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Integrated systems.
A combined audit and an integrated system are not the same thing. Only the second earns a reduction in audit time, and the reduction is capped.
What actually happens.
- Audit time calculated separately for each standard, then added to give a starting point
- The level of integration assessed against defined characteristics, not asserted by the client
- Adjustment of the starting point for integration level and for audit team capability
- Shared elements audited once where the system genuinely shares them
- Every standard-specific requirement audited in full, never merged away
- Audit team competence covering every technical area across all standards audited
- Every finding traceable to the specific standard it was raised against
- The impact of a finding under one standard considered against conformity with the others
- Confirmation at each audit that the level of integration has not degraded
The rules this runs under.
| The rule | What it requires | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Combined and integrated are different | An audit of an integrated management system is an audit against two or more sets of criteria at the same time. An integrated management system is a single system managing multiple aspects to meet more than one standard. You can have the first with none of the second. | IAF MD 11:2023, Issue 3, clauses 1.1–1.3 |
| Time starts as the sum of the parts | Audit time is calculated for each standard separately, and the starting point for the integrated audit is their sum. | IAF MD 11:2023, clause 2.1.1 |
| Reduction is capped at 20% | An integrated audit may result in increased time. Where it results in a reduction, that reduction does not exceed 20% of the starting point. | IAF MD 11:2023, clause 2.1.2 |
| The cap scales with actual integration | The maximum reduction is tied to the assessed level of integration: 20% at full integration, 15% at 80%, 10% at 60%, 5% at 40%, and none at or below 20%. | IAF MD 11:2023, Annex 1, Figure 1 |
| Integration is assessed against characteristics | Integrated documentation, management review considering overall business strategy, an integrated approach to internal audit, to policy and objectives, to systems processes, to improvement mechanisms, and to management support and responsibilities. | IAF MD 11:2023, Annex 1 |
| The reduction must be justified in writing | The starting point figure and the justification for any increase or reduction are documented. A reduction is an evidenced determination, never an automatic discount. | IAF MD 11:2023, clause 2.1.3 |
| Findings stay attached to their standard | Reports may be integrated or separate, but every finding raised in an integrated report is traceable to the standard it belongs to. | IAF MD 11:2023, clause 2.4 |
| Integration is re-confirmed through the cycle | The level of integration is confirmed at Stage 1 and confirmed to remain unchanged throughout the certification cycle. If it degrades, the reduction is revisited. | IAF MD 11:2023, clauses 3.1–3.2 · 4 |
What you will be asked to produce.
- The integrated documentation set, showing where requirements of each standard are met
- One management review covering the standards together, considering overall business strategy
- An internal audit programme that audits the system rather than auditing each standard separately
- A single policy and objectives structure, or a demonstrably coordinated one
- Integrated corrective action, measurement and continual improvement mechanisms
- The management responsibilities showing integrated support rather than parallel structures
- A statement of the level of integration you claim, with the evidence behind the claim
Where this goes wrong.
Organisations expect the reduction and are surprised when it is small or absent. The reduction is not granted for holding two certificates; it is granted for operating one system, and the level of integration is assessed against the characteristics in Annex 1 of IAF MD 11:2023. Two standards run by two managers with two documentation sets, two internal audit programmes and two management reviews is a combined audit at 0% integration and therefore 0% reduction. The other failure is expecting the shared clauses to absorb the standard-specific ones. They do not: every requirement of each standard is audited, and a finding under one is assessed for its impact on the others.
How the audit time is determined.
Audit time for each standard is calculated on its own first. Those figures are added to give the starting point. The starting point is then adjusted — upward for complexity, downward only within the cap that the assessed integration level allows, and with reference to how many of the audited standards each auditor is qualified in. The starting point and the justification for the adjustment are both documented and are auditable by the accreditation body.
The rest of the certification route
Describe the claim — not the service.
Tell us what must be relied on, who will rely on it and by what date. We will confirm the correct programme, evidence requirement and responsible entity — or tell you it is outside our scope.