Verify
Are the intended practices actually applied?
Continuous improvement & ISO 9001 compliance Internal quality audit: assess the effectiveness of your QMS and identify your improvement areas
We carry out your internal quality audits to verify how your management system is applied, assess the effectiveness of your processes, identify gaps and build the necessary corrective actions — whether under ISO 9001 or an internal quality approach.
One-off audit, annual programme or preparation for an external audit: the scope is adapted to your QMS and your priorities.
Audit plan provided
Report within 5 business days
Corrective action follow-up
One-off audit or annual programme
What you get
Audit
Objective & impartial
Gaps
Identified & qualified
Actions
Prioritised & tracked
The aim is not only to look for non-conformities: the audit must provide actionable information to improve the QMS.
Understand
What is an internal quality audit?
An internal quality audit consists of a structured examination of the practices, processes and elements of the management system, to check their conformity with defined criteria and to assess how they actually work.
In an ISO 9001 QMS, the ISO 9001 internal audit is also a feedback mechanism that allows management to verify that the system works as intended and to identify weaknesses or improvement opportunities.
Observe
How does the process work in the field?
Identify
Which gaps, risks or malfunctions appear?
Improve
What actions should be taken next?
The audit must not only check that documents exist: it must check that the system works.
Why carry out an internal audit?
In which situations should you carry out an internal quality audit?
Annual QMS programme
Periodically check processes according to their importance and risks.
Certification preparation
Identify gaps before a certification body’s audit.
After a major change
New organisation, new process, ERP, team or method.
Recurring non-conformities
Understand why certain anomalies keep coming back.
Drop in performance
Assess whether actual operations deviate from the intended system.
Taking over a QMS
Review an existing system before evolving it.
Follow-up audit
Check the effectiveness of actions implemented after a previous audit.
Internal audit planning is not meant to be identical everywhere: ISO notably recommends prioritising processes that present more risks or a history of problems.
What can we audit?
Which elements of your QMS can we audit?
A QMS audit can cover governance, business processes, documentation and how work actually happens — not only written procedures.
Quality governance
- responsibilities;
- objectives;
- steering;
- reviews.
Business processes
- how they operate;
- responsibilities;
- inputs / outputs;
- KPIs.
Documentation
- procedures;
- work instructions;
- documented information;
- records.
Non-conformities
- identification;
- analysis;
- corrective actions;
- effectiveness.
Competencies
- needs;
- training;
- authorisations;
- evidence.
Suppliers
- selection;
- monitoring;
- requirements;
- evaluation.
Customer satisfaction
- complaints;
- feedback;
- measurements;
- actions.
Continuous improvement
- indicators;
- gaps;
- opportunities;
- actions.
Process audit
An internal audit can also target a single process
An internal quality audit does not have to cover the whole QMS in one go. It can focus on a priority process — a malfunction, a supplier risk, targeted preparation. That is often the right first step.
A process-focused audit matches the one-off audit, from €1,200 to €2,400 excl. VAT.
See the one-off auditMini tool
Which quality audit should you schedule first?
Your audit priority
Priority
High
Scope
Critical processes
Format
Targeted audit
Programme proposal
- Priority 1 Recently changed processes
- Priority 2 Recurring non-conformities
- Priority 3 Follow-up of previous actions
Recommended format
One-off quality audit — 2 days
Get an audit proposal
Indicative proposal. The final programme depends on the QMS scope, previous audits, risks and the company’s objectives.
Audit methodology aligned with ISO 19011:2026 principles
How does an internal quality audit take place?
Hover or select a step to see the details.
-
Preparation
Scoping of the internal quality audit before any fieldwork.
- objectives
- criteria
- scope
- processes concerned
- useful documents
-
Audit plan
Organisation of sequences, contacts and schedule.
-
Opening meeting
Validation of the scope and how the audit will run.
-
Field audit
Interviews, observation, sampling and examination of evidence.
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Findings analysis
Gaps, controlled points and opportunities.
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Closing meeting
Presentation of the main findings before the report is issued.
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Report
Results, findings and recommendations.
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Corrective actions
Design then follow-up of the actions decided.
01 Preparation
Scoping of the internal quality audit before any fieldwork.
This method is structured in line with ISO 19011:2026, the international guidelines for management system audits — notably on audit principles, the audit programme and auditor competence. ISO 9001 does not require the use of ISO 19011: it is a methodological guide.
Impartiality & competence
Why outsource your internal quality audit?
Outsourcing internal audits is possible provided the objectivity and impartiality of the process are preserved.
External perspective
Someone who does not run the process every day can more readily question habits.
Impartiality
The auditor does not assess their own work.
Dedicated competence
Interview methods, evidence gathering and formalisation of findings.
Internal time preserved
Teams take part in the audit without having to run the whole programme themselves.
ISO recommendations on internal audits notably stress competence, objectivity and impartiality, and advise that the auditor should not be directly involved in the activity under review, in order to provide an independent view.
Internal quality audit deliverables
What you receive at the end of each audit
Operational deliverables, directly usable by your quality manager and leadership — not a theoretical report.
Audit plan
Detailed programme: audited processes, auditors, schedule and objectives
Audit grid / criteria
Criteria, processes in scope and applicable requirements — not just a questionnaire
Executive summary
Leadership view of priority findings, to decide without rereading the full report
Complete report
Objective evidence and classified findings: conformity, non-conformity, watch point and opportunity for improvement
Findings register
Central record of gaps, non-conformities and points of attention
Corrective action plan
Actions, owners, deadlines and root-cause analysis linked to non-conformities
Action follow-up
Progress of corrective actions and verification of their effectiveness
Quality audit report
What does a quality audit report contain?
Each finding in the quality audit report is tied to a criterion, supported by objective evidence (document, record, interview, on-site observation), then classified according to the grid used by Complianz. The report is not limited to gaps: it also records what is conforming, what needs watching and what can be improved.
Conformity
The practice meets the audited criterion.
- requirement met and demonstrable;
- evidence attached to the finding;
- practice to be retained.
Non-conformity
A defined criterion or requirement is not met.
- gap documented by evidence;
- classified as minor or major;
- corrective action to be addressed.
Watch point
A situation that could deteriorate.
- not a non-conformity at this stage;
- possible drift to be monitored;
- to be reviewed at a later audit.
Opportunity for improvement
A possible improvement without a non-conformity being identified.
- recommendation, not a failure;
- process already conforming;
- gain in robustness, clarity or reliability.
The report is there to prioritise: address non-conformities, monitor watch points, decide on improvements.
Quality audit report
Example of an audit finding
A finding is not a free-form remark. It links a criterion, evidence, a classification and an action — that is what a usable quality audit report contains.
Example of an audit finding
Process: Supplier management
- Audited criterion
- Periodic evaluation of critical suppliers.
- Finding
- The procedure requires an annual review, but 4 out of 10 suppliers have not been evaluated for 18 months.
- Classification
- Non-conformity
- Risk
- Keeping a critical supplier without a recent evaluation.
- Action
- Complete the missing evaluations and review the reminder system.
- Owner
- Purchasing
- Deadline
- 30 days
Fictitious example intended to illustrate the structure of a finding.
Non-conformity → corrective action
A useful audit does not stop at the list of non-conformities
Identifying a non-conformity is not enough. A corrective action targets the cause of the gap, not only the symptom. Each non-conformity in the quality audit report is therefore followed through until its effectiveness has been verified.
- Finding
- Root cause analysis
- Action
- Owner
- Deadline
- Implementation
- Effectiveness check
Closing an action is not enough: you must verify that it has actually removed or reduced the cause of the gap.
One-off audit vs audit programme
One-off audit or annual programme: which format should you choose?
One-off audit
Suitable for:
- one process;
- a specific issue;
- targeted preparation;
- a focused check.
Annual programme
Suitable for:
- several processes;
- an established QMS;
- maintaining certification;
- a continuous improvement approach.
A quality audit programme does not necessarily mean auditing every process at the same frequency: importance, changes, previous results and risk level should guide the schedule.
Internal audit vs certification audit
What is the difference between an internal audit and a certification audit?
| Internal quality audit | Certification audit |
|---|---|
| First-party audit | External third-party audit |
| Carried out for the organisation | Carried out by a certification body |
| Serves QMS steering | Serves to assess certification |
| Identifies gaps upstream | May lead to certification |
| Can be outsourced | Requires an independent certification body |
ISO clearly distinguishes first-party audits, which are internal, from third-party audits, which may lead to certification.
Preparing your first certification?
Discover ISO 9001 supportAudit benefits
What an internal quality audit brings to your organisation
Gaps detected earlier
Before they become customer problems or external non-conformities.
A real view of the QMS
Beyond written procedures.
Better-controlled processes
Teams better understand the gaps between the intended method and the method actually applied.
Better-prepared certification
Weak points are identified before the external audit.
Concrete continuous improvement
The audit feeds real actions.
An outside view
Less dependent on the organisation’s historical habits.
Our pricing
How much does outsourcing your internal quality audits cost?
Cost depends on audit scope, number of processes and organisation size. Quote provided within 24 hours.
One-off quality audit
€1,200 – 2,400 excl. VAT
Audit of a defined scope
- Audit plan and questionnaires
- On-site audit day(s)
- Complete audit report
- Non-conformity list
Most popular
Annual audit programme
€2,800 – 5,500 excl. VAT
Full QMS coverage over 1 year
- Complete annual audit programme
- All QMS processes audited
- Corrective action follow-up
- Summary for management review
- Surveillance audit preparation included
Audit + auditor training
€3,500 – 6,500 excl. VAT
Audit + team upskilling
- Complete quality audit
- Internal auditor training (1 day)
- Audit tools and checklists delivered
- Full team autonomy afterwards
Indicative pricing — a tailored quote is provided within 24 hours based on scope and number of processes to audit.
What determines the price
What factors determine the cost of an internal audit?
Scope
One process vs the whole QMS.
Number of sites
One or several locations.
Number of processes
Volume of activities to audit.
Complexity
Simple organisation or highly interconnected one.
Duration
1 to several audit days.
Preparation
Volume of documents and history to review.
Follow-up
Audit only, or support through corrective actions.
What is an internal quality audit?
An internal quality audit is a structured examination of the practices, processes and elements of the management system, to check their conformity with defined criteria and to assess how they actually work.
Why carry out internal audits?
To detect gaps earlier, see how the QMS actually works beyond written procedures, better control processes, prepare for an external audit and feed concrete improvement actions.
Is an internal audit required for ISO 9001?
For a QMS that conforms to ISO 9001, the organisation must plan and maintain an internal audit programme.
How often should internal audits be carried out?
There is no single frequency that applies equally to all processes: importance, changes, risks and previous audit results should in particular guide the programme.
Can the internal audit be outsourced?
Yes, provided the objectivity and impartiality of the process are preserved. Outsourcing internal audits does not remove these requirements: the auditor must not assess their own work.
Can a single process be audited?
Yes. An internal audit can target a priority process, without covering the whole QMS.
What is the difference between an internal audit and a certification audit?
An internal audit is a first-party audit, carried out by or for the organisation, to steer the QMS. A certification audit is a third-party audit, carried out by a certification body. Internal audit prepares for the external audit; it does not replace it.
What is the difference between a quality audit and an organisational audit?
An internal quality audit examines the QMS and its processes. An organisational audit applies when issues go beyond the quality system alone — responsibilities, governance, overall operating model.
What is a non-conformity?
A non-conformity means a defined criterion or requirement is not met. In the report, it is classified as minor or major and leads to a corrective action.
What happens after the audit?
The report records the findings. Each non-conformity is then addressed: root-cause analysis, action, owner, deadline, implementation, then effectiveness check.
How long does an audit last?
From 1 to several days, depending on scope, number of processes, number of sites and organisational complexity.
How should teams be prepared?
Share the scope and schedule, make the right people available, provide useful documents, and explain that the audit is there to improve how work actually happens — not to trap individuals.
Which documents should be provided?
Process map, relevant procedures and records, previous audit results, open non-conformities, useful indicators. The precise list is set out in the audit plan.
What is an audit programme?
A quality audit programme plans internal audits over a given period: processes in scope, objectives, schedule. Not every process necessarily has the same frequency.
Is ISO 19011 mandatory?
No. ISO 19011 provides guidelines for auditing management systems; ISO 9001 does not require its use.
Ready to schedule your ISO 9001 internal quality audit?
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