Key Steps for Conducting an Effective QMS Internal Audit in Garments Industry

QMS stands for Quality Management System. ISO 9000:2015 (Quality Management System – Fundamentals and Vocabulary) defines an internal audit as a systematic, independent, and documented process that obtains audit evidence and objectively evaluates it to determine the extent to which the audit criteria are fulfilled. In this article, we are discussing the Key Steps for conducting an Effective QMS Internal Audit in the garments industry.

The primary objectives of conducting a QMS internal audit are to ensure compliance with regulations, continuous improvement, risk mitigation, and maintaining or enhancing the quality of products or services delivered by the organization. Additionally, the QMS internal audit provides valuable insights for enhancing overall organizational performance. An internal auditor conducts the audit process based on some standards and processes.

Purpose of QMS Internal Audit:

The QMS (Quality Management System) international standard requires conducting internal audits at planned intervals (most commonly followed by a 1-year internal audit) to conform

• Organization’s requirements for QMS (Quality Management System);
• Requirements of the QMS (Quality Management System) International Standard, like ISO/IEC 17025, ISO/IEC 17020, ISO 9001, etc.
• QMS (Quality Management System) is effectively implemented and maintained.

The organization is able to select its own internal audit lead and team members, so the organization’s qualified staff conduct internal audit. An effective internal audit can

• Provide an opportunity for employees to receive training and develop their skills
• Identify the improvement areas
• Identify potential risks and opportunities for risk mitigation
• Provide information to support management reviews of the QMS

Internal audit is one of the tools for continual improvement. Conducting a successful QMS audit involves several key steps. Here are some general guidelines that can be followed.

Scope and objectives of QMS Internal Audit:

The auditors need to have a clear understanding of the objectives and the scope of the audit. Clearly defining the scope and the objectives will help on focusing our efforts and ensure that we can cover all relevant areas of the QMS. Once the audit task is allocated, the auditor must take information as necessary by gathering documentation and studying as appropriate, and even by preliminary discussion with the appropriate auditee to develop an understanding of the audit target area.

• Develop an audit program: Develop a detailed audit plan that includes

• Make an audit team: At the time of making an audit team, we should consider the required competency of the auditors by focusing on the audit scope and objective. This will help to build a perfect, competent audit team. Without a good audit team, the objectives of the audit might fail.  

• Make an audit detailed schedule: Make an audit schedule based on the audit scope, area (related department), and assign auditors as per their expertise in different fields. After making the schedule, circulate the audit schedule to the auditee management.
• Develop Checklist: There should be a detailed checklist as per the required standard. (If we want to conduct an audit as per ISO/IEC 17025: 2017, then each clause of this standard must be addressed on a checklist, separate checklist for each testing standard might be developed.
• Detailed plan of action: The auditor must have a plan for how to obtain information and evidence through questioning. Such as where to start the audit, who to talk first, where to go next, who to talk to next, how / where to observe the process, how / where to test the system, etc. Thus, a plan of action can be developed.

Conduct the QMS Internal Audit in the Garments Industry:

Conduct the audit according to the audit schedule. There are two types of audit

Vertical Audit

Conducting a vertical audit involves assessing compliance with relevant clauses through the random selection of test reports, certificates, reported test results, or calibration results.

Horizontal Audit

Horizontal audit is conducted by assessing compliance to relevant clauses across the standard or activities within the declared scope of audit.

Generally, auditors utilize both types of audits in the auditing process. Additionally, they conduct test witnessing alongside the two aforementioned audit types, specifically for technical audits. Auditor should assess the technical competency of the auditees as well the as the applicable calluses of the standard during test witnessing.

Auditors should collect objective evidence by documenting the findings, asking open-ended questions, and avoiding leading questions that could bias the results. It’s also necessary to verify that the process adheres not only to the specifications or relevant procedures but also to the general requirements for process management and improvement outlined in the internal standard. The auditor’s task is to verify that the defined system elements exist, are implemented, and are effective.

Paperwork that may be examined by an auditor

• Quality Procedure / Work instruction
• Quality plans
• Project Plans
• Test Data
• Specifications
• Drawing
• Contracts/ Orders
• Meeting Minutes of Management Review
• Failure Reports
• Vendor performance data
• Verification Results
• Design Review Meeting minutes
• Equipment Calibration
• Equipment Traceability            
• Equipment Maintenance
• Training Details
• Previous Audit Findings etc.

Analyze the findings:

After completion of the internal audit, auditors will group the findings and opportunities for improvement into categories such as process-related issues, documentation-related issues, human resource-related issues, etc. This will help to identify the areas of improvement and prioritize them based on their impact on the organization’s quality performance. While writing the audit report, evaluate the severity and frequency of each non-conformance and prioritize them based on their impact on the QMS. The auditor should issue an Internal Audit report to top management so that management can focus on the area for improvement.

Take a corrective action plan:

Do proper root cause analysis for each finding and take corrective action accordingly. The involvement of the relevant stakeholders in the corrective action process and tracking progress towards resolution is very important, so assign responsibility for implementing the corrective action. Set timelines for implementing the corrective action and ensure that they are realistic and achievable. Monitor the progress of implementing the corrective action and report on it periodically, which will help to track the effectiveness of the corrective action and make adjustments if necessary. This may involve conducting a follow-up audit or reviewing documentation.

Overall, internal audit is an important tool for ensuring that a Quality Management System is effective, efficient, and continually improving. By identifying risk, opportunities for improvement, and verifying compliance with standards and regulations. Internal audits also help organizations meet customer requirements, reduce risk, and improve operational performance.

These are the Key Steps for conducting an Effective QMS Internal Audit in the garments industry.