TPM,
The requirement of the specification is to perform three types of audits:
- Quality management system,
- Manufacturing process,
- Product.
Internal audits ........ shall be scheduled according to an annual plan.
Having said this, I deferred to the "IATF Guidance to ISO/TS 16949-2002" (Page 24), and find this bit of "guidance";
"There are many approaches to analyse quality management system, product quality and process performance. In the context of the internal audit clause, internal audit for the organization should be independent of those having direct responsibility for the work performed. Personnel should not audit their own work"
Still nothing definitive.
The AIAG supplier auditor course did not dicuss QMS or product audits or schedules. The primary focus was process audits.
Still, nothing definitive.
IMO, perform the audits in whatever combination that you decide as long as you have defined the process and maintain a schedule for the three types of audits.
IMO, however, you might find it impractical to combine a QMS audit with a Process audit.
Actually, no one has defined what a QMS audit really is. Is it a process audit itself, or is it just an "element" audit as suggested by the IATF "Quality System Checklist"