Audit Plan Template

Improve auditing processes with a dedicated audit plan template to streamline operations.

Integrated Management System Audit Plan Template

Based on ISO 9001:2015, ISO 45001:2018, and ISO 14001:2015 standards, you can use this audit plan template to conduct an internal audit of your systems as well as enlist the help of an external auditor to ensure your compliance with different operational and management systems.

Specifically, you can use this template to do the following:

• Declare auditing goals, scope, and objectives
• Comply with health, safety, and environmental standards, international and local
• Improve leadership among teams
• Document problems with management and operations
• Coordinate with external auditors by exporting your audit plan template in Excel, Word, PDF, and Weblink formats

What is an Audit Plan Template?

An audit plan template is a premade document that serves as a framework or foundation for auditors to properly audit different companies, businesses, processes, and standards. It can be used for internal and external purposes, covering a business’ finances, operations, procedures, compliance, and more.

Importance

Having a set audit plan template is an essential part of conducting any audit. Not only does it streamline the auditing process and ensures no important steps are missed, but it also helps in managing and maintaining compliance with internal standards, laws, and regulations. It serves as a backbone of all auditing tasks, audit plans, and auditing programs, as it lays out the objectives, scope, and timeline of the audit.

Other benefits of having an audit plan template include:

• Enhanced accountability for conducting audits
• More efficiently-managed risk management and mitigation plans
• Consistent compliance with industry standards, finance budgets, and safety protocols as agreed upon within the administration
• Efficient and practical allocation of resources such as staff, time, technology, and finances for operations
• Improved decision-making skills during an audit and after changes have been identified and implemented

What to Consider

There are different types and uses for an audit plan template. However, in all cases, the following should be considered when making your template and audit plan accordingly:

• What are the business risks to be aware of, and how should they be addressed?
• What areas of your operations and business have special considerations to be necessary during the auditing process?
• What are the standards and metrics you need to follow for auditing, and how flexible are they?
• What are the audit procedures to be followed?
• How will the findings of the audit be interpreted and documented?
• How long will the auditing process take?
• When will the auditing plan be finished and implemented?

What to Include in an Audit Plan Template

Generally, an audit plan template should have fields for the following:

• Date for the audit to be conducted on
• List of instructions, standards, and metrics to follow for the audit
• List of personnel involved in the auditing process
• Audit objectives, scope, and criteria
• Information about the pre-audit brief and list of tasks to audit
• List of aspects of a business to audit, such as leadership, operations, management, planning, performance evaluations, and documentation processes
• Recommendations for the business being audited based on findings
• Comments post-audit meeting
• Additional notes unrelated to the audit plan but are good to keep track of

Here is a sample digital audit plan template in use for reference:

FAQs about Audit Plan Templates

What are the most common types of audit plan templates?

Audit plan templates come in different forms for different uses. Some of its types include:

• Internal audit plan template
• ISO compliance audit plan template
• Corrective action audit plan template
• Finance audit plan template

How often should you use an audit plan template?

The frequency of an audit depends on many factors, such as existing problems, resources, and standards. However, typically a general audit happens annually, bi-annually, or quarterly. An audit can also be performed if significant changes happen to ensure all operations are flowing smoothly.

What are the 5 steps of audit planning?

An audit plan is often carried out following these steps:

1. Determine the purpose of the audit
2. Define your goals and objectives
3. Set the scope of your audit
4. Plan your audit and conduct pre-audit meetings with your team
5. Finalize the audit procedures to follow

Efficiently Create and Manage Audit Plans with SafetyCulture

A typical audit plan takes many discussions to finalize, which makes an audit plan template likely to be a long document. To save on time and paper, consider going digital with your audit plan. With a digital solution, it will be easier to create an audit plan and template it, as well as access it anytime and anywhere as needed.

SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor) is a mobile-ready digital solution provider that can help you with your audit plans, programs, operations, and more. With SafetyCulture, you can download premade audit plan templates from the Public Library or create your own from scratch, then store all files in the cloud for easy access. Each file can have customizable access controls, ensuring privacy and security of data, as well as order in assigning tasks.

Other things SafetyCulture can help with include documentation, task management, and safety management. You can use this application to do the following:

• Keep all auditing data within reach through Integrations
• Schedule internal audits and audit planning sessions in-app
• Report issues with operations, finances, and compliance as you spot them
• Create and assign corrective actions to the right people to address auditing problems
• Train employees on proper auditing practices and monitor their progress
• Manage company assets and equipment and ensure their compliance with different standards
• Communicate vital policies and SOPs with your team and staff through Heads Up
• Share your files with others by exporting your audit plan templates in Excel, Word, PDF, and Weblink formats

Related Audit Plan Templates

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Roselin Manawis is a content writer and researcher for SafetyCulture. She has experience in news writing and content marketing across different fields of discipline. Her background in Communication Arts enables her to leverage multimedia and improve the quality of her work. She also contributed as a research assistant for an international study and as a co-author for two books in 2020. With her informative articles, she aims to ignite digital transformation in workplaces around the world.

Explore more templates

ISO 13485:2016 Standard Checklist

This ISO 13485:2016 standard checklist can help quality managers find gaps in the organization’s current processes. This digital checklist is divided into 5 sections following ISO 13485:2016’s key clauses.

General GMP Audit Checklist

Use this audit checklist during regular site inspections to evaluate overall adherence to manufacturing protocols. The checklist is divided into 9 sections and applies scoring which will give you insight into how your audits are performing over time. This also includes quality management processes for contamination, pest control, packaging, and labelling.