Opening Meeting

The auditing of a QMS begins with an opening meeting. The main objective of opening meeting is to introduce each other and set agenda.

The Opening Meeting, also called Pre-Audit Conference, Start up Meeting etc., is the place to set the rules of conduct of the audit.

Matters requiring to be addressed during the opening meeting include:

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  Introduction of personnel
  The Team Leader should introduce them and their team, explaining the way people are organized — if there is more than one team, particular specialists in the team (s) etc.


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  Audit purpose and scope
  The Team Leader should explain the purpose and scope of audit, perhaps also a statement about the authority for conducting it.


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  Review of the audit programme
  The programme will have been discussed, developed and agreed with the audittee. However, plans may have to be altered slightly and these should be covered at this stage.


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  Guide (s) for the team (s)
  The Team Leader will determine need, if they have not been advised already, who the guides are and whom they will accompany.


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  Logistics
  This covers all the other arrangements- transport, protective clothing, lunch arrangements, and facilities for use by the auditors (office). Lunch arrangements need to be confirmed — typically these take the form of a working lunch on site or a short lunch externally.


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  Clarification
  There may be points the audittee wish to clarify and these should be dealt with by the Team Leader. The Team Leader also needs to confirm current issue status of the key documents — manuals etc.


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  Reporting methods
  The method of recording conformance and discrepancies and the documents left by the auditors at the end of the audit will need to be explained by the Team Leader.


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  Confidentiality
  The audit is confidential between the two parties, so also is any information raised before, during or thereafter. The auditors are bound by this confidentiality.


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  Restrictions
  Although any major restrictions to the auditors will tend to have been made clear during the planning stage, these may need confirmation or discussion at this point. Such restrictions include clean areas / hazardous areas where particular arrangements for protective clothing have to be made.


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  Audit is a sample
  The Team Leader should make it clear that the audit is a sampling activity and subject therefore to those limitations. Both acceptable and nonconforming aspects will be seen and missed. The Team Leader should assure the management however that he will make samples as representative as possible and draw only reasonable conclusions.
  


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  Closing
  When all the above and any other matters have been dealt with, the Team Leader should bring the meeting to a close by thanking the management and confirming the date and time of the Closing Meeting.