During an opening meeting of a Stage 2 audit, the Managing Director of the client...

According to ISO 19011:2018, which provides guidelines for auditing management systems, an opening meeting is a formal communication between the audit team and the auditee at the start of an audit1. The purpose of the opening meeting is to confirm the audit objectives, scope and criteria, introduce the audit team and their roles, confirm the audit plan and logistics, explain the audit methods and procedures, and establish the communication channels1. Therefore, if the Managing Director of the client organization invites the audit team to view a new company video lasting 45 minutes during the opening meeting of a Stage 2 audit, the audit team leader should respond in a way that does not compromise the effectiveness and efficiency of the audit or create any misunderstanding or conflict with the auditee. Two possible ways to respond are to advise the Managing Director that the audit team has to keep to the planned schedule, as there may be limited time and resources available for the audit; or to suggest that the video could be viewed during a refreshment break, if it is relevant and useful for the audit and does not interfere with other audit activities1. The other options are not appropriate responses for the audit team leader to make in this situation. For example, stating that the audit team leader will stay behind after the opening meeting to view the video on behalf of the team may imply that the video is not important or relevant for the rest of the audit team; inviting the Managing Director to the auditors’ hotel for a viewing that evening may create an impression of bias or favouritism; stating that the audit team will make a decision on the viewing at a later time may be vague or indecisive; and advising the Managing Director that the audit team agrees to his request may result in wasting valuable audit time or losing focus on the audit objectives1. References: ISO 19011:2018 - Guidelines for auditing management systems