Audit as key element of system management improvement in company

This article presents what is an audit for a company, tries to regularize the quality audits, presents main differences between separate types of audits and between audit and control. There are also some exemplary types of nonconformance in a company. Each system has a risk of deficiencies. They can result from material defects or human imperfection. A good quality system should allow the company to detect them in an organized and systematical manner. It guarantees that the irregularities will be removed before they cause a defective production. Quality management consists of planning the quality via quality plans, control and research plans, and supervision and verification by audits and controls. The objective of this paper is to present a special message of audit for organizations which is the improvement of management system in company. Quality audit is used with reference to quality system and its elements, to process, products and services. It compares the real values with expected ones with reference to the activities connected with quality and their results, and planned data. Thanks to quality audits, it is possible to state if the quality management instruments achieve the desired effect. Quality audit can be conducted for the internal and external purposes. One of the quality audit purposes is to estimate if the improvement is necessary or to take corrective actions. The universality of audit, which is completed by periodic system review preformed by head management, allows the use of its application effects both on the strategic and operational effects. Audit is often misled with quality monitoring or control, i.e. activities which aim to control the process or accept the product. Therefore this paper shows the differences between the notions. The information used to conduct an audit is only based on facts (evidence objective, which really exist, independent on emotions or prejudice). They can be documented, declared, based on observed phenomena.