Audit and self‐assessment in quality management: comparison and compatibility

In recent years, two performance evaluation methodologies have received significant attention in managerial circles: quality audit and self‐assessment. While the quality audit examines the compliance of a quality system with ISO 9000 standards and its suitability to achieve stated objectives, the self‐assessment measures organizational performance against a selected business excellence model. In a continuous improvement effort, an organization can lay out the groundwork by establishing an ISO 9000 quality system, and subsequently use an excellence model to enhance performance, thereby effectively applying both evaluation methodologies. This paper compares the principles and practices of quality audits and self‐assessments, for the purpose of examining their compatibility and providing the basis for integration. Numerous differences in the concepts, purpose, scope and methodology are illustrated, and self‐assessments are found to be more advantageous in enabling continuous improvement. However, it is concluded that audits and self‐assessments are compatible, and further research into the issues of enhancing both methodologies is suggested.