Laboratory Excellence and AccreditationLeading an ISO/IEC 17025 Audit Team
Leading an audit is a different job from conducting one: the lead plans the programme, allocates the work, holds the team to evidence, and manages the relationship with a laboratory that would rather the audit went well than went honestly. This course covers that role. Delegates work through audit programme planning and risk based scheduling, building and briefing a team, opening and closing meetings, and the judgement of grading a finding consistently across auditors who see things differently. Substantial attention goes to the difficult conversations: a finding against a senior technical signatory, a laboratory disputing evidence, and a corrective action that closes a symptom rather than a cause.
Course objectives
- Plan an audit programme and schedule it against risk
- Build, brief and allocate work across an audit team
- Run opening and closing meetings that set the right expectations
- Hold a team to evidence rather than impression
- Grade findings consistently across different auditors
- Handle disputes and findings against senior staff
- Evaluate a corrective action for whether it addresses the cause
Who should attend
- Lead auditors and audit programme managers
- Quality managers running an internal audit programme
- Experienced internal auditors moving into team leadership
- Technical managers participating in audits
- Accreditation body assessors
Course outline
- 01The lead auditor role against the auditor role
- 02Audit programme planning and risk based scheduling
- 03Team selection, briefing and work allocation
- 04Opening and closing meetings
- 05Evidence discipline across a team
- 06Grading findings consistently
- 07Disputes and findings against senior staff
- 08Evaluating corrective action for cause rather than symptom
Scheduled sessions
| Dates | Venue | Format | Price | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 September to 2 October 2026 | Durban, South Africa | Classroom | R14,950 per delegate | Register Now |
| 7 to 9 October 2026 | Kampala, Uganda | Classroom | USD 995 per delegate | Register Now |
| 19 to 21 October 2026 | Gaborone, Botswana | Classroom | R14,950 per delegate | Register Now |
| 24 to 26 February 2027 | Online | Online | R6,500 per delegate | Register Now |
| 3 to 5 March 2027 | Mbabane, Eswatini | Classroom | R14,950 per delegate | Register Now |