Can Internal Audit be separated from MR role in ISO 9001 and given to independent Head of Internal Audit?

MR will be in deep problem or handicapped if seperate audit dept or audit is oursourced  in case their is break down of communicaton between them.

As MR is responsible to ensure document modifications and their implementation (Audt findings may be needed)

MR represents management during certifyng or surveillance audits 

MR is reponsible to provide status report on ISO preparedness, including area of weakness or strenghts to focus correctly. (Durng Management review meetings)

Also during external audit , he have to defend the internal audit corrective and preventive action.

So My suggestion is that let MR control, if he is from sales dept and too busy , he can be assigned an deputy MR or supporting person to help him/her out in excuting function satisfactorily ..like 

• Preparing Audit schedules, Conducting Internal Audits , preparing audit reports, Writing Nonconformity reports..
• Communicating to the Top Management on Quality issues / Non-conformities & Audit reports
• Measuring & Monitoring the process performance.
• Initiate necessary corrective and preventive action.
• Check  ISO/Quality awareness among staff through audit check
• To revew and check the effective implementation of Quality Management system.

 

But being myself a external audtor , it is good once in a while to validate system (Internal audit resources )through external internal audit to provide correct picture on complance and implementation 

To answer your question:

Management Rep should be part of organisation management, but Internal auditor can be outsourced.

So, yes internal audit can be seperated from Management rep. its a common practice that auditors report to management rep but it is not requirements.

 

However, there is nothing to prevent auditors from being independent if they follow and reports to the Management rep.

The ISO standard require that auditors be independent from "ACTIVITY" they are auditing and it doesn'y require the auditor to be independent from the "Deprtament".

 

which means, if you have two production lines (A and B) and both are under the production manager, you can let auditor from production line A audit production line B.

 

Some organisation don't have a full time auditor but instead they give it as an additional task to employees from other department.

 

The role of internal audit is to assist management with the evaluation of internal controls used to detect or mitigate fraud, evaluate the organization's assessment of fraud risk, to enhance internal controls and liaise with external auditors.