R
I agree 100% with the auditor. We must demonstrate that all topics in 5.6 are covered in the management review.
This is a clear tic-tac, non-value added nonconformity. If the external auditor really wants to know if the management review activity evaluated, or not, the resource issue, s/he can ASK top management about it. But, chances are, this auditor might be one of those who are scared of interacting with the organization's top management, as many CB auditors do. They have no problem "exercising their authority" with a QA/QC Manager, document control clerk, calibration supervisor, etc...but dread any interaction with the leadership of the organization being audited.
Verbal answers are also objective evidence admissible in an audit. Actually, when it comes to a quality system, a tremendous amount of evidence about the deployment and effectiveness exists, but it is NEVER captured in a record.
The nc should be appealed and questioned for value addition. The race to the bottom, in terms of auditor caliber, seems to be going well.
