CQA study guide
CQA · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The ASQ Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) is a professional credential for people who plan, conduct, report on, and follow up on quality audits. It is aimed at internal auditors, supplier and second-party auditors, lead auditors, quality managers, and consultants who need to demonstrate that they can run a disciplined audit against a standard, a regulation, or an organization's own management system. The CQA study guide has 5 sections and about 1,714 words.
01Auditing Fundamentals
An audit is a systematic, independent, documented process for obtaining objective evidence and evaluating it objectively against audit criteria. Learn three ways to classify audits.
354 words, about 2 min02Audit Process
The audit process runs in phases: initiation and planning (confirm objectives, scope, and criteria; select the team; review documents; issue the audit plan; prepare work documents), conducting (opening meeting, then collecting evidence through interviews, observation, and document and record review, supported by representative sampling), reporting (classifying findings, writing the report, holding the closing meeting), completion (retaining records), and follow-up (verifying corrective action). Know the finding categories: conformity, nonconformity, observation or opportunity for improvement.
355 words, about 2 min03Auditor Competencies
Competence rests on three legs: knowledge (audit principles and procedures, the standard being applied, organizational context, products and processes, applicable law), skill (planning, interviewing, note taking, sampling, report writing, communication, conflict handling), and behavior (ethical, open-minded, diplomatic, observant, perceptive, versatile, tenacious, decisive, self-reliant, collaborative). ISO 19011 builds competence from education, work experience, auditor training, and audit experience, then maintains it through continuing professional development.
327 words, about 2 min04Audit Program Management and Business Applications
An audit program is the set of audits planned for a period, managed to meet defined objectives. Program management covers setting objectives, determining extent (size, type, frequency, method) using risk and prior results, allocating resources, ensuring auditor competence and impartiality, defining procedures, maintaining records, monitoring performance, and reviewing the program for improvement.
326 words, about 2 min05Quality Tools and Techniques
Know the basic quality tools and when each applies: check sheet, flowchart, histogram, Pareto chart, cause-and-effect diagram, scatter diagram, and control chart, plus run charts and stratification. In auditing, flowcharts and process (turtle) diagrams map what should happen; Pareto charts rank where findings cluster; 5 Whys and fishbone diagrams push from symptom to root cause; FMEA and 8D support corrective action; control charts separate common from special cause variation.
352 words, about 2 min