Auditor Competence and Resource Management
What the candidate must know
Competence is the demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills. Auditors need knowledge of the standard/criteria, audit principles and methods, and the audited organization's processes and context. Skills include communication, interviewing, observation, sampling, documentation, and judgment. Understand competence vs. qualification: a certificate is evidence, but competence is demonstrated ability.
Resource management covers selecting auditors, ensuring independence and impartiality, forming audit teams (lead auditor, technical experts, auditors-in-training), and providing training and evaluation. Know that technical experts may support an audit but do not necessarily act as auditors. Continual professional development maintains competence. Evaluation of auditors can include observation, review of reports, and feedback.
Traps
Questions often equate holding a certification with competence - competence requires demonstrated ability. Another trap: assigning an auditor to audit their own department or recent work, which violates impartiality. Watch for items implying a technical expert alone satisfies the audit team requirement; the audit team must include auditors with audit competence. Also, competence must be maintained, not just initially established.
Worked example / rule of thumb
Rule of thumb: Knowledge + Skill + Demonstrated Application = Competence. Example: an engineer knows the process (knowledge) and can interview operators (skill), but if never observed conducting an audit, competence as an auditor is not yet demonstrated - assign as auditor-in-training under a qualified lead.