Dear friends,
Has the external (CB) QMS auditor authorities to examine auditee QMS documents of INTERNAL origin which are not interrelated (insufficiently related) with ensuring of the effective planning, operation and control of its processes? (For example - job description). Has he authorities to write NC against that documents? If "YES" what is a reason for that opinion? May be, examination of some QMS requirements (additional to ISO 9001) is a theme of internal QMS audit?
MVladimir,
The auditor can examine any document as necessary to fulfill the audit objective. I do not work for CBs and I offer to sign nondisclosure agreements.
I avoid looking at some confidential documents (in HR for example) and will ask the auditee's representative (an authorized person) to provide specific information from the file.
Failure to provide the document may jeopardize fulfillment of the audit objective and this could be sufficient to stop the audit.
If the job descriptions specified the required attributes, skills and knowledge of job titles directly or indirectly affecting quality then, in order to determine conformity to ISO 9001, I would need to see some job descriptions.
If the job descriptions are repeating parts of the procedures then my concern would be for avoiding discrepancies in the upkeep of the system so again I would need to sample some job descriptions related to recently revised procedures.
What other information could the job descriptions contain that would put them out of bounds of a process or system auditor?
Or whose job descriptions are you concerned about? After all just about everyone has a direct or indirect impact on quality.
BTW, idle curiousity is not a legitimate reason for any auditor looking at any document let alone confidential ones.
No auditor should abuse his or her authority and should always be prepared to explain the reason for examining a document in context with the audit objective.
John