ISO 19011 is an international standard that provides guidelines for auditing management systems. This standard was first published by the International Standards Organization (ISO) in 2004. The auditing standard provides guidance on managing and audit program, conducting audits, and managing the competence and evaluation of auditors. Benefits include more effective audit program management and achieving better results from auditing activities.

ISO 19011 contains 0 requirements but is referenced in various other ISO standards where requirements exist for internal auditing processes; ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 specifically. The standard is reviewed every 5 years, and updated as needed, to ensure that it remains relevant and effective for organizations of all sizes and types. The 3rd edition of the ISO 19011 was released in 2018, making the current version of the standard “ISO 19011:2018”.