ISO 19011:2018 - Guidelines for auditing management systems

Annex A

(informative)

Additional guidance for auditors planning and conducting audits

A.5 Verifying information

Insofar as practicable, the auditors should consider whether the information provides sufficient objective evidence to demonstrate that requirements are being met, such as being:

a) complete (all expected content is contained in the documented information);

b) correct (the content conforms to other reliable sources such as standards and regulations);

c) consistent (the documented information is consistent in itself and with related documents);

d) current (the content is up to date).

It should also be considered whether the information being verified provides sufficient objective evidence to demonstrate that requirements are being met

If information is provided in a manner other than expected (e.g. by different individuals, alternate media), the integrity of the evidence should be assessed.

Specific care is needed for information security due to applicable regulations on protection of data (in particular for information which lies outside the audit scope, but which is also contained in the document).