Audit life cycle and responsibilities
The audit life cycle is a structured and systematic approach to conducting audits. It is a valuable tool in managing risks, complying with standards, and continuously improving an organisation’s internal controls and processes.
Download the audit life cycle flow diagram.
Bywater provides training for lead auditor and internal auditors relevant to standards including ISO 9001, ISO 45001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, ISO 17020, ISO 17025, ISO 50001, ISO 22000, ISO 15189, IATF 16949, ISO 22301, FSSC 22000 and AS9100.
Benefits of the audit life cycle approach to conducting audits can be:
- efficiency and effectiveness, ensuring auditors cover all relevant aspects and processes and reducing the risk of overlooking critical areas
- consistency in the way audits are conducted across different departments or projects to help maintain uniformity in audit practices and comparability of results
- risk-focused approach enabling auditors to allocate resources efficiently to target high-risk areas
- transparency in the process, helping stakeholders to understandthe methodology, scope, and objectives of the audit, and promoting credibility and trust
- documentation to create a record of the audit for easier reviews and to improve accountability
- iterative processes and feedback from previous audits that enable continuous improvement
- helping organisations to demonstrate their audit processes align with established guidelines and standards for compliance purposes
- providing insights into the effectiveness of internal controls, identifies areas for improvement for decision support