Responsibilities of the Audit Team Leader:
ISO 19011:2018 (guidelines for auditing management systems), which supports the principles in ISO 9001:2015, specifies the responsibilities of an audit team leader. These responsibilities include:
Planning the audit and establishing effective communication between the audit team and auditee.
Ensuring that formal communication channels are agreed upon and followed.
Reporting the audit progress, significant findings, and any concerns to the auditee or audit client as necessary.
Managing the audit team and ensuring adherence to the defined objectives and scope.
Analysis of Options:
A. Reporting unattainable audit objectives to the accreditation body:Incorrect. This is not the responsibility of the audit team leader. The accreditation body oversees the certification body and is not directly involved in specific audits. If objectives are unattainable, the audit team leader would report them to the audit client (the certification body), not the accreditation body.
B. Planning formal communication arrangements:Correct. This is one of the responsibilities of the audit team leader. They ensure auditees can communicate with auditors as needed during the audit process.
C. Confirming communication channels during the opening meeting:Correct. During the opening meeting, the audit team leader must establish clear communication protocols to ensure effective information exchange between the audit team and auditee.
D. Communicating progress, findings, and concerns:Correct. Keeping the auditee and audit client informed about progress and significant findings is a critical responsibility of the audit team leader to maintain transparency and ensure the audit objectives are met.
Why Option A is Correct:
The audit team leader does not have any obligation to report unattainable objectives to the accreditation body. Instead, they are responsible for communicating issues to the audit client (typically the certification body). The accreditation body operates at a higher level and is concerned with overseeing certification bodies, not individual audits.
Relevant References:
ISO 19011:2018, Clause 6.4 (Conducting the Audit): Emphasizes the responsibilities of the audit team leader, including communication with the auditee and client.
ISO 9001:2015, Clause 9.2 (Internal Audit): Highlights the importance of planning and communication during audits, which is reflected in third-party audits as well.
