SC QUALITY GUILDProcess audit turtle diagram
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Map a process as a turtle (inputs, outputs, resources, people, methods and measures), draw the diagram, and turn every item into an audit question with the ISO 9001 clause to check.
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Why auditors use a turtle
A turtle diagram is a one-page picture of a process for the process approach to auditing. The process sits in the body. Inputs enter on one side and outputs leave on the other, and four legs show what makes the process work: with what (equipment, materials, facilities, software), with whom (roles and the competence they need), how (procedures, methods, work instructions) and how measured (the performance indicators and their targets). It became common in automotive auditing and works in any sector.
Linking it to ISO 9001
ISO 9001:2015 clause 4.4.1 asks the organization to determine, for each process in its system, the inputs and expected outputs, the sequence and interaction with other processes, the criteria, methods and measures, the resources, the responsibilities, the risks and opportunities, and how the process is evaluated and improved. The turtle covers most of that list. It leaves out risk, so bring the process risk register into the audit as well.
From turtle to checklist
Each item on the turtle becomes a question: is the input checked before use, is the equipment fit for use, are the people competent, is the method current and followed, does the measure have a target and what happened when it was missed? The questions here are starting points. Reword them as open prompts for the people you interview and add the sample you will check. Spend time at the interfaces: many findings sit at hand-offs between processes, where each side assumes the other is checking.
Reading the result
An empty arm usually means the process owner was not asked, not that the process lacks it. A measure without a target cannot show whether the process achieves its planned results. People listed by name rather than by role make weak criteria, because names change and roles do not.
On the CQA exam
Expect questions that contrast process audits with element and department audits, ask which arm an item belongs to, and test how a process audit follows inputs, outputs and interactions rather than clause numbers.