ISO 19011 Training and Certification Guide
Your complete guide to ISO 19011: what the auditing guidelines are, why they cannot be certified to, the training levels, and the Exemplar Global Certified courses that take you from Internal Auditor to Lead Auditor.
Management Systems Auditing Guidelines
Management Systems Auditing Guidelines
Management Systems Auditing
What is ISO 19011?
ISO 19011 is the international guidance for auditing management systems. It sets out how to run an audit programme, conduct an audit, and build auditor competence, and it applies to any management system standard, from ISO 9001 to ISO 45001.
Unlike a requirements standard, ISO 19011 cannot be certified to. It is the recognised playbook auditors follow, which is why every credible Internal Auditor and Lead Auditor course is built on it. The current fourth edition was published in 2026 and expands the guidance on remote auditing.
Who ISO 19011 training is for
- Internal auditors of any management system
- Lead auditors and audit team leaders
- Quality, environmental, safety and security managers who audit
- Consultants who audit client management systems
- Anyone managing an internal audit programme
The standard in brief
What ISO 19011 covers
ISO 19011 is built around clauses 4 to 7. Here is what each part covers.
Principles of auditing
The seven principles every audit rests on: integrity, fair presentation, due professional care, confidentiality, independence, evidence based approach, and risk based approach.
Managing an audit programme
Establishing, implementing, monitoring and improving a programme of audits, including its risks and opportunities, resources, and audit methods.
Conducting an audit
Initiating, preparing and conducting the audit on site or remotely, collecting evidence, reaching findings, and closing and reporting.
Competence and evaluation of auditors
The competence an auditor needs, and how it is determined, developed, demonstrated and evaluated over time.
Why it matters
Benefits of ISO 19011
What organisations and professionals gain from working to ISO 19011.
- Audit any management system with one consistent, recognised method
- Run a risk based audit programme that targets what matters
- Gather stronger evidence and write clearer, defensible findings
- Build auditor competence your organisation and clients can trust
- Apply the same approach across ISO 9001, 14001, 45001 and more
- A foundation for internal, supplier, and certification auditing
What certification means here
Can you get certified to ISO 19011?
ISO 19011 is guidance, not a requirements standard, so the certification that matters is yours, as an auditor.
No business certification
There is nothing to certify an organisation against.
- ISO 19011 sets guidance, not requirements
- Organisations certify to standards like ISO 9001, not to it
- It is the method, applied when auditing those standards
- No audit, certificate or surveillance cycle for the organisation
Auditor certification
The credential is the person, not the system.
- Earned by a person, not a company
- Proves you can audit any system the ISO 19011 way
- Recognised through Exemplar Global personnel certification
- The path our Internal Auditor and Lead Auditor courses prepare you for
ISO 19011 is guidance, so no organisation is certified to it. What you earn is recognition as an auditor: Audit Workshop trains you in the ISO 19011 method and prepares you for Exemplar Global personnel certification as a management systems auditor.
Training levels
From Internal Auditor to Lead Auditor
Two levels that build on each other. Start where your experience sits and climb from there.
Internal Auditor
Audit your own organisation
Plan and conduct internal audits following the ISO 19011 auditing guidelines.
Lead Auditor
Lead certification style audits
Audit programme management, Stage 1 and Stage 2, findings, and the certification recommendation.
The auditor's role
What an auditor is responsible for
Auditing is a profession with its own principles. Our courses teach you to work to all of them, guided by ISO 19011.
Integrity
Audit with professionalism, honesty, and responsibility.
Fair presentation
Report findings truthfully, accurately, and clearly.
Due professional care
Apply diligence and sound judgement in every audit.
Confidentiality
Protect the information you access during an audit.
Independence
Stay impartial and objective, free of conflicts of interest.
Evidence based
Reach conclusions from verifiable audit evidence.
Good to know
Common confusions, cleared up
The questions people most often get wrong before they enrol, answered straight.
Can an organisation be certified to ISO 19011?
No. ISO 19011 is guidance for auditing, not a requirements standard, so there is nothing to certify an organisation against. Organisations certify to standards like ISO 9001; auditors apply ISO 19011 when they audit them.
Is ISO 19011 only for certification body auditors?
No. It covers internal (first party) and supplier (second party) audits as well as the method certification auditors use. It applies to anyone auditing a management system.
Does ISO 19011 replace the standard I am auditing?
No. ISO 19011 tells you how to audit; the discipline standard, such as ISO 9001, 14001 or 45001, tells you what to audit against. You use them together.
Is there a transition deadline for ISO 19011:2026?
No. As guidance it has no transition period; the 2026 edition applies from release. The changes are evolutionary, mostly expanded guidance on remote auditing.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about ISO 19011 training and certification.
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