TS EN ISO 19011

TS EN ISO 19011 is a guidance standard for planning and carrying out management system audits and for assessing the competence of the people involved in those audits. It brings together audit principles, audit programme management, and the work of audit teams, providing a common framework for audits of management systems such as quality, environmental, information security, and similar disciplines.

The audit programme and the role of the audit team

Rather than focusing on a single audit event, this standard addresses the audit programme as a whole. In practice, that means setting objectives, planning audits, assigning responsibilities, tracking results, and managing audit activities in a consistent way. In general technical terms, auditing is a systematic, evidence-based evaluation of a system against defined criteria. For that reason, independence, impartiality, and professional care are important qualities for auditors and audit teams.

Why competence assessment matters

The standard also provides guidance on evaluating the competence of individuals involved in the audit process. In general use, competence means having the knowledge, skills, experience, and behaviours needed for the intended audit purpose and scope. This helps ensure that the right level of expertise is considered for the type of audit and the management system being audited. The document is applicable to internal and external audits and can also serve as guidance for other audit types where specific competence needs to be considered.