Whether you’re facing ISO, FDA, EPA, OSHA, internal QA, or corporate audits, the questions tend to be very consistent. Auditors don’t usually want more data—they want clear, traceable, and repeatable evidence.
Below are the areas auditors almost always focus on and how your CMMS should support them.
1. Proof That Work Was Performed
What they ask:
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Show me completed work orders.
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Who performed the work?
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When was it completed?
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Was it completed as scheduled?
What they expect to see:
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Completed WO records (not deleted or overwritten)
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Clear status changes (Open → In Progress → Completed)
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Date/time stamps
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Assigned personnel
FaciliWorks tip:
Completed WOs should be locked or restricted from edits to preserve audit integrity.
2. Preventive Maintenance Compliance
What they ask:
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Are PMs being completed on time?
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Show me PM completion history.
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How do you track overdue PMs?
What they expect:
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PM schedules
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Completion percentages
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Overdue PM reports
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Evidence of follow-up actions
Important note:
Auditors care more about control and accountability than 100% compliance.
3. PM Effectiveness (Not Just Compliance)
What they ask:
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How do you know your PMs are effective?
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What happens when PMs don’t prevent failures?
What they expect:
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Failure codes tied to corrective work
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Adjustments to PM frequency or scope
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Evidence of continuous improvement
FaciliWorks tip:
Using failure data to optimize PMs shows maturity—even if compliance isn’t perfect.
4. Calibration Records (If Applicable)
What they ask:
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Show me calibration history for this instrument.
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Were calibrations performed on time?
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Who approved the results?
What they expect:
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Calibration due dates
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Pass/fail or as-found/as-left results
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Test point checklists and range calculations
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Performer and reviewer acknowledgements
FaciliWorks tip:
Separate calibration events from general work orders to maintain traceability.
5. Service Request to Work Order Traceability
What they ask:
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How are issues reported?
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How do you ensure reported issues are addressed?
What they expect:
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Service Requests linked to Work Orders
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Clear status transitions
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No “black hole” SRs
FaciliWorks tip:
Auditors like seeing controlled SR workflows—even if WOs can be created directly from SRs.
6. Change Control & Configuration Management
What they ask:
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Who can change PM schedules?
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Who can edit asset records?
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How are changes tracked?
What they expect:
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Role-based security
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Limited admin access
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Audit trails for configuration changes
7. Asset Records & Hierarchies
What they ask:
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Is this asset in your system?
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How do you know it’s maintained correctly?
What they expect:
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Asset ID and description
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Location and criticality
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Linked PMs, WOs, and history
FaciliWorks tip:
Incomplete asset records are a common audit finding.
8. Documentation & Attachments
What they ask:
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Where are the procedures?
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Can I see the work instructions?
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Are technicians following them?
What they expect:
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Attached SOPs, manuals, or checklists
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Evidence technicians acknowledged or followed procedures
9. User Permissions & Electronic Signatures
What they ask:
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Who has access to what?
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Are approvals controlled?
What they expect:
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Role-based permissions
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Electronic acknowledgements
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Separation of duties (performer vs reviewer)
10. Exception Handling
What they ask:
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What happens when work is late?
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How do you document missed PMs?
What they expect:
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Documented reasons
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Corrective actions
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Management visibility
Key insight:
Auditors are far more concerned with how exceptions are handled than with exceptions themselves.
What Auditors Rarely Care About
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Fancy dashboards
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Perfect KPIs
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100% compliance with no explanation
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How “hard” the system is to use
They care about:
Consistency, traceability, and control
Final Advice
If you can:
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Reproduce records on demand
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Explain your process clearly
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Show accountability and follow-up
You are audit-ready—even if your operation isn’t perfect.