“Audit evidence: records, statements of fact or other information which are relevant to the audit criteria and verifiable.”ISO · ISO 19011:2018 — Guidelines for auditing management systems · 2018 · ISO 19011:2018, clauza 3.8 — definiția dovezii de audit (platforma de consultare ISO e randată în JavaScript și a răspuns 403 la verificare)
A major nonconformity is closed with a root cause and a demonstrated corrective action, not with a correction.
Findings come on four rungs. An opportunity for improvement is not a departure, it is a suggestion. An observation flags something that still meets the requirement but is heading the wrong way. A minor nonconformity is an isolated lapse against a requirement. A major nonconformity is something else: the complete absence of a requirement, a systemic breakdown, or a failure that casts doubt on the system's ability to achieve its outcomes. The difference is not one of tone but of consequence — an open major blocks the certification decision. The response has four parts, in this order: the correction, meaning the repair of the case found; root-cause analysis; the corrective action, which changes the process so the situation cannot recur; and a committed deadline. Whoever sends only the correction gets the finding back. Every finding rests on objective evidence — a record, a statement of fact or other relevant and verifiable information — not on the auditor's impression.
The next step is how the finding is written. A good finding has three parts: the requirement that was breached, what was observed, and the evidence linking the two. If one is missing, the company does not know what to fix. Tell the auditor: the requirement says every workstation must hold the current instruction. At workstation two, the instruction is from last year, and this is visible in the file checked today. The company knows exactly what to correct. A vague phrasing, like the procedure is not properly followed, is not a finding; it is an impression dressed up in technical language. Which raises the question: who checks that the company's answer actually covers the requirement in the finding?
Why it matters Confusing minor with major costs weeks: a major is not closed with an excuse but with a demonstrated change of process.