ISO 9001 Lead Auditor Training
Lead third-party certification audits of a quality management system: audit ISO 9001:2015 clauses 4 to 10 in depth, run a team through Stage 1 and Stage 2, and make a defensible certification recommendation.
29
Lessons
~15h
Study time
30
Exam questions
Earns a QR-verifiable Certificate of Training
Overview
About this course
A lead auditor is not simply a more experienced internal auditor. You carry the team, the time budget, what is said at the closing meeting, and a recommendation that a certification body will act on and an accreditation body may later scrutinise. This course prepares you for that responsibility against three standards at once: ISO 9001:2015 as the audit criteria, ISO 19011:2018 for audit conduct and auditor competence, and ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 for the rules that govern third-party certification.
The first six modules work through ISO 9001:2015 clauses 4 to 10 at audit depth — not what the clause says, but where the evidence lives, which trails to follow, what a weak answer sounds like, and how the resulting finding is worded. The remaining three modules cover the lead auditor's own subject: competence criteria and evaluation under ISO 19011 clause 7; selecting, briefing and leading a team; allocating clauses, processes and sites; sampling across sites and shifts; holding an audit plan to time; handling an uncooperative or hostile auditee; grading and defending findings; writing the report; and the recommendation, certification decision, surveillance and recertification that follow. The boundary between auditing and consultancy is treated explicitly, down to the sentences that cross it.
It is written for practising internal and second-party auditors moving to third-party work, QMS managers, consultants and certification-body auditors seeking a structured refresh. Afterwards you should be able to size and plan a certification audit, lead a team through Stage 1 and Stage 2, grade findings you can defend under challenge, and write a report that supports an independent certification decision.
The course concludes with a 30-question online exam (70% pass mark). Successful learners receive a verifiable SKEDMIA certificate. Approximately 16 hours of self-paced study.
Practise the audit before you do it for real
Reading a clause and auditing against it are different skills. Enrol on this course and you also get 6 months of AuditVerse, our interactive practice platform — you work through ISO audit scenarios, decide what to sample, and see how a finding holds up when it is challenged.
Sign in with the same email address and password you use here. Access runs for 6 months from the day you enrol, and there is nothing to buy or activate.
Open AuditVerseWhat you earn
A certificate anyone can verify in seconds
Score 70% or better on the final exam and Skedmia issues your Certificate of Training with a unique certificate number. Every certificate carries a QR code that resolves to our public register, so an employer or auditor can confirm it is genuine without contacting anyone.
Verified at skedmia.com/verify
Syllabus
Course content
10 modules · 29 lessons · ~15h
01Module 1 — The Lead Auditor's Remit — Certification, Accreditation and Impartiality3 lessons
- The Certification Chain — IAF, Accreditation Bodies and Certification BodiesPreview30 min
- Audit Principles and the Vocabulary of Audit — ISO 19011:2018 Clause 430 min
- The Impartiality Boundary — Auditing Without Consulting35 min
02Module 2 — Auditing Context and Leadership — Clauses 4 and 53 lessons
- Context and Interested Parties — Clauses 4.1 and 4.230 min
- Scope, the QMS and its Processes — Clauses 4.3 and 4.435 min
- Auditing Top Management — Clause 535 min
03Module 3 — Auditing Planning and Support — Clauses 6 and 73 lessons
- Risk, Objectives and Planned Change — Clause 635 min
- Resources, Calibration and Organisational Knowledge — Clause 7.135 min
- Competence, Awareness, Communication and Documented Information — Clauses 7.2 to 7.535 min
04Module 4 — Auditing Operation — Clause 8 from Enquiry to Supply3 lessons
- Operational Planning and Customer Requirements — Clauses 8.1 and 8.235 min
- Design and Development — Clause 8.340 min
- Externally Provided Processes, Products and Services — Clause 8.435 min
05Module 5 — Auditing Delivery, Release and Performance — Clauses 8.5 to 9.13 lessons
- Production and Service Provision — Clauses 8.5.1 to 8.5.435 min
- Post-delivery, Change, Release and Nonconforming Output — Clauses 8.5.5 to 8.735 min
- Monitoring, Measurement, Analysis and Evaluation — Clause 9.130 min
06Module 6 — Auditing Internal Audit, Management Review and Improvement — Clauses 9.2 to 103 lessons
- The Internal Audit Programme — Clause 9.235 min
- Management Review — Clause 9.330 min
- Nonconformity, Corrective Action and Improvement — Clause 1030 min
07Module 7 — Auditor Competence, Team Leadership and Behaviour — ISO 19011:2018 Clause 73 lessons
- Determining and Evaluating Auditor Competence — ISO 19011 Clauses 7.1 to 7.635 min
- Selecting the Team and Allocating the Work35 min
- Behaviour, Politics and the Difficult Auditee35 min
08Module 8 — Stage 1 and Stage 2 — Running the Certification Audit3 lessons
- Audit Programme, Audit Time and the Audit Plan35 min
- Stage 1 — Readiness, Not a Dress Rehearsal35 min
- Stage 2 — Fieldwork, Sampling and Time Control40 min
09Module 9 — Findings, Reporting and the Certification Decision — Closing the Audit and What Follows3 lessons
- Grading and Writing Findings — and Defending Them35 min
- The Audit Report and the Recommendation35 min
- Certification Decision, Surveillance and Recertification30 min
10Course materials & downloads2 lessons
- ISO 9001:2015 Lead Auditor Checklist — Clauses 4 to 10 (PDF)
- Nonconformity Report and Audit Report Template Pack (PDF)
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