Stage 2 is the main certification audit. Where Stage 1 asked whether you are ready, Stage 2 asks whether the system actually works.
What happens
The auditor gathers objective evidence that your management system is implemented and effective: interviewing people at all levels, observing activities, sampling records, tracing processes end to end, and checking that what your procedures describe is what actually happens.
Expect them to follow threads. A single order might be traced from enquiry through requirement review, planning, purchasing, production, inspection, release and delivery — and any of those steps can surface a finding.
The outcome
- No nonconformities — recommendation for certification
- Minor nonconformities — usually recommendation subject to an accepted corrective action plan, verified at surveillance or by document review
- Major nonconformities — certification withheld until closed and verified, sometimes requiring a further on-site visit
The auditor recommends; the certification body’s independent review makes the decision.
The most common surprise
Systems fail Stage 2 far more often on change than on their initial build. Supplier re-evaluation that never happened, production changes made without documented review, requirements that changed after the original review, post-delivery problems handled informally as customer service and never entering the system. The first pass through everything tends to be well documented; what happens afterwards is where the evidence thins.