ISO 9001:2026 Lead Auditor Course Online

Name: ISO 9001:2026 Lead Auditor (Quality Management Systems)
Price: 16595.00 ZAR
Availability: InStock

About Course

Exemplar Global Recognised Training Provider (RTP) badge issued to ASC Food Safety

Recognised by Exemplar GlobalThis course is one of 28 ASC Food Safety courses recognised by Exemplar Global under its Recognised Training Provider (RTP) scheme. The recognition covers in-class, live virtual and online delivery.

Verify on Credly All recognised courses

Lead an ISO 9001:2026 certification audit from the application review to the close-out

This is an expert-level, fully online ISO 9001:2026 lead auditor course, recognised by Exemplar Global, for people who already know ISO 9001 and now need to audit it the way a certification body does. In the virtual audit you run a full certification audit of one company, from the application review to the corrective action review, and each of its 11 stage quizzes is marked the moment you submit.

Price	Duration	Level	Access
USD 999 (R16 595 at checkout, no VAT added)	About 44 hours, self-paced	Expert, Level 5	12 months

The virtual audit at ASC Flexible Packaging

ASC Flexible Packaging is a training case built from real audit patterns. It is a rotogravure printer, laminator and pouch maker in Hammarsdale, KwaZulu-Natal, and it has applied for initial certification to ISO 9001:2026. In the virtual audit you review its application and work out the audit time, read its Stage 1 documents and decide whether it is ready, pick the team and plan Stage 2, interview its people from the managing director to the night shift laboratory technician, test its records, walk the site, run a trace test against the clock, write and grade the findings, hold the closing meeting under pressure, write the report and decide whether its corrective action plans are good enough to accept. That is 13 steps, about 13 hours on the step pages and about 3 more on the 11 timed stage quizzes that close steps 1 to 11.

Built on the current editions

ISO 9001:2026, the sixth edition published on 16 September 2026, audited clause by clause, with every change from the 2015 edition and what evidence an auditor should expect for it, including the climate change decision, quality culture and ethical behaviour, risks and opportunities as separate work, the strengthened planning of changes and the new management review inputs.
ISO 9000:2026 for the fundamentals and vocabulary.
ISO 19011:2026, the fourth edition, for audit principles, audit programmes, the conduct of the audit and auditor competence, including its expanded guidance on remote auditing.
ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and ISO/IEC 17021-3:2017 for third-party certification, auditor competence and grading nonconformities major or minor.
The Global ACI documents that took over from the IAF in 2026, for audit time (Global ACI-TECH-3-004, formerly IAF MD 5), multi-site (TECH-3-001, formerly IAF MD 1), remote auditing (TECH-3-003, formerly IAF MD 4) and the ISO 9001:2026 transition (Global ACI-TECH-3-TR).

The audit skills you practise

Reviewing an application for scope, IAF code, risk category, effective number of personnel, audit time and impartiality.
Testing a “not applicable” claim, including the design and development claim that so many converters and contract manufacturers make.
Planning the audit hour by hour across shifts, sites and outsourced processes, and choosing a team with the right codes.
Running the opening and closing meetings, including the operations director who asks you to leave the pouch unit for a later audit and the managing director who asks you to downgrade a major.
Interviewing at every level, following trails from a customer complaint back to the cause, and telling evidence from assertion.
Writing findings that survive challenge, and grading them major or minor. In this course a nonconformity that affects allergen information, legal or regulatory compliance, or chemical contamination, including migration from packaging, is graded major.
Judging corrective action plans, and knowing when a root cause of “operator error” is no root cause at all.

What you walk away with

One ASC Certificate of Achievement covering the three units, QM, AU and TL, when you have passed all three.
Your own audit workbook from the virtual audit, with your checklists, trails, findings, report and corrective action review, exported as an Excel file.
A model answer for every case pack in the course, to compare with your own work.
The list in Lesson 8.5 of the records to keep, including your audit logs, before you apply to a personnel certification body.

How the course works

A short start-up section, eight modules and the virtual audit. Part A, Modules 1 to 4, takes ISO 9001:2026 through an auditor’s eyes. Part B, Modules 5 to 8, takes ISO 19011:2026 and third-party certification. Self-paced with no live sessions, and 12 months of access. Most lead auditor courses run as four or five fixed days in a classroom or on a live call. This one fits around your own audits and your job. At four hours a week, that is about eleven weeks.

Part	What it covers	Hours
Before you start	How the course is built and assessed, the standards you need, and an entry check	0.5
Module 1	ISO 9001:2026 through an auditor’s eyes: principles, structure, the words that decide findings, every 2026 change, scope and applicability, legal requirements, integrated audits and the transition	2.6
Module 2	Auditing context, leadership and planning, clauses 4 to 6, with a top management interview	2.3
Module 3	Auditing support and the front end of operation, clauses 7 to 8.4, including design and development and external providers	2.8
Module 4	Auditing operation, performance and improvement, clauses 8.5 to 10, with a timed trace test	2.7
Module 5	Audit principles, audit programmes and third-party certification: accreditation, audit time, multi-site and impartiality	2.2
Module 6	Planning the audit: Stage 1, the audit plan, the team, work documents, and remote and hybrid audits	2.4
Module 7	Conducting the audit: meetings, sampling, interviewing, trails, difficult situations, writing and grading findings	2.8
Module 8	Concluding the audit: the closing meeting, the report, follow-up, the certification decision, transition audits and auditor competence	2.1
Virtual audit	ASC Flexible Packaging, 13 steps with the Audit Workbench and 11 timed stage quizzes	16
Checks, games and practice tests	Eight knowledge checks, eight audit games, seven activity checks and two practice tests	4
Exams	Exam A in two sections and Exam B in three, video proctored	3.1

Every module from 2 to 8 has a compulsory activity on ASC Flexible Packaging or another case site and a module case study at a different company and country. The case studies are set at a cold-chain logistics company in Kenya, an electronics contract manufacturer in Malaysia, a wiring harness supplier in Morocco, a multi-site cement group in Nigeria, a pharmaceutical glass vial maker in India, a furniture manufacturer in Poland and an IT managed services company in Uganda. Every lesson has worked cases with model answers and questions to think through before you reveal the answer.

How you are assessed

Three units, QM (Quality Management Systems), AU (Auditing Management Systems) and TL (Leading Management System Audit Teams). When you have passed all three, you receive one ASC Certificate of Achievement that covers them.
Exam A on quality management systems, in two sections, and Exam B on auditing and audit team leadership, in three sections, the third in two parts on writing and grading findings and on judging corrective action responses. Both are online and proctored by webcam with photo identification. You may use your own clean copy of ISO 9001:2026, and nothing else.
The virtual audit’s 11 stage quizzes, each set on the evidence in its step.
You need 70 percent in every section of every assessment. You have three attempts, and each attempt draws a different set of questions.
Everything is marked automatically the moment you submit, with feedback that names the lesson to go back to. Nobody waits for a marker.

A course certificate is evidence of training, not personnel certification as an auditor. Certification as a QMS auditor or lead auditor is a separate step with a personnel certification body, on its own criteria. Exemplar Global adds its Work Style Assessment, and the CQI and IRCA ask for logged audits. Module 8 explains that route.

Who it is for

Quality managers who lead internal or supplier audits, consultants who prepare clients for certification, second-party auditors, and certification body auditors moving into QMS lead auditing, in any sector. You need a working knowledge of ISO 9001. Try this before you enrol. A company that builds electrical switchboards has three customer complaints in one quarter about loose terminals, and each corrective action reads “operator retrained”. Which clause of ISO 9001:2026 applies, what is the difference between the correction and the corrective action, and is “operator retrained” a root cause? If you can answer all three in a line each without looking anything up, you are ready. If you are new to the standard, start with ISO 9001:2026 Understanding and Implementation. If you are new to auditing, start with ISO 9001:2026 Internal Auditor.

Who wrote it

Written by Mthokozisi Nkosi, founder of ASC Food Safety Consultants and a registered lead auditor with Exemplar Global and IRCA, and reviewed by ASC’s publication panel before it went live. ISO 9001:2026 is published by ISO. This course is independent training and is not approved or endorsed by ISO or by any management system certification body.

What you need

Your own copies of ISO 9001:2026, ISO 9000:2026, ISO 19011:2026, ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and ISO/IEC 17021-3:2017. ISO/IEC TS 17012:2024 is useful but optional. Standards are copyright works, so they are not included. Buy them from ISO or your national standards body, such as the SABS. The Global ACI documents are free from global-aci.org. You also need a laptop or desktop with a webcam for the proctored exams.

Frequently asked questions

Is this ISO 9001 lead auditor course suitable for beginners?

No. It is an expert course for people who already know ISO 9001 and now need to lead audits. If you are new to the standard, start with ISO 9001:2026 Understanding and Implementation. If you are new to auditing, start with ISO 9001:2026 Internal Auditor.

Is the course written for ISO 9001:2026 or ISO 9001:2015?

ISO 9001:2026, published on 16 September 2026. Lesson 1.5 covers every change from the 2015 edition, Lesson 1.9 covers auditing a transition and Module 8 covers transition audits. If you already hold an ISO 9001:2015 lead auditor certificate and only need the changes, Transition to ISO 9001:2026 covers them in about 8 hours, and the free change list sets them out clause by clause. Certified organisations must complete the transition by 30 September 2029, and from 31 March 2028 initial certifications are to the 2026 edition only.

How long does the course take, and how long do I have access?

About 44 hours in total, including about 16 hours on the virtual audit and about 3 hours of exams. It is self-paced, with no live sessions, and you have 12 months from enrolment. At four hours a week, that is about eleven weeks.

How am I assessed?

By two online exams proctored by webcam with photo identification, Exam A in two sections and Exam B in three, and by the 11 stage quizzes of the virtual audit. You need 70 percent in every section, and you have three attempts, each with a different draw of questions. Everything is marked automatically when you submit.

What is the virtual audit?

A complete initial certification audit of ASC Flexible Packaging, a training case built from real audit patterns. In 13 steps you review the application, assess Stage 1, plan Stage 2, run the opening meeting, interview, test records, walk the site, run a timed trace test, write and grade findings, hold the closing meeting, write the report and review the corrective action plans. Steps 1 to 11 each end in a timed stage quiz.

Will this course make me a certified ISO 9001 lead auditor?

No course can do that on its own. When you have passed all three units, you receive one ASC Certificate of Achievement covering them, which is evidence of training. Certification as an auditor is a separate step with a personnel certification body, which applies its own criteria, such as a work style assessment or logged audits.

Is the course recognised by Exemplar Global?

Yes. ASC Food Safety is an Exemplar Global Recognised Training Provider, and the ISO 9001:2026 Lead Auditor course is one of its recognised courses, whether you take it online, in a live virtual class or in class. ASC issues your certificate, not Exemplar Global. You can verify ASC’s recognition on Credly and see all the recognised courses.

Is the course CQI and IRCA certified?

No. It is recognised by Exemplar Global under its Recognised Training Provider scheme. Exemplar Global and the CQI and IRCA each certify auditors on their own criteria, and Lesson 8.5 explains both routes. If an employer or a certification body has asked you for a CQI and IRCA certified course by name, check with them before you enrol.

Which standards do I need to buy?

ISO 9001:2026, ISO 9000:2026, ISO 19011:2026, ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and ISO/IEC 17021-3:2017. ASC cannot supply standards because they are copyright works. You need your own clean copy of ISO 9001:2026 for the exams.

Will the course work in my sector?

Yes. ISO 9001 applies to every sector. The module case studies are set at a cold-chain logistics company, an electronics contract manufacturer, an automotive wiring harness supplier, a multi-site cement group, a pharmaceutical glass vial maker, a furniture manufacturer and an IT managed services company, and the lessons use examples from manufacturing, engineering, logistics, construction, IT and services. The virtual audit is set at a packaging converter because it raises the questions every QMS lead auditor meets, such as design responsibility, outsourced processes, customer property and processes whose output cannot be fully checked afterwards.

How much does the course cost, and can I pay from outside South Africa?

USD 999. The store charges in South African rand, R16 595 at checkout, and accepts international Visa and Mastercard cards. Your bank converts the amount to your own currency. The fee includes 12 months of access, the virtual audit and the proctored exams. Standards are bought separately.

Can my company train a team?

Yes. We can enrol a group online with a manager dashboard, or run the course as a live virtual class or in class for your team. WhatsApp us for a quote.

Enrol

ISO 9001:2026 Lead Auditor (Quality Management Systems), USD 999 (R16 595 at checkout). About 44 hours, expert level, self-paced, 12 months of access. Eight modules, a 13-step virtual audit of ASC Flexible Packaging, two video proctored exams and an ASC Certificate of Achievement covering all three units. Enrol now with the button on this page, or start with the free reading at ISO 9001:2026 training.

Audit a QMS against ISO 9001:2026 clause by clause, the way a certification body does
Lead an initial certification audit under ISO 19011:2026 and ISO/IEC 17021-1, from application review to close-out
Work out audit time and multi-site samples under the Global ACI mandatory documents
Write findings that survive challenge and grade them major or minor
Audit legal, regulatory and customer requirements inside the QMS
Judge corrective action plans and root causes before closing findings
Run opening and closing meetings, interview at every level and lead an audit team

Course Content

Before you start
Module 0 sets you up before Module 1. It explains how the lessons, games, knowledge checks, activities, module case studies and the 13-step virtual audit fit together, how units QM, AU and TL are assessed and certificated, why a course certificate is evidence of training and not personnel certification, which standards to buy, and how to pace about 44 hours of study. It ends with a 20-question entry check that tells you whether you are ready to start.

Lesson 0.1: How this course works, how you are assessed, and the personnel certification route
Lesson 0.2: Your copy of the standards, how the quizzes work, and the entry check

Module 1: ISO 9001:2026 through an auditor’s eyes
Module 1 reads ISO 9001:2026 the way a lead auditor reads it. It covers what a quality management system is for and what a QMS lead auditor answers for, the ISO 9000 family and the seven quality management principles, how the standard is built, and the words that decide whether a finding stands. It then works through every change from the 2015 edition with the evidence to expect and the finding to write, how to test scope and a not applicable claim including 8.3, legal requirements in South Africa and export markets, integrated and combined audits, and the transition to ISO 9001:2026 under Global ACI-TECH-3-TR.

Lesson 1.1: What a QMS is for, and what a QMS lead auditor answers for
Lesson 1.2: The ISO 9000 family, ISO 9000:2026 and the seven quality management principles
Lesson 1.3: How ISO 9001:2026 is built: harmonized structure, the process approach, PDCA, risk-based and opportunity-based thinking
Lesson 1.4: The words that decide findings: shall, should, may, can, notes, Annex A, “available as documented information” and the A.2 terms
Lesson 1.5: From 2015 to 2026: every change an auditor has to test
Lesson 1.6: Scope and applicability: testing a “not applicable” claim, including 8.3
Lesson 1.7: Legal, statutory and regulatory requirements in a QMS audit, South Africa and export markets
Lesson 1.8: One system, several standards: integrated and combined audits with ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 22000 and BRCGS
Lesson 1.9: The transition to ISO 9001:2026 under Global ACI-TECH-3-TR, and auditing a transition

Module 2: Auditing context, leadership and planning, clauses 4 to 6
Module 2 turns clauses 4 to 6 of ISO 9001:2026 into audit work. You learn to test context, interested parties and the climate change decision, to challenge a scope that leaves out a site, design work or outsourced processes, and to audit clause 4.4 where processes meet. You run the top management interview against the twelve items of 5.1.1, test the policy and the assignment of roles, and learn how to audit quality culture and ethical behaviour proportionately, without inventing requirements. You audit risks and opportunities as separate work, then quality objectives and the planning of changes, with every 2026 change flagged. Activity A2 puts you in the boardroom with the Managing Director of ASC Flexible Packaging, and the case study takes you to a cold-chain logistics company in Kenya.

Lesson 2.1: Auditing context, interested parties and the climate change decision
Lesson 2.2: Auditing the scope, the processes and outsourcing (4.3, 4.4)
Lesson 2.3: Auditing leadership, customer focus, the policy and roles, and how to audit quality culture and ethical behaviour proportionately (5)
Lesson 2.4: Auditing risks (6.1.2) and opportunities (6.1.3) as separate work
Activity A2: The top management interview at ASC Flexible Packaging, judging leadership evidence from a transcript
Lesson 2.5: Auditing quality objectives (6.2) and planning of changes (6.3)
Module 2 case study: a cold-chain logistics company in Kenya, auditing clauses 4 to 6 from one evidence pack

Module 3: Auditing support and the front end of operation, clauses 7 to 8.4
Module 3 takes clauses 7 to 8.4 the way an auditor works them. You audit resources, infrastructure and the working environment, test measuring equipment and judge what an organisation did about results from an instrument found out of tolerance, and check that knowledge, competence and the new awareness of quality culture and ethical behaviour are real on the floor. You follow communication and documented information through live jobs, including customer artwork and specifications, audit operational planning, contract review and the 2026 duty to tell customers about contingency actions, decide when design and development applies and how to audit it, and test the control of external providers. Activity A3 reviews ASC Flexible Packaging’s Kestrel pouch file and its laminator change, and the case study takes you to an electronics contract manufacturer in Malaysia.

Lesson 3.1: Auditing resources: people, infrastructure and the environment for the operation of processes
Lesson 3.2: Auditing monitoring and measuring resources and measurement traceability, including equipment found out of tolerance
Lesson 3.3: Auditing organisational knowledge, competence and awareness
Lesson 3.4: Auditing communication and documented information, including documents of external origin
Lesson 3.5: Auditing operational planning and requirements for products and services, including contract review and contingency information
Lesson 3.6: Auditing design and development: when 8.3 applies and how to audit the stages
Activity A3: Reviewing ASC Flexible Packaging’s Kestrel pouch file and the laminator L2 change
Lesson 3.7: Auditing externally provided processes, products and services
Module 3 case study: an electronics contract manufacturer in Malaysia, auditing clauses 7 to 8.4

Module 4: Auditing operation, performance and improvement, clauses 8.5 to 10
Module 4 follows the work from the line or the service desk to the customer, then asks whether the organisation checks its own performance and learns. You audit controlled conditions under 8.5.1, including processes whose output cannot be verified afterwards and actions to prevent human error, run and judge a trace test, and follow changes, releases, holds and concessions through 8.5.6 to 8.7. You then audit monitoring, analysis, internal audit and management review as one chain from data to decision, with the 2026 changes, and test corrective action and continual improvement under the restructured clause 10. Activity A4 times a trace test at ASC Flexible Packaging, and the case study takes you to an invented wiring harness supplier in Morocco.

Lesson 4.1: Auditing production and service provision: controlled conditions, processes whose output cannot be verified, and human error (8.5.1)
Lesson 4.2: Auditing identification, traceability, customer property, preservation and post-delivery, and running a trace test (8.5.2 to 8.5.5)
Lesson 4.3: Auditing control of changes and release (8.5.6, 8.6)
Lesson 4.4: Auditing nonconforming outputs and concessions (8.7)
Lesson 4.5: Auditing monitoring, measurement, customer satisfaction, analysis and evaluation (9.1)
Lesson 4.6: Auditing internal audit and management review (9.2, 9.3)
Activity A4: Trace test on ASC Flexible Packaging job J27-0217, against the clock
Lesson 4.7: Auditing nonconformity, corrective action and continual improvement (10)
Module 4 case study: an automotive wiring harness supplier in Morocco, auditing crimping, traceability, customer property and concessions

Module 5: Audit principles, audit programmes and third-party certification, ISO 19011:2026 clauses 1 to 5
Part B starts here. Module 5 sets out what an audit is and the vocabulary that decides how you report, the seven principles of auditing in ISO 19011:2026 and what breaking each one costs, and how accreditation and certification fit together under ISO/IEC 17021-1, ISO/IEC 17021-3 and Global ACI. You place an applicant in its IAF codes, calculate QMS audit time under Global ACI-TECH-3-004 (formerly IAF MD 5), apply the multi-site rules in Global ACI-TECH-3-001 (formerly IAF MD 1), test an application for impartiality, and build an audit programme under clause 5 of ISO 19011. Activity A5 has you review a certification application under commercial pressure, and the case study takes you to a multi-site cement group in Nigeria.

Lesson 5.1: What an audit is: vocabulary, audit types, combined and joint audits, and the remote auditing method
Lesson 5.2: The seven principles of auditing, and what breaking each one costs
Lesson 5.3: Accreditation and certification: ISO/IEC 17021-1, ISO/IEC 17021-3, Global ACI and the IAF codes
Lesson 5.4: The certification cycle, audit time under Global ACI-TECH-3-004, multi-site under TECH-3-001, and impartiality
Activity A5: Impartiality and audit time under pressure, reviewing a certification application
Lesson 5.5: Managing an audit programme under ISO 19011:2026 clause 5
Module 5 case study: a multi-site cement group in Nigeria, eligibility, sampling and audit time

Module 6: Planning the audit, ISO 19011:2026 clauses 6.1 to 6.3
Module 6 takes one audit from the programme and turns it into a plan that works on the day, following ISO 19011:2026 clauses 6.1 to 6.3 and the Stage 1 rules of ISO/IEC 17021-1. You make first contact and decide feasibility, run Stage 1 and make a readiness decision, write a risk-based Stage 2 plan that fits the shifts, the people and the locations, choose a team by IAF code and ISO/IEC 17021-3 and screen it for impartiality, prepare checklists, turtle diagrams and audit trails, and decide what can be audited remotely under Global ACI-TECH-3-003. The lessons use an invented steel fabricator in Botswana, the activity has you pick and brief its audit team, and the case study plans a high-risk audit at a pharmaceutical glass vial maker in India.

Lesson 6.1: Initiating the audit: first contact and feasibility
Lesson 6.2: Stage 1 and the review of documented information
Lesson 6.3: Risk-based planning and writing the audit plan
Lesson 6.4: Choosing the team and technical experts by IAF code and ISO/IEC 17021-3, and assigning work
Lesson 6.5: Work documents: checklists, the turtle diagram and audit trails
Activity A6: Picking and briefing the audit team
Lesson 6.6: Remote and hybrid audits under Global ACI-TECH-3-003 and ISO/IEC TS 17012
Module 6 case study: a pharmaceutical glass vial manufacturer in India, planning Stage 1 and Stage 2

Module 7: Conducting the audit and determining findings, ISO 19011:2026 clauses 6.4.1 to 6.4.8
Module 7 takes the audit plan onto the site. You run the opening meeting and control the audit, collect and verify evidence by interview, observation and records, sample with limits you can state, and follow process, customer, supplier and top management trails at sites from machine shops and warehouses to contact centres and construction projects. You handle obstacles, pressure and suspected deception, write findings in three parts that survive challenge, and grade them major or minor under ISO/IEC 17021-1 and the course grading rule. Activity A7 follows a complaint at ASC Flexible Packaging back to artwork control, and the case study runs day one at a furniture manufacturer in Poland.

Lesson 7.1: The opening meeting, guides and observers, and controlling the audit
Lesson 7.2: Collecting and verifying information, and sampling
Lesson 7.3: Interviewing and observation on the shop floor and in the office
Lesson 7.4: Following trails: process, customer, supplier and top management
Lesson 7.5: Difficult situations: obstacles, resistance, deception and the team’s safety
Lesson 7.6: Writing a finding that survives challenge
Activity A7: Following the trail from complaint C-2026-041 at ASC Flexible Packaging back to artwork control
Lesson 7.7: Grading major and minor, systemic patterns and opportunities for improvement
Module 7 case study: a furniture manufacturer in Poland, running day one and grading the findings

Module 8: Concluding the audit, follow-up and auditor competence, ISO 19011:2026 clauses 6.4.9 to 7
Module 8 takes the audit from graded findings to the certificate. You lead the team review that agrees conclusions, chair a closing meeting that holds under pressure, write a report and recommendation a decision maker can rely on, and judge the client’s corrections, root causes and corrective action plans until they can be closed on evidence. You then follow the certificate after Stage 2, through the decision, surveillance, recertification, transition audits to ISO 9001:2026 under Global ACI-TECH-3-TR, suspension and withdrawal. The module ends with auditor and team leader competence under ISO 19011:2026 clause 7 and ISO/IEC 17021-3, and the route to personnel certification. Activity A8 has you accept or reject six corrective action plans at an invented steel fabricator, and the case study follows an invented IT managed services company in Uganda from the closing meeting to the certification decision.

Lesson 8.1: Audit conclusions, the team review and the closing meeting
Lesson 8.2: The audit report and the certification recommendation
Lesson 8.3: Follow-up: judging correction, root cause and corrective action
Lesson 8.4: After Stage 2: the certification decision, surveillance, recertification, transition audits, suspension and withdrawal
Activity A8: Judging corrective action plans and closing them out
Lesson 8.5: Auditor and team leader competence under ISO 19011:2026 clause 7 and ISO/IEC 17021-3, and the personnel certification route
Module 8 case study: an IT managed services company in Uganda, from the closing meeting to the certification decision

Virtual audit: ASC Flexible Packaging (initial certification audit)
A full initial certification audit of ASC Flexible Packaging, a flexible packaging converter in Hammarsdale, KwaZulu-Natal, from the application review to the corrective action review, in 13 steps. Each step shows the evidence and gives you the Audit Workbench to work in, and steps 1 to 11 end with a timed stage quiz marked the moment you submit. About 16 hours in all, with 70 percent to pass every stage quiz.

Virtual audit: the brief, ASC Flexible Packaging and the Audit Workbench
Virtual audit step 1: application review
Virtual audit step 2: Stage 1 review and readiness
Virtual audit step 3: the audit team and the Stage 2 plan
Virtual audit step 4: work documents, trails and checklist questions
Virtual audit step 5: the opening meeting
Virtual audit step 6: Stage 2, the management system, interviews and records
Virtual audit step 7: Stage 2, the site walk and the trace test
Virtual audit step 8: team review, finding statements and grades
Virtual audit step 9: the closing meeting and the certification recommendation
Virtual audit step 10: the audit report
Virtual audit step 11: corrective action review
Virtual audit step 12: review your workbook and export it

Exam A: Quality management systems
Take the practice test, then both sections of Exam A. Proctored online, 70 percent to pass each section, three attempts. Exam A, with virtual audit steps 6, 7 and 8, assesses unit QM.

Exam B: Auditing and audit team leadership
Take the practice test, then all sections of Exam B. Proctored online, 70 percent to pass each section, three attempts. Sections 1 and 3 assess unit AU and Section 2 assesses unit TL. Then tell us how the course went.

Student Ratings & Reviews

No Review Yet

About Course

Lead an ISO 9001:2026 certification audit from the application review to the close-out

The virtual audit at ASC Flexible Packaging

Built on the current editions

The audit skills you practise

What you walk away with

How the course works

How you are assessed

Who it is for

Who wrote it

What you need

Frequently asked questions

Is this ISO 9001 lead auditor course suitable for beginners?

Is the course written for ISO 9001:2026 or ISO 9001:2015?

How long does the course take, and how long do I have access?

How am I assessed?

What is the virtual audit?

Will this course make me a certified ISO 9001 lead auditor?

Is the course recognised by Exemplar Global?

Is the course CQI and IRCA certified?

Which standards do I need to buy?

Will the course work in my sector?

How much does the course cost, and can I pay from outside South Africa?

Can my company train a team?

Enrol

What Will You Learn?

Course Content

Lesson 0.1: How this course works, how you are assessed, and the personnel certification route

Lesson 0.2: Your copy of the standards, how the quizzes work, and the entry check

Lesson 1.1: What a QMS is for, and what a QMS lead auditor answers for

Lesson 1.2: The ISO 9000 family, ISO 9000:2026 and the seven quality management principles

Lesson 1.3: How ISO 9001:2026 is built: harmonized structure, the process approach, PDCA, risk-based and opportunity-based thinking

Lesson 1.4: The words that decide findings: shall, should, may, can, notes, Annex A, “available as documented information” and the A.2 terms

Lesson 1.5: From 2015 to 2026: every change an auditor has to test

Lesson 1.6: Scope and applicability: testing a “not applicable” claim, including 8.3

Lesson 1.7: Legal, statutory and regulatory requirements in a QMS audit, South Africa and export markets

Lesson 1.8: One system, several standards: integrated and combined audits with ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 22000 and BRCGS

Lesson 1.9: The transition to ISO 9001:2026 under Global ACI-TECH-3-TR, and auditing a transition

Lesson 2.1: Auditing context, interested parties and the climate change decision

Lesson 2.2: Auditing the scope, the processes and outsourcing (4.3, 4.4)

Lesson 2.3: Auditing leadership, customer focus, the policy and roles, and how to audit quality culture and ethical behaviour proportionately (5)

Lesson 2.4: Auditing risks (6.1.2) and opportunities (6.1.3) as separate work

Activity A2: The top management interview at ASC Flexible Packaging, judging leadership evidence from a transcript

Lesson 2.5: Auditing quality objectives (6.2) and planning of changes (6.3)

Module 2 case study: a cold-chain logistics company in Kenya, auditing clauses 4 to 6 from one evidence pack

Lesson 3.1: Auditing resources: people, infrastructure and the environment for the operation of processes

Lesson 3.2: Auditing monitoring and measuring resources and measurement traceability, including equipment found out of tolerance

Lesson 3.3: Auditing organisational knowledge, competence and awareness

Lesson 3.4: Auditing communication and documented information, including documents of external origin

Lesson 3.5: Auditing operational planning and requirements for products and services, including contract review and contingency information

Lesson 3.6: Auditing design and development: when 8.3 applies and how to audit the stages

Activity A3: Reviewing ASC Flexible Packaging’s Kestrel pouch file and the laminator L2 change

Lesson 3.7: Auditing externally provided processes, products and services

Module 3 case study: an electronics contract manufacturer in Malaysia, auditing clauses 7 to 8.4

Lesson 4.1: Auditing production and service provision: controlled conditions, processes whose output cannot be verified, and human error (8.5.1)

Lesson 4.2: Auditing identification, traceability, customer property, preservation and post-delivery, and running a trace test (8.5.2 to 8.5.5)

Lesson 4.3: Auditing control of changes and release (8.5.6, 8.6)

Lesson 4.4: Auditing nonconforming outputs and concessions (8.7)

Lesson 4.5: Auditing monitoring, measurement, customer satisfaction, analysis and evaluation (9.1)

Lesson 4.6: Auditing internal audit and management review (9.2, 9.3)

Activity A4: Trace test on ASC Flexible Packaging job J27-0217, against the clock

Lesson 4.7: Auditing nonconformity, corrective action and continual improvement (10)

Module 4 case study: an automotive wiring harness supplier in Morocco, auditing crimping, traceability, customer property and concessions

Lesson 5.1: What an audit is: vocabulary, audit types, combined and joint audits, and the remote auditing method

Lesson 5.2: The seven principles of auditing, and what breaking each one costs

Lesson 5.3: Accreditation and certification: ISO/IEC 17021-1, ISO/IEC 17021-3, Global ACI and the IAF codes

Lesson 5.4: The certification cycle, audit time under Global ACI-TECH-3-004, multi-site under TECH-3-001, and impartiality

Activity A5: Impartiality and audit time under pressure, reviewing a certification application

Lesson 5.5: Managing an audit programme under ISO 19011:2026 clause 5

Module 5 case study: a multi-site cement group in Nigeria, eligibility, sampling and audit time

Lesson 6.1: Initiating the audit: first contact and feasibility

Lesson 6.2: Stage 1 and the review of documented information

Lesson 6.3: Risk-based planning and writing the audit plan

Lesson 6.4: Choosing the team and technical experts by IAF code and ISO/IEC 17021-3, and assigning work

Lesson 6.5: Work documents: checklists, the turtle diagram and audit trails

Activity A6: Picking and briefing the audit team

Lesson 6.6: Remote and hybrid audits under Global ACI-TECH-3-003 and ISO/IEC TS 17012

Module 6 case study: a pharmaceutical glass vial manufacturer in India, planning Stage 1 and Stage 2

Lesson 7.1: The opening meeting, guides and observers, and controlling the audit

Lesson 7.2: Collecting and verifying information, and sampling

Exam A: Quality management systems
Take the practice test, then both sections of Exam A. Proctored online, 70 percent to pass each section, three attempts. Exam A, with virtual audit steps 6, 7 and 8, assesses unit QM.

Exam B: Auditing and audit team leadership
Take the practice test, then all sections of Exam B. Proctored online, 70 percent to pass each section, three attempts. Sections 1 and 3 assess unit AU and Section 2 assesses unit TL. Then tell us how the course went.