ISO 9001:2026 Lead Auditor Course

What's new in ISO 9001:2026

Every organisation certified to ISO 9001:2015 has until September 2029 to transition, so auditors need to know exactly what has changed and what evidence to look for. The course covers each change in the new edition:

• Quality culture and ethical behaviour, now a leadership requirement (5.1.1) and part of awareness (7.3) and the work environment (7.1.4)
• Risks and opportunities treated separately (6.1.2 and 6.1.3), each with its own plan, actions and evaluation of effectiveness
• The new clause 6.3 Planning of changes, and stronger control of changes (8.5.6)
• Climate change as a relevant issue when determining context (4.1 and 4.2)
• Management review inputs looked at as trends (9.3.2), and the internal audit programme as its own sub-clause (9.2.2)
• Continual improvement moved to the front of clause 10
• How to audit a client through the transition from ISO 9001:2015 to ISO 9001:2026

Duration

5 days, 08:30 to 17:30 (days 1 to 3), 08:30 to 17:45 (day 4) and 08:30 to 16:00 (day 5), at Responsive Training Services, Lillyhall, Workington, Cumbria. In-house delivery is also available.

Who should attend?

Quality managers, auditors and anyone who will lead or take part in first, second or third-party audits of a quality management system. Delegates are expected to have knowledge of:

• Quality management principles and concepts
• The Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle
• The relationship between quality management and customer satisfaction
• Quality management terms and definitions and the 7 Quality Management Principles
• The process approach used in quality management
• The structure, content and requirements of ISO 9001

This knowledge can come from previous experience, a CQI and IRCA certified ISO 9001 Foundation course or equivalent, or reading and self-study. If you would like to attend our ISO 9001 Foundation course at a discounted price to prepare for this Lead Auditor course, please contact us.

Course objectives

• Lead an audit team
• Audit a quality management system against the requirements of ISO 9001:2026
• Plan, conduct, report and follow up an audit in line with ISO 19011 and ISO/IEC 17021-1

Course content

• ISO 9001:2026 requirements and the evidence needed to show conformity
• Roles and responsibilities of auditors and lead auditors
• Processes and techniques for planning, conducting and reporting audits
• Audit follow-up activities and auditing for continual improvement

What are the benefits?

The course is designed not only to help you carry out value-adding quality audits, but to build a wider understanding of how a quality management system is designed and run. It covers the issues ISO 9001:2026 puts more weight on: quality culture, risks and opportunities, managing change, context and continual improvement, alongside customer satisfaction and the management of processes.

Style of delivery and course leaders

Our course leaders are quality management professionals and qualified, registered, experienced auditors, with knowledge across manufacturing, finance, pharmaceuticals, and local and national government. They understand the technical, legislative and people challenges faced by those responsible for delivering real quality improvement.

Certification

Successful completion of the course and a pass mark of 50% in the CQI and IRCA controlled online exam (which must be completed within 30 days of the course) satisfies the formal training requirements for those wishing to register as an auditor, lead auditor or principal auditor with the CQI and IRCA certified training scheme. Delegates who complete the course and exam are awarded a CQI and IRCA certified training certificate (2352).