Audit vs Inspection

IvanD

Hey guys,

Please help me to understand the difference between Audits and Inspections from the PMBOK's point of view.
I googled a lot but still do not understand the difference completely.

Here are the definitions from the PMBOK:

• An audit is a structured, independent process used to determine if project activities comply with organizational and project policies, processes, and procedures
• Inspection includes activities such as measuring, examining, and validating to determine whether work and deliverables meet requirements and product acceptance criteria

The only difference I see is that an audit is a more thorough process.

Thank you in advance!

Harwinder

Hi Ivan,

Great question!

There are 2 fundamental differences between Audits and Inspections:

Audits are not just about finding problems, but also about finding best practices or positives. On the other hand, Inspections are largely to find problems. This is the main difference.

Audit is a Quality Assurance function, which comes under the Manage Quality process of PMBOK Guide, 6th edition, whereas Inspection is a Quality Control function, which comes under the Control Quality process of PMBOK Guide, 6th edition.

Hope that helps.

IvanD

Thank you, Harwinder!

That is very helpful.