Dear Calra,
Following is the ISO 19011:2002 definition of audit. It explains all audits in brief.
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3.1
audit
systematic, independent and documented process for obtaining audit evidence (3.3) and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which the audit criteria (3.2) are fulfilled
NOTE 1 Internal audits, sometimes called first-party audits, are conducted by, or on behalf of, the organization itself for management review and other internal purposes, and may form the basis for an organization's self-declaration of conformity. In many cases, particularly in smaller organizations, independence can be demonstrated by the freedom from responsibility for the activity being audited.
NOTE 2 External audits include those generally termed second- and third-party audits. Second-party audits are conducted by parties having an interest in the organization, such as customers, or by other persons on their behalf. Third-party audits are conducted by external, independent auditing organizations, such as those providing registration or certification of conformity to the requirements of ISO 9001 or ISO 14001.
NOTE 3 When a quality management system and an environmental management system are audited together, this is termed a combined audit.
NOTE 4 When two or more auditing organizations cooperate to audit a single auditee (3.7), this is termed a joint audit.
Hope this clarifies the issue.
Regards.
Subhas C Biswas
Hi everyone
I am required to discuss in detail the role of the audit and distinguish between the various types of audit and their significance.
Can anyone help me in finding further information on Internal audit, external audit and third party audit and their significance?
Thanks in advance