What is reliability in the context of service quality?

• A. Providing the promised services correctly and dependably
• B. Ability to offer safe services
• C. Readiness and goodwill in providing services
• D. Ensuring service costs remain low

You have been just hired as the Internal Lead Auditor of a large organisation, responsible for internal audits.
Your first job is to analyse the answers to nonconformities included in the report of a recent internal audit to Top Management.
The report contained one nonconformity as follows:
There is no evidence of Top Management ensuring the availability of resources to operate the QMS, the establishment of objectives, the promotion of continual improvement, and the promoting of the process approach.
Which four of the following Top Management actions can be considered ' corrections to the nonconformity ' ?

• A. Top Management appoints a senior manager to oversee the quality manangement system
• B. Resources have been provided
• C. Objectives have been established
• D. All these actions will be reviewed during the Top Management meetings
• E. Top Management review will be carried out every six months instead of annually
• F. Process approach has been communicated to the personnel
• G. Top Management completed a course on ISO 9001
• H. Improvement action has been promoted

You are conducting an ISO 9001 audit of a Materials Recycling Facility. The organisation processes waste plastics into raw materials for plastic bottle manufacturers. You reach the manual picking line where operators are removing contaminant materials from incoming products, such as plastic bags, plastic film and badly contaminated items that would compromise the recycling process. You interview the line supervisor.
You: " Why are these plastic items being rejected at this stage? "
Auditee: " They do not meet our processing standards. "
You: " What is the reason for that? "
Auditee: " These items are likely to damage the machinery down the line. They can also compromise our quality standards. We need to protect our reputation for good quality output materials. " You: " What happens to the rejected items? " Auditee: " Some get melted down in another process later on, and some are disposed of as waste products that cannot be recycled. " You: " What happens to the waste products? " Auditee: " I ' m not sure. I suppose they go to landfill. " After further auditing, you have gathered additional evidence. Match the following statements to the correct ISO 9001 standard clause shown.
To complete the table, click on the blank section you want to complete so that it is highlighted in red, and then click on the applicable text from the options below.
Alternatively, drag and drop each option to the appropriate blank section.

XYZ Corporation is an organisation that employs 100 people. As the audit team leader, you are conducting a certification audit at Stage 1. When reviewing the quality management system (QMS) documentation, you find that quality objectives have been set for every employee in the organisation except top management. The Quality Manager complains that this has created a lot of resistance to the QMS, and the Chief Executive is asking questions about how much it will cost. He asks for your opinion on whether this is the correct method of setting objectives.
How would you respond with the following options? Select three.

• A. Suggest asking the certification body for guidance on this matter.
• B. Advise the Quality Manager to read the ISO 9001 standard and interpret in relation to the organisation ' s requirements.
• C. Inform the Quality Manager that you will comment on the subject in your audit report.
• D. Indicate that ISO 9001 requires a minimum of two quality objectives.
• E. Suggest that the Quality Manager obtains external consultancy on the use of quality objectives.
• F. Suggest that all employees undertake a training course on ISO 9001.
• G. Advise the Quality Manager that, as an auditor, you cannot provide advice to the organisation on how it should operate its QMS.
• H. Advise the Quality Manager that you will raise an opportunity for improvement if the quality objectives are not addressed properly.

An audit team of three people is conducting a Stage 2 audit to ISO 9001 of an engineering organisation which manufactures sacrificial anodes for the oil and gas industry in marine environments. These are aluminium products designed to prevent corrosion of submerged steel structures. As one of the auditors, you find that the organisation has shipped anodes for Project DK in the Gulf of Mexico before the galvanic efficiency test results for the anodes have been fully analysed and reported as required by the customer. The Quality Manager explains that the Managing Director authorised the release of the anodes to avoid late delivery as penalties would be imposed. The customer was not informed since the tests rarely fall below the required efficiency. You raise a nonconformity against clause 8.6 of ISO 9001.
During the audit team meeting in preparation for the Closing meeting, the second auditor disagreed with the clause of ISO 9001 selected for the above nonconformity. He thinks it should be clause 9.1.1.
Choose three options for how the audit team leader should best respond to the situation:

• A. The audit team leader will refer to the quality manager to determine which clause they agree with.
• B. Review the evidence with you and the second auditor, and then decide which clause of ISO 9001 would best apply.
• C. Advise that he will think about the clause and announce his decision during the Closing meeting.
• D. Invite you and the second auditor to fully explain your point of view and then decide which clause to select.
• E. Immediately overule the objection of the second auditor with no discussion of the clause.
• F. Immediately agree with the second auditor that clause 9.1.1 would be better.
• G. Suggest that neither clause is accurate and instead propose clause 9.1.3 as the best one for the nonconformity.
• H. Try to obtain a consensus between you and the second auditor after a discussion of the different opinions.