I’m often asked, how does one become an auditor? My first response is “Why do you want to be an auditor?” Motivation for wanting to be an auditor is critical to be an effective auditor. I have concerns when someone expresses to me that “I am tired that this is not being done or everyone is getting away with this or that.” This type of motivation results in conflict and auditing for the wrong reason. Motivation needs to be to drive improvement and identify areas where there is risk. Auditing is general is comparing what should be to what is while acquiring proof that is documented for traceability. The definition of auditing found in the International Standard ISO 19011 Guidelines for auditing management systems clearly states:
An audit is a “systematic, independent and documented process for obtaining audit evidence [records, statements of fact or other information which are relevant and verifiable] and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which the audit criteria [a set of policies, procedures, or requirements] are fulfilled.”