show whether they apply to first-party audits, second-party audits or third-party audits:

NEW QUESTION 61
You are leading a Stage 2 certification audit of a multi-site organisation and have received the audit schedule below; Head Office and Site 1 – Day 1 Site 2 (150 Km from HQ) – Days 2 and 3 During Day 1 of the audit, the dient informs you that the laboratory at Site 2 has been dosed for decontamination due to a serious outbreak of an infectious disease among workers. In Site 2, all other functions could be audited as planned.
As the audit team leader, what would you do?
Choose the best acceptable action you could take:
Ask the audit Programme Manager for direction.
Complete the audit on day 3 and report back to the certification body for a certification decision.
Continue the audit on days 2 and 3 and return later to audit the Site 2 laboratory.
Immediately cancel the audit since the audit plan cannot be completed.
Who has the responsibility for assigning work to the audit team?

The audit team leader

The audit team member

The auditee organisation

The certification body

NEW QUESTION 62
You are carrying out an audit at a single-site organisation seeking certification to ISO 9001 for the first time.
The
organisation manufactures cosmetics for major retailers and the name of the retailer supplied appears on the product packaging. Sales turnover has increased significantly over the past five years. The organisation uses a software programme called SWIFT, which is used to record sales, plan production, purchase supplies, print despatch notes, track new product development, perform traceability exercises, carry out mass balance checks, raise invoices, create budgets, and support financial control.
You are nearing the end of the audit and you are reviewing your audit notes. You notice a recurring trend concerning the SWIFT database as shown below:

You ask the Quality Manager to explain how the SWIFT database is controlled. You learn that the Operations Director is responsible for determining and progressing SWIFT software updates. You decide to meet the Operations Director (OD).
You: “Good afternoon.”
OD: “Good afternoon.”
You: “What responsibility do you have concerning the SWIFT database?”
OD: “I maintain it. If anyone wishes to propose an update to the database, they send me an email with details of their proposal. I then either process the database update myself, or I send the request to the consultant who designed the database 20 years ago. The necessary software changes are made, and the amended software is immediately released to users.” You: “Would you explain how the software amendments are controlled?” OD: “Of course. I personally update every computer myself.” You: “Do you inform the database users of the changes?” OD: “No I don’t. They find out for themselves by using the software, or they come to see me if they have any questions.” You: “How do you ensure that the database users use the latest version?” OD: “That’s easy, I update every computer myself.” You: “During the audit, I noted there were several versions of SWIFT in use (you refer to your audit notes).” OD: “I know. That’s because some versions work better than others, and depending on user needs and experiences, we allow users to revert to using an earlier version if they find it works better for them.” Based on the scenario, which two of the following statements are true? There is evidence of nonconformity with a requirement defined in …

clause 7.1.3 Infrastructure

clause 7.1.4 Environment for the operation of processes

clause 7.5.1 Documented information – General

clause 7.5.2 Documented information – Creating and updating

clause 7.5.3 Control of documented information

NEW QUESTION 63
In the context of a second-party audit, match the activity with the party responsible for conducting it.

NEW QUESTION 64
Noitol is an organisation specialising in the design and production of e-learning training materials for the insurance market. During an ISO 9001 audit of the development department, the auditor asks the Head of Development about the process used for validation of the final course design. She states that they usually ask customers to validate the product with volunteers. She says that the feedback received often leads to key improvements.
The auditor samples the design records for a recently completed course for the 247 Insurance organisation.
Design verification was carried out but there was no validation report. The Head of Development advises that this customer required the product on an urgent basis, so the validation stage was omitted. When asked, the Head estimates that this occurs about 50% of the time. She confirms that they always ask for feedback and often make changes. There is no record of feedback in the design file for the course.
The auditor decides to review the training course design process in more depth.
Select three options that provide a meaningful audit trail for this process.

How are students advised about prior learning requirements?

How is customer feedback integrated into the course?

How is the cost of the course calculated?

What risks and opportunities have been notified to interested parties?

How is design documentation controlled and managed?

How is technical content of courses verified as correct?

How is the tutor trained to deliver the completed course?

What are the qualifications of the administrative staff?

According to clause 8.3 of ISO 9001:2015, the organization should establish, implement, and maintain a design and development process that is appropriate to ensure the subsequent provision of products and services. The design and development process should include the following activities:
*Determining the requirements for the products and services to be designed and developed, considering the intended use, the statutory and regulatory requirements, the customer and other relevant interested parties’ needs and expectations, and the potential risks and opportunities.
*Defining the design and development objectives, stages, responsibilities, and authorities, and ensuring the availability of adequate resources and competence.
*Implementing design and development controls, such as reviews, verification, and validation, to ensure that the design and development outputs meet the design and development inputs, and to identify and resolve any problems or errors.
*Maintaining documented information on the design and development inputs, outputs, reviews, verification, validation, and changes, and ensuring the traceability and conformity of the products and services to the requirements.
*Managing the design and development changes, by identifying, reviewing, and controlling them, and evaluating their effects on the products and services and the QMS.
In this case, the evidence statements that provide a meaningful audit trail for the design and development process are B, E, and F, because they relate to the design and development controls, the documented information, and the verification activities that are required by the standard. These options can help the auditor to assess the effectiveness and conformity of the design and development process, and to identify any nonconformities or opportunities for improvement. The other options are not directly related to clause 8.3, although they may be relevant for other aspects of the QMS, such as clause 7.2 on competence, clause 7.3 on awareness, clause 7.4 on communication, clause 8.2 on requirements for products and services, clause 8.4 on externally provided processes, products, and services, and clause 8.7 on control of nonconforming outputs.
References: ISO 9001:2015, ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group Guidance on Design and Development, ISO
9001 Clause 8.3 Design and development of products and services

NEW QUESTION 65
You are carrying out an audit at a single-site organisation seeking certification to ISO 9001 for the first time.
The organization manufactures cosmetics for major retailers.
You are interviewing the Manufacturing Manager (MM).
You: “I would like to begin by looking at the cleaning controls.”
MM: “We record the cleaning of the equipment at the end of every batch. This document details the minimum cleaning frequency and the procedures to follow for all areas and each item of equipment. The person who carries out the cleaning puts their initial on the document and records the time and date alongside.” Narrative: You sample production records over 3-days and note down evidence of nonconformity as per the table below.

NEW QUESTION 66
The following are stages of an audit, put them in the order they would be conducted.

Explanation:
Establishing the audit programme objectives
Determining and evaluating the audit programme risks and opportunities
Establishing the audit programme
Initiating the audit
Preparing all audit activity
Conducting the audit activities
According to ISO 19011:2018, clause 5, the audit programme is a set of one or more audits planned for a specific time frame and directed towards a specific purpose. The audit programme includes all activities necessary to plan, organize, and conduct the audits. The audit programme management involves the following steps1:
Establishing the audit programme objectives: The audit programme objectives define the intended outcomes of the audit programme, such as verifying conformity, evaluating performance, identifying improvement opportunities, etc. The audit programme objectives should be aligned with the strategic direction and policies of the organization and the needs and expectations of the interested parties.
Determining and evaluating the audit programme risks and opportunities: The audit programme risks and opportunities are the factors that can affect the achievement of the audit programme objectives, such as changes in the internal or external context, availability of resources, competence of auditors, etc. The audit programme risks and opportunities should be identified, analyzed, and evaluated to determine the appropriate actions to address them.
Establishing the audit programme: The audit programme is established by defining the audit programme scope, criteria, methods, and resources. The audit programme scope defines the extent and boundaries of the audit programme, such as the processes, functions, sites, activities, etc. that will be audited. The audit programme criteria are the set of policies, procedures, or requirements used as a reference for the audits. The audit programme methods are the techniques used to conduct the audits, such as interviews, observations, document review, sampling, etc. The audit programme resources are the human, technical, and financial resources needed to implement the audit programme.
Initiating the audit: The audit initiation is the process of formally establishing the arrangements for an individual audit within the audit programme. The audit initiation involves contacting the auditee and the audit client, confirming the audit objectives, scope, and criteria, and obtaining the necessary information and access for the audit.
Preparing all audit activity: The audit preparation is the process of developing the audit plan and the audit work documents for an individual audit. The audit plan is a document that provides the basis for agreement regarding the conduct of the audit, such as the audit schedule, the audit team, the audit methods, the audit language, the audit report, etc. The audit work documents are the records that provide evidence of the audit activities, such as the audit checklist, the audit notes, the audit findings, etc.
Conducting the audit activities: The audit activities are the processes of collecting and verifying audit evidence and evaluating it against the audit criteria to make the audit conclusions. The audit activities include the opening meeting, the communication during the audit, the roles and responsibilities of the audit team and the auditee, the audit evidence collection and verification, the audit findings generation and recording, the closing meeting, and the audit report preparation and distribution.
References: ISO 19011:2018(en), Guidelines for auditing management systems

NEW QUESTION 67
Select the term which best describes the quality management system process of modifying a non-conforming product to bring it within acceptance criteria.

Concession

Correction

Corrective action

Preventive action

NEW QUESTION 68
An audit team of three people is conducting a Stage 2 audit to ISO 9001 of an engineering organisation that manufactures sacrificial anodes for the oll and gas industry in marine environments. These are aluminium products designed to prevent corrosion of submerged steel structures. You, as one of the auditors, find that the organisation has shipped anodes for Project DK in the Gulf of Mexico before the galvanic efficiency test results for the anodes have been fully analysed and reported as required by the customer. The Quality Manager explains that the Managing Director authorised release of the anodes to avoid late delivery as penalties would be imposed. The customer was not informed since the tests very rarely fall below the required efficiency. You raise a nonconformity against clause 8.6 of ISO 9001.
Which of the following options for the best description of the nonconformity?

A retrospective concession was not sought from the customer once the test results had been approved by the Quality Manager.

Release of the product without acceptable test results has been accepted by the customer for Project DK.

Products for Project DK have been released before product approval through the quality control process.

The untested product was not recalled until the galvanic efficiency of the anodes was verified.

Clause Reference – ISO 9001:2015 Clause 8.6 (Release of Products and Services):ISO 9001 requires that products and services are not released to the customer until:
* All planned verification activities have been completed.
* Acceptance criteria have been met.
* Any necessary approvals have been obtained.
In this scenario:
* The sacrificial anodes for Project DK were shipped before the galvanic efficiency test results were analyzed.
* This constitutes a nonconformity against Clause 8.6 because the products were released without completing the required tests.
Option Analysis:
* A. A retrospective concession was not sought from the customer once the test results had been approved by the Quality Manager:Incorrect. While obtaining a concession might mitigate the situation, the nonconformity pertains to the process failure of releasing the products without completing required tests, not the absence of a concession.
* B. Release of the product without acceptable test results has been accepted by the customer for Project DK:Incorrect. The customer was not informed before the release, and there is no indication that this was accepted beforehand. Furthermore, ISO 9001 requires planned processes to be followed, regardless of later acceptance.
* C. Products for Project DK have been released before product approval through the quality control process:Correct. This description accurately reflects the nonconformity. The quality control process required test results to be analyzed and verified before release, which did not happen.
* D. The untested product was not recalled until the galvanic efficiency of the anodes was verified:
Incorrect. The issue is not about recalling the product but about releasing it without completing the required tests. Recalling the product is not mentioned in the scenario.
Why C is Correct:
* The nonconformity is a clear breach of Clause 8.6, where the products were released without meeting the planned verification requirements.
* This demonstrates a failure in adhering to quality control processes, which is a critical aspect of ISO
9001 compliance.
Key ISO 9001 Reference:
* Clause 8.6: Products and services shall not be released to the customer until all planned activities (e.g., testing) have been satisfactorily completed, or the customer has approved the release with knowledge of deviations.

NEW QUESTION 69
Below are four of the seven principles on which ISO 9000 series are based. Match a potential benefit to each of the quality management principles (QMP).

NEW QUESTION 70
Match the process descriptions below to the process names:

NEW QUESTION 71
The following are stages of an audit, put them in the order they would be conducted.

Explanation:
Establishing the audit programme objectives
Determining and evaluating the audit programme risks and opportunities
Establishing the audit programme
Initiating the audit
Preparing all audit activity
Conducting the audit activities
According to ISO 19011:2018, clause 5, the audit programme is a set of one or more audits planned for a specific time frame and directed towards a specific purpose. The audit programme includes all activities necessary to plan, organize, and conduct the audits. The audit programme management involves the following steps1:
Establishing the audit programme objectives: The audit programme objectives define the intended outcomes of the audit programme, such as verifying conformity, evaluating performance, identifying improvement opportunities, etc. The audit programme objectives should be aligned with the strategic direction and policies of the organization and the needs and expectations of the interested parties.
Determining and evaluating the audit programme risks and opportunities: The audit programme risks and opportunities are the factors that can affect the achievement of the audit programme objectives, such as changes in the internal or external context, availability of resources, competence of auditors, etc. The audit programme risks and opportunities should be identified, analyzed, and evaluated to determine the appropriate actions to address them.
Establishing the audit programme: The audit programme is established by defining the audit programme scope, criteria, methods, and resources. The audit programme scope defines the extent and boundaries of the audit programme, such as the processes, functions, sites, activities, etc. that will be audited. The audit programme criteria are the set of policies, procedures, or requirements used as a reference for the audits. The audit programme methods are the techniques used to conduct the audits, such as interviews, observations, document review, sampling, etc. The audit programme resources are the human, technical, and financial resources needed to implement the audit programme.
Initiating the audit: The audit initiation is the process of formally establishing the arrangements for an individual audit within the audit programme. The audit initiation involves contacting the auditee and the audit client, confirming the audit objectives, scope, and criteria, and obtaining the necessary information and access for the audit.
Preparing all audit activity: The audit preparation is the process of developing the audit plan and the audit work documents for an individual audit. The audit plan is a document that provides the basis for agreement regarding the conduct of the audit, such as the audit schedule, the audit team, the audit methods, the audit language, the audit report, etc. The audit work documents are the records that provide evidence of the audit activities, such as the audit checklist, the audit notes, the audit findings, etc.
Conducting the audit activities: The audit activities are the processes of collecting and verifying audit evidence and evaluating it against the audit criteria to make the audit conclusions. The audit activities include the opening meeting, the communication during the audit, the roles and responsibilities of the audit team and the auditee, the audit evidence collection and verification, the audit findings generation and recording, the closing meeting, and the audit report preparation and distribution.
References: ISO 19011:2018(en), Guidelines for auditing management systems

NEW QUESTION 72
Which two of the following should be included in an audit plan?

List of findings from the last audit

Name of the auditee general manager

Signature of Certification Body Technical Reviewer

Sequence and timings of audit activities

Date of next audit

Name of auditees and auditors

NEW QUESTION 73
During an internal audit, it was discovered that the calibration of a spectrometer used daily for production had expired, causing a nonconformance under Clause 7.1.5.2 of ISO 9001:2015. The root cause was the organization not considering the risk of the calibration provider leaving the country.
Which corrective action is the best one?

We will select one sample, which we will send to an external laboratory and will use it as our internal standard.

We will look for a local company to provide this service.

We will have the results on one out of ten of our routine production samples double-checked by an external local laboratory.

We will add this to our external issue register, assess its associated risk, and plan action to address that risk.

* Understanding Clause 7.1.5.2 – Measurement Traceability:ISO 9001:2015 requires organizations to ensure that measuring equipment (e.g., spectrometers) is calibrated and traceable to recognized standards. The failure to maintain calibration within valid dates directly violates this clause and raises concerns about the reliability of the measurement results.
* Root Cause of the Nonconformity:The organization failed to plan for the possibility that the calibration service provider (X-TECH) might become unavailable, leading to expired calibration. This indicates inadequate risk-based thinking, which is required under Clause 6.1 of ISO 9001:2015.
* Option Analysis:
* A. Select one sample for external lab analysis to use as an internal standard:Incorrect. While using an internal standard could provide short-term verification of results, this action does not address the root cause (failure to consider risks associated with external providers).
* B. Look for a local company to provide this service:Incorrect. While finding a new local service provider resolves the immediate calibration issue, it does not address the risk of future provider unavailability.
* C. Double-check one out of ten samples externally:Incorrect. This corrective action ensures some quality assurance for batch release but does not resolve the nonconformance related to expired calibration.
* D. Add this issue to the external issue register, assess its associated risk, and plan action to address that risk:Correct. This approach directly addresses the root cause (failure to anticipate the calibration provider leaving) and ensures proper risk management. ISO 9001:2015 emphasizes risk-based thinking under Clause 6.1, requiring organizations to identify risks and opportunities and implement plans to mitigate them.
* Why D is the Best Option:
* By adding the issue to the external issue register, the organization ensures it is monitored and tracked.
* Assessing the risk ensures proactive measures are in place for similar issues in the future.
* Planning actions to address the risk ensures a sustainable solution is implemented, such as identifying multiple service providers or ensuring backup plans for calibration services.
* ISO 9001 References:
* Clause 6.1 (Actions to Address Risks and Opportunities): Requires organizations to consider risks and opportunities that could affect the intended results of the QMS.
* Clause 7.1.5.2 (Measurement Traceability): Mandates that measuring equipment must be calibrated and traceable to ensure valid results.
* Clause 10.2 (Nonconformity and Corrective Action): Requires organizations to determine the root cause of nonconformities and take actions to ensure they do not recur.

NEW QUESTION 74
Read the following role descriptions. Select two roles that are not directly involved in the audit process.

An auditor-in-training – a person who accompanies the audit team leader or team members during the audit.

A technical expert – a person who provides specific knowledge or expertise to the audit team but is not normally an auditor.

An audit team leader – a person responsible for managing an audit until the audit is completed.

An interpreter – a person who witnesses the audit to assist the auditors with language issues.

An observer – a person who sees the performance of the audit team leader, audit team members and/or auditee.

A guide – a person who is appointed by the auditee to assist the audit team during the audit.

NEW QUESTION 75
The following list gives examples of records that may be evidence of how an organisation has fulfilled the requirements of clause 8.4 of ISO 9001. Match the records to the appropriate requirement of clause 8.4.

NEW QUESTION 76
State the correct sequence of events in the certification process for an organisation to obtain third-party accredited certification to ISO 9001.

NEW QUESTION 77
In the context of a third-party audit, select the issue which is not expected to be included in the audit plan.

Number of sites to be audited

Risk to achieving audit objectives

Expectations of the organisation’s management

Scope of the audit

NEW QUESTION 78
You are carrying out an audit at a single-site organisation seeking certification to ISO 9001 for the first time.
The organisation offers warehousing and export services to customers. Customers are invoiced for the time stock items are stored in the warehouse. Transport to and from the warehouse is controlled by the organisation and approved subcontract transport services are used. The organization does not have its own transport vehicles. Stock items are not purchased by the organisation.
You have gathered audit evidence as outlined in the table. Match the ISO 9001 Clause 8 extract to the audit evidence.