How to prepare for a remote ISO audit 

What should you confirm before a remote ISO audit? 

Your audit arrangements should cover the relevant standard and audit scope, including any sites, departments or processes the assessor intends to review. They should also help you identify who needs to be available, although the assessor may ask to speak with other relevant employees during the audit. 

With ISO QSL, your account manager will explain how the remote audit will work. Make sure you provide contact details for everyone attending so they can access the opening and closing meetings. 

Confirm the practical arrangements with your account manager or certification body, including:  

• The meeting platform and joining instructions 
• The audit timetable and required attendees 
• The contact details needed for each attendee 
• Which documents you need to provide beforehand 
• When you need to submit those documents 
• Whether to send them by email or through an agreed platform (such as Dropbox or Microsoft SharePoint) 
• What will happen if the connection fails 

 If your audit covers activities that may be difficult to demonstrate online, speak to your account manager beforehand. They can explain how the assessor intends to cover each part of the audit scope and whether you need to make any additional arrangements. 

We also recommend carrying out a test call before the audit. Test the call with a colleague who’ll ideally take part in the audit. Check the camera, microphone, internet connection, screen sharing and external access to any file-sharing platform. Prepare a backup device and telephone number in case your main connection fails.  

How should you organise your audit evidence? 

A remote audit doesn’t require you to create a separate version of your management system. The assessor wants to see the controlled information and records your team uses, not a polished set of documents produced for the audit. 

That said, those records must be accessible. You’ll need to send the requested documentation before the audit so the assessor can review it in advance. Your account manager will confirm what to provide and whether to send it by email or through an agreed file-sharing platform. 

Create an index showing where the main evidence sits and who can retrieve it. Depending on your standard and audit scope, this may include:  

• Previous audit reports and completed corrective actions 
• Internal audit records 
• Management review records 
• Objectives and performance results 
• Risk assessments and action plans 
• Training and competence records 
• Customer feedback and complaints 
• Supplier approval and performance records 
• Incident, non-conformity and corrective action records 
• Monitoring, testing or inspection results 
• Relevant policies, procedures and operational records  

Check that documents are current, approved and easy to identify. For completed actions, retain evidence showing that you checked whether the action worked. If you find a gap, address it through your normal corrective action process rather than creating a record that suggests something happened when it didn’t. 

Our ISO QSL clients can use the client portal to keep management system documents, audit reports and preparation materials organised. Follow your account manager’s instructions when sending or sharing evidence for the audit.  

How do you prepare your people for a remote ISO audit? 

Make sure the relevant process owners can attend. This may include senior management and employees responsible for areas such as operations, HR, purchasing, information security, environmental management or health and safety (again, depending on your standard and scope). 

Brief them on the audit scope and timetable, but don’t give them scripted answers. They should be ready to explain what they’re responsible for, how their process works, how they analyse risks and apply controls, which records they keep, how they respond when something goes wrong and what has changed since the last audit. 

An assessor may select a record and follow it across several processes. A customer order, for example, could lead from quotation and contract review to purchasing, delivery, invoicing and customer feedback. Make sure responsibility doesn’t sit with one person who then tries to answer every question. The assessor should be able to follow the relevant audit trail online, so make sure the relevant people can access both the meeting and the records they may need to demonstrate.  

What should you do on the day of the remote ISO audit? 

Join the meeting early and use a quiet room. Close unrelated applications and notifications before sharing your screen so you don’t expose confidential information. When sharing your screen, display only the information relevant to the assessor’s request. 

During the opening meeting, confirm the scope, timetable, attendees and information security arrangements. Assign someone to coordinate document requests and contact employees who need to join later. 

Answer questions directly and show the records that support your answer. If you don’t know something, say so and find the person or evidence that can clarify it. Don’t worry about trying to fill every silence. The assessor may need time to read a document or make notes. 

Report technical problems as soon as they come about. Remote audit time still needs to be sufficient for the assessor to gather evidence, so repeated connection problems may require a change of plan. 

Finally, use the closing meeting to confirm any findings, required actions and deadlines. A remote audit should leave you with the same clear understanding of your results and next steps as an on-site audit.  

Prepare for your remote audit with ISO QSL 

As we always say, the best preparation isn’t a last-minute document exercise. It’s making sure your management system reflects how your organisation works and that your people can demonstrate it. 

At ISO QSL, your account manager will explain how your remote audit will run and what you need to provide. We can also support you through ISO consultancy, internal audit support and internal auditor training if you need help getting your system ready. 

Contact our team if you have any questions about preparing for or scheduling your upcoming remote audit.