Managing Audits

Overview

The Audits module allows FSC staff to plan, conduct, and record compliance audits for each client organisation. Audits are a fundamental part of any ISO management system — they provide objective evidence of conformity (or non-conformity) and drive continual improvement.

Fisher Portal supports three types of audits:

Audit Type	Description
Internal	Audits conducted by the organisation itself (or by FSC on their behalf) to verify internal compliance
External	Audits conducted by third-party certification bodies
Supplier	Audits of the client’s supply chain partners

Each audit can be linked to a specific standard and progresses through four statuses: Planned, In Progress, Completed, and Cancelled.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: View the Audits List

Navigate to your client’s compliance area, then select Audits from the navigation links. You will see a table listing all audits for that client, showing the audit title, standard, planned date, performed date, and current status.

You can filter the list by:

• Status — show only planned, in progress, completed, or cancelled audits
• Standard — filter to audits against a specific standard (e.g. ISO 9001)

Use the Apply button to activate your filters, or Reset to clear them.

Step 2: Create a New Audit

1. From the audits list, click the New audit button in the top-right area.
2. The new audit form will appear with the following fields:

Field	Required	Description
Standard	No	The ISO standard this audit relates to (e.g. ISO 9001). Leave blank for general audits.
Audit type	Yes	Select Internal, External, or Supplier.
Title	Yes	A descriptive name for the audit (defaults to “Internal audit”).
Status	Yes	The current status: Planned, In Progress, Completed, or Cancelled.
Auditor	No	The name of the person conducting the audit.
Planned date	No	When the audit is scheduled to take place.
Performed date	No	When the audit was actually carried out.
Report URL	No	A link to the audit report (e.g. a SharePoint document).
Scope	No	A description of what the audit covers.
Notes	No	Any additional notes or context.

3. Fill in the required fields and any relevant optional fields.
4. Click Create audit to save.

You will be redirected to the audit detail page where you can begin recording findings.

Step 3: View Audit Details

Click View on any audit in the list to open the audit detail page. This page shows:

• Audit details — a structured summary of all audit information (type, status, standard, dates, auditor, report link, scope, and notes)
• Findings — a list of all findings recorded against this audit, with the ability to add new findings directly
• Quick links — shortcuts to the evidence register and clause tracker for the relevant standard

Step 4: Record Findings During an Audit

From the audit detail page, use the Add finding form at the top of the Findings section:

1. Type — select the finding type:

   • Major NC — a major non-conformity: a significant failure to meet a requirement
   • Minor NC — a minor non-conformity: a less significant gap
   • OFI — an opportunity for improvement: a suggestion, not a failure
   • Conformity — a positive finding confirming compliance

2. Clause (optional) — select the specific clause this finding relates to. The dropdown shows clauses from the audit’s standard.

3. Description (required) — provide a clear, factual description of the finding.

4. Notes (optional) — add any supporting detail, context, or references.

5. Click Add finding to save.

The finding will appear in the findings table below the form. For each finding, you can:

• Create action — raise a corrective/preventive action directly from the finding (the action will be pre-populated with the standard, clause, and finding type)
• View linked action — if an action has already been created, click its title to edit it
• Remove — delete the finding (with confirmation)

Step 5: Edit an Audit

From the audit detail page or the audits list, click Edit to update any audit details. Common reasons to edit:

• Changing status from “Planned” to “In Progress” when the audit begins
• Updating the “Performed date” when the audit is complete
• Adding the report URL after the audit report is finalised
• Changing status to “Completed” when all findings are recorded

Step 6: Delete an Audit

From the audits list, click Delete next to the audit you wish to remove. You will be asked to confirm before deletion.

Note: Deleting an audit also removes all findings associated with it. Consider changing the status to “Cancelled” instead if you want to preserve the record.

Tips

• Plan audits in advance by creating them with a “Planned” status and setting the planned date. This builds your audit programme.
• Always link audits to a standard where possible. This enables clause-level tracking of findings and makes the clause tracker more useful.
• Record findings during the audit rather than afterwards. The in-page form makes it quick to capture observations as you go.
• Create actions from findings immediately using the “Create action” link. This ensures nothing gets lost between the audit and follow-up.
• Use the Scope field to document exactly what was covered — this is an ISO requirement for audit records.
• Add the Report URL to link to the full audit report in SharePoint or another document store. This keeps everything connected.
• From the audit detail page, use the Action plan link to jump directly to the full action plan for the client.

Troubleshooting

• “Audit type” or “Status” showing validation errors — Both fields are required. Ensure you have selected a valid option from the dropdown.
• Cannot see clauses in the finding form — The clause dropdown only populates if the audit is linked to a standard. Edit the audit to set a standard first.
• Finding not saving — The description field is required. Ensure you have entered text before clicking “Add finding”.
• Cannot create an action from a finding — You will be redirected to the new action form. If you see an error, check that you have the required FSC staff permissions.
• Audit dates not showing in the list — If neither planned nor performed dates are set, the column will display a dash. Add dates to the audit for better tracking.