TEMPLATESAUDIT SCHEDULEFree Excel (.xlsx) download

Internal Audit Schedule Template

An Excel audit programme with one row per process. Rate each process by risk and importance, and the sheet sets the audit interval, calculates the next due date, flags overdue and upcoming audits, and catches auditors scheduled on their own work.

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Who this template is for

Quality managers and internal audit coordinators who plan the audit programme for an ISO 9001, IATF 16949 or AS9100 system, and the auditors who work from it.

When to use it

When you set up the audit programme, and at the start of each year.
After a management review, an audit finding or a customer complaint that changes the risk of a process.
Monthly, to see what is overdue or due in the next 30 days.
Before a certification or surveillance audit, as evidence the programme is planned and followed.

Standards it supports

ISO 9001:2015 9.2.1 — Internal audits at planned intervals show whether the QMS conforms to your own and the standard’s requirements and is effectively implemented.
ISO 9001:2015 9.2.2 — Plan an audit programme with frequency and methods that consider process importance, changes and previous results, and choose objective, impartial auditors.
IATF 16949:2016 9.2.2.1 — The documented audit programme is risk-based and its frequency is reviewed and adjusted after process changes, nonconformities and complaints.
IATF 16949:2016 9.2.2.2 — QMS audits cover all quality management processes over each three-year calendar period.
ISO 19011:2018 5 — Guidance on establishing, implementing, monitoring and improving an audit programme.

How to use this template

List the processes — use your process map or turtle diagrams so every QMS process, shift and site appears once.
Set the intervals — enter how many months between audits for High, Medium and Low processes at the top of the sheet.
Rate each process — choose High, Medium or Low from importance, past results, changes and complaints; the interval follows.
Enter the last audit and auditor — enter the date of the last audit and the lead auditor, and confirm they do not audit their own work.
Work the status column — audit Overdue rows first, plan the Due within 30 days rows, and update the last audit date when each audit is done.

Tip: The as-of date uses TODAY() on the blank sheet, so the status updates each time you open it. Overwrite it with a fixed date to print a snapshot.

What's inside the template

Header

Company, as-of date, interval in months for High, Medium and Low, programme owner

Scope

Process or area, clauses covered and process owner

Risk and interval

Risk and importance rating with the calculated interval

Dates

Last audited, calculated next due date and planned month

Auditor

Lead auditor and an independence check

Status and summary

Overdue, due within 30 days, scheduled or not yet audited, with counts

Example: a completed template

Example Audit programme for Example Precision Co., a fictional machine shop, as of 2026-10-01. Intervals: High 6 months, Medium 12, Low 24. Processes, dates and roles are invented for illustration.

Programme

Process	Clauses	Risk	Last audited	Next due	Lead auditor	Independent	Status
Sales and contract review	8.2	Medium	2025-11-12	2026-11-12	Quality Engineer	Yes	Scheduled
Purchasing and supplier control	8.4	High	2026-03-18	2026-09-18	Quality Manager	Yes	Overdue
Production (CNC)	8.5.1, 8.5.2, 8.7	High	2026-04-20	2026-10-20	Quality Engineer	Yes	Due within 30 days
Measurement and calibration	7.1.5	Medium	2026-02-10	2027-02-10	Operations Manager	Yes	Scheduled
Training and competence	7.2, 7.3	Low	2025-06-05	2027-06-05	Quality Engineer	Yes	Scheduled
Internal audit and management review	9.2, 9.3	Medium	—	—	Operations Manager	Yes	Not yet audited
Document control	7.5	Low	2025-01-15	2027-01-15	Quality Manager	No	Scheduled

Summary

Processes	7
Overdue	1
Due within 30 days	1
Not yet audited	1
Auditor not independent	1 (the Quality Manager auditing document control)

The math in this Example

Purchasing next due: 2026-03-18 + 6 months = 2026-09-18, before 2026-10-01, so Overdue
Production next due: 2026-04-20 + 6 months = 2026-10-20, within 30 days of 2026-10-01
Training next due: 2025-06-05 + 24 months = 2027-06-05, Scheduled

How to fill in each field

Field	What to enter	Example
As of	TODAY() on the blank sheet. Every status is calculated against it.	2026-10-01
Interval (High / Medium / Low)	Months between audits for each rating. Make sure every process is still covered within your full cycle.	6 / 12 / 24
Process / area	One QMS process, matching the name on your process map. Add shifts or sites as separate rows if they run differently.	Purchasing and supplier control
Clauses covered	The requirements this audit will sample, so you can show the whole standard is covered.	8.4
Risk / importance	High, Medium or Low, based on the importance of the process, changes, past findings and customer complaints.	High
Last audited	Date of the last completed audit of this process. Leave blank if it has never been audited.	2026-03-18
Next due (calculated)	Last audited plus the interval. Do not type over it.	2026-09-18
Independent?	No if the lead auditor works in or is responsible for the process. Reassign those rows.	Yes

Common mistakes

The same interval for every process. Rate by importance and results. Auditors expect the programme to reflect risk.
Auditors auditing their own work. Use the independence column and swap auditors between areas.
Forgetting the audit process itself. Internal audit and management review are processes too. Someone other than their owner audits them.
Not updating after findings. Raise a process to High after major findings, complaints or a big change, and shorten its interval.
Leaving out shifts and sites. If night shift or a second site works differently, give it its own row.
A schedule nobody updates. Review the status column monthly and enter the date as soon as each audit closes.

Frequently asked questions

How often should each process be audited?

ISO 9001 does not set a frequency. Base it on importance, changes and past results. Many companies audit every process at least once a year and higher-risk ones more often; IATF 16949 also requires every QMS process to be covered over each three-year period.

What is the difference between an audit programme and an audit plan?

The programme is the schedule of all audits over a period, like this sheet. An audit plan covers one audit: scope, criteria, time, auditors and who will be interviewed.

Can the quality manager audit document control?

Not if they own it. Auditors should not audit their own work. Use another trained auditor or an external auditor for the quality team’s own processes.

What counts as the last audited date?

The date the audit was carried out, not the date findings were closed. Track finding closure in your corrective action log.

Why does a row say Not yet audited?

The last audited date is blank, so there is nothing to add an interval to. Schedule a first audit and enter the date when it is done.