Audits & Certifications

Types of Quality Audits (and How to Choose)

By Karim · · 7 min read

Interior of an empty industrial production facility

The different types of quality audits are essential to ensure a factory meets the internal and external standards that guarantee safety, traceability and customer satisfaction.

From ISO 9001 to more specific standards like IFS or BRC, they all require organizations to demonstrate control over their processes. However, not all audits are alike, and many companies still run these processes manually, burning time and resources that could otherwise go toward efficiency and competitiveness.

In this article we'll look at the main types of quality audits, what sets them apart, the challenges they involve, and how digitalization and specialized tools can make them faster and more effective.

What are the types of quality audits

A quality audit is a systematic process that assesses whether an organization meets predefined criteria. Depending on the objective and scope, though, there are several types of quality audits: internal, external, certification, process, product, thematic, among others.

Each type of audit serves a specific purpose, but they all share one common goal: building confidence that the company works according to reliable, safe and consistent procedures.

Main types of quality audits

Internal audit

This is the most common type within organizations. It's carried out by in-house or designated staff to assess whether processes comply with internal standards and procedures. It's mandatory in systems based on ISO 9001, ISO 14001 or ISO 22000.

External audit

This is carried out by an independent body to verify compliance with contractual or regulatory requirements. It can be performed by customers, suppliers or certification bodies.

Certification audit

This focuses on obtaining or maintaining an official certification such as ISO 9001, ISO 22000, IFS or BRCGS. It requires documented evidence and solid processes.

Process audit

This specifically examines how the company's processes are executed, assessing efficiency, procedure compliance and quality control.

Product audit

This focuses on the characteristics of the finished product. It checks whether it meets technical specifications, safety regulations or customer requirements.

Thematic audits

These focus on specific aspects such as the environment (ISO 14001), food safety (ISO 22000, HACCP), occupational health and safety, or traceability (IFS, BRC).

Each of these types of quality audits provides critical input for continuous improvement.

Common challenges in quality audits

Despite their importance, the different types of audits face similar problems:

  • Too much paperwork: paper or Excel records that get lost or take too long to consolidate.
  • Incomplete data: lack of clear evidence or consistency across records.
  • Long preparation times: weeks of work gathering information before an external or certification audit.
  • Staff resistance: teams see the audit as an extra burden rather than an opportunity to improve.
  • Fragmented systems: information scattered across ERP, MES, CMMS or local folders, making traceability harder.

Solving these challenges is key to gaining efficiency in any type of audit.

How to gain efficiency in internal audits

Internal audits are often seen as a mandatory formality, but they're actually the perfect opportunity to catch problems before an external inspection. To gain efficiency in this type of audit:

  • Use customizable digital checklists tailored to the applicable standard.
  • Document findings with real-time photos and videos.
  • Automatically assign corrective actions to the people responsible.
  • Use dashboards that show the status of audits and non-conformities at a glance.

This way, the internal audit stops being a bureaucratic process and becomes an agile continuous-improvement mechanism.

How to gain efficiency in external and certification audits

When a customer, supplier or certification body carries out an audit, the pressure rises: any failure can cost a contract or a certification. In this context, the main efficiency factors are:

  • Centralize information in a single system, avoiding manual searches.
  • Have complete traceability: from raw materials to finished product.
  • Set up early alerts that flag unresolved issues.
  • Cut report preparation time through automatic generation.

In ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000, IFS or BRC certification audits, digitalization is the deciding factor for meeting deadlines and evidence requirements.

How to gain efficiency in process audits

Process audits help detect bottlenecks, delays or non-compliance. To improve their efficiency, it's key to:

  • Map each process clearly and have associated KPIs.
  • Detect patterns in production issues and resolve them before the audit.
  • Use tools that let you compare performance across lines or shifts.

A process audit doesn't just validate compliance — it improves the plant's overall productivity.

How to gain efficiency in product audits

When the focus is on the product, final quality is what counts. To make this audit efficient:

  • Log quality parameters digitally.
  • Keep lab test and quality control histories accessible within seconds.
  • Integrate results with other systems (ERP, MES) to show consistency.

This lets you show the auditor that the product meets technical specifications quickly and verifiably.

How to gain efficiency in thematic audits

In specific audits such as ISO 14001, ISO 22000, IFS or BRC, the challenge usually lies in traceability and documentary evidence. To gain efficiency in these cases:

  • Document environmental or food safety issues in real time.
  • Use digital evidence such as photos, videos or connected sensors.
  • Ensure backward traceability (suppliers) and forward traceability (customers).

This way, when an auditor asks for evidence, it will be ready in seconds.

The role of digitalization in the different types of quality audits

Digitalization has transformed the types of quality audits across every sector. The advantages of adopting a digital tool include:

  • Time savings: up to a 65% reduction in audit preparation time.
  • Total traceability: every issue and corrective action is logged with evidence.
  • Standardization: uniform templates ensure consistency.
  • Real-time visibility: dashboards showing the status of audits and non-conformities.
  • Guaranteed compliance: makes passing ISO, IFS and BRC audits smoother, with no surprises.

Companies that still rely on manual records spend far more time and effort on their audits, putting them at a disadvantage against digitalized competitors.

How Solved makes every type of quality audit easier

The Solved platform is designed to simplify any type of quality audit:

  • Digital checklists tailored to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000, IFS and BRC.
  • Immediate logging of findings and digital evidence on the plant floor.
  • Automatic assignment of corrective actions with real-time tracking.
  • Centralized dashboards that let management see the status of every audit.
  • Integration with ERP, MES and CMMS to avoid duplicate data.

With Solved, a factory drastically cuts preparation time, boosts the reliability of its information, and turns the audit into a continuous-improvement process instead of a dreaded formality.

Conclusion

The different types of quality audits serve complementary purposes: internal audits catch problems, external audits prove compliance, certification audits open up markets, process audits improve efficiency, and product audits guarantee results.

The challenge is making them efficient — cutting time, errors and staff resistance. The key is digitalization, which delivers total traceability, immediate evidence and real-time control.

Factories that invest in tools like Solved not only meet ISO, IFS and BRC standards — they also turn audits into a competitive advantage.

Want to gain efficiency across every type of quality audit and cut preparation time by up to 65%? Request a demo of Solved and discover how to digitize your audit management.