Q: During an audit closeout meeting, what is the right thing to do if the auditee refuses to accept a correct nonconformance report (NCR) by the lead auditor? Should the lead auditor submit his or her report with or without the disputed NCR regardless? What if the auditee-such as a director or CEO-interprets the case according to his or her opinion and sees there isn't an NCR? A: If your nonconformance (NC) is factual, has business impact and appropriately references a standard or specification, you should not drop the finding. It appears from the question that the auditee may not have been aware of the NC until the closing meeting. Don't keep an NC a surprise until the closing meeting. If the audit is a multi-day event, you should discuss any NCs with the auditee as you find them, ideally during daily caucus meetings with the auditee. Discussing NCs before the closing meeting will provide the auditee an opportunity to clarify the situation or produce evidence.
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