World Quality Week is a celebration of quality excellence worldwide, promoting the pursuit of continuous improvement within organisations.
This year’s theme highlights the importance of going beyond simple compliance and certification to cultivate a quality culture that brings long-term value. At the heart of this philosophy is QHSE Aberdeen's ISO 9001 Lead Auditor Course, which is designed not only to equip auditors with the technical skills for compliance but to foster an environment where continuous improvement is prioritised and valued.
While many ISO training programs focus on passing audits or achieving certifications, its approach is different. QHSE believe that quality management is most effective when it’s proactive and forward-thinking, rather than just reactive to external standards. This is why its courses emphasise continuous improvement as a dynamic part of the quality journey.
Beyond Certification - Building skills for sustainable quality
Our five-day ISO 9001 Lead Auditor Course prepares participants to lead audit teams and conduct thorough, effective audits of third-party organisations and suppliers. This is more than a certification course—it’s a journey to understand and develop the maturity level of Quality Management Systems (QMS) so they continually provide value to the organisation.
Key highlights of the course include:
- Foundation in QMS principles - Participants begin by exploring the history and purpose of ISO 9001, the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, and the seven Management Principles that underpin QMS. This foundational knowledge enables auditors to assess quality processes with a strategic lens, recognising areas for improvement.
- Process and risk-based thinking in audits - QHSE emphasise a process-driven, risk-based approach to auditing, aligning audits with the organisation's broader objectives. This method helps auditors identify gaps and opportunities to enhance quality management practices.
- Comprehensive audit peeparation and execution - Through hands-on group exercises and presentations, auditors gain practical skills to plan, conduct, report, and follow up on quality audits. These exercises include preparation following ISO 19011 guidelines, equipping participants to handle real-world audit challenges effectively.
- Focus on QMS maturity and maintenance - To move beyond compliance, our course teaches auditors to assess the maturity level of a QMS and its effectiveness in supporting continuous improvement. By understanding QMS maintenance issues, auditors can help organisations move toward a culture where quality is consistently reviewed and improved.
- Objectives of an audit
- In our auditor courses, we emphasise during practical audit activities that conformance and improvement opportunities should be prioritised over finding non-conformances. This ensures that adding value is paramount to the audit process and that auditors are not driven by finding faults that may add very little value to the process other than to try and justify the audit and the resources involved. Nonconformities should always be raised as required, but only when there is clear evidence that a requirement has not been met, and not as a numbers game or to try and bolster the audit report.
Inspiring quality-driven professionals
QHSE's ISO 9001:2015 Lead Auditor Course goes beyond the basics of compliance auditing. It empowers participants to act as quality champions who inspire ongoing improvements within the organisations they serve. With these skills, it can help businesses build quality into their processes and drive long-term value, making a meaningful impact on their industry.
This World Quality Week, we celebrate the role of these forward-thinking auditors who bring more than just oversight, they foster a mindset of proactive improvement that enhances organisations from within.
https://www.qhseaberdeen.com/iso-courses/