SGS study guide
SGS · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The SGS credential is a professional certification aimed at people who audit, or intend to audit, management systems against recognised standards. Candidates typically come from quality, environment, health and safety, information security or supplier-conformity roles, and from internal audit teams that want an externally recognised benchmark of competence. The SGS study guide has 7 sections and about 2,051 words.
01Management system standards and normative requirements
Management system standards share a harmonised high-level structure: clause 4 context, 5 leadership, 6 planning, 7 support, 8 operation, 9 performance evaluation, 10 improvement. ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO 22000 all sit on this skeleton, so clause numbers often align across them.
311 words, about 2 min02Audit principles, ethics and impartiality
ISO 19011 lists integrity, fair presentation, due professional care, confidentiality, independence, evidence-based approach and risk-based approach. ISO/IEC 17021-1 builds certification on impartiality: the body must identify, analyse, evaluate and document threats and apply safeguards.
291 words, about 1 min03Risk-based thinking and the process approach
A process is a set of interrelated activities that converts inputs into outputs. Auditing a process means verifying its owner and responsibilities, inputs and outputs, interfaces with other processes, resources, criteria and methods, performance indicators, and the risks that could prevent the intended result.
314 words, about 2 min04Audit planning and preparation
The audit programme is the arrangement for a series of audits over time - cycle, schedule, resourcing, competence allocation. The audit plan covers one audit: objectives, scope, criteria, dates, locations, expected time and duration, roles, resources, methods, and sampling where relevant.
265 words, about 1 min05Audit execution: evidence collection, sampling and interviewing
Audit evidence comes from interviews, observation of activities and conditions, and review of documents and records. It must be verifiable and recorded precisely: what was seen, where, when, and from whom.
283 words, about 1 min06Findings, reporting and follow-up
A finding results from evaluating audit evidence against the audit criteria. Findings are conformity or nonconformity; many schemes also record opportunities for improvement and strengths.
295 words, about 1 min07Auditor competence and professional development
Competence is the ability to apply knowledge and skills to achieve intended results. It rests on a blend of education, work experience, auditor training and audit experience, plus personal behaviour.
292 words, about 1 min