Audit management

Audits carry an audit number, scope, planned date, assigned auditor and lifecycle status. Findings link back to the audit and retain the requirement, finding text, severity, owner and due date. This structure lets a quality manager move from an audit summary to the particular requirement that needs attention. The audit can be internal or supplier focused; the recorded scope tells the team what was actually examined.

For a supplier quality audit, Quality Manager records the intended scope and planned date and assigns an Auditor. During the audit, the auditor adds a finding against a requirement, chooses its severity and names the person responsible for follow-up. When the audit reaches reporting, the workflow checks its scope against linked findings before closing it. The reporting stage depends on those recorded facts, not just a date entered after the visit.

• Plan. The audit records scope, schedule and the person assigned to conduct it.
• Findings. Each finding remains linked to its audit and names the requirement and owner.
• Reporting. The reporting workflow checks scope against findings before closure.

Agree how audit numbers are assigned and how the scope is worded so a later reader understands which processes or supplier work were covered. Define when an observation, minor finding or major finding is used. Give each finding an owner and due date when follow-up is needed. The audit and finding dates serve different purposes: one plans or completes the audit, while the other commits the follow-up.

Agree who performs the audit and who checks reporting. The assigned auditor is a person in the directory. Quality Manager has the wider queue for open audits and findings. Quality Manager should check that findings belong to the recorded scope before the reporting transition.

Plan an audit with one clear scope and one assigned auditor. Add two findings against different requirements, each with severity and owner. Move the audit through in progress to reporting. Compare the findings with the stated scope and confirm that a reviewer can see both without relying on a separate spreadsheet. Confirm the reporting workflow closes the audit after its check and leaves findings available for their own follow-up.

Run the same check on an audit with no recorded scope to expose the reason for the reporting hold. The team should correct the audit record before closing it. A closed audit should still lead back to its original findings and the people who own them.

• Open audits — Planned, active and reporting audits with their scope and auditor.
• Open findings — Requirement-linked findings that still need attention.
• Pending release — Controlled revisions that may be relevant to audit follow-up.

Audit reporting follows the reporting check. Data model shows the audit and finding references.