WHAT IS A PRE-ASSESSMENT AUDIT AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? (DEMO)
A pre-assessment audit is an important step for organizations that are beginning their certification process. Not only does the pre-assessment provide an opportunity for the organization to get acquainted with the auditing process, it also offers an external perspective on the current management system. A pre-assessment is a full system audit against the requirements of a specific standard. This assessment helps the organization discover areas of potential non-conformance and provides an opportunity to correct them prior to a formal certification audit; the on-site visit determines organization’s compliance status, serves as a gap analysis for bench-marking and is extremely helpful in determining readiness for assessment. Some of the benefits of pre-assessment’s are:
• Identification of nonconformities and implementation of corrective actions.
• Focusing resources on weaknesses that might lead to nonconformities during certification audit.
• Contributing to the overall preparation of the certification audit.
• Getting acquainted with the Certification Body’s auditor and the certification process.