Templates and records · IATF 16949 · Clause 9.2.2.3

IATF 16949 manufacturing process audit template

This is not the system audit: it is the audit of each line on the shop floor, on every shift, checking that what the FMEA and the control plan say is what actually happens.

In one sentence

The manufacturing process audit checks on the shop floor the effectiveness and efficiency of each process, including how the FMEA, the control plan and their associated documents are actually applied, because IATF 16949 requires every manufacturing process to be audited in each three-year calendar period, on every shift where it runs and with the method the customer requires (9.2.2.3), as well as product audits (9.2.2.4).

Content reviewed on 17 October 2026

Where the standard requires it: IATF 16949 · Clause 9.2.2.3 Clauses are those of IATF 16949:2016, which always applies together with ISO 9001:2015. The AIAG and VDA manuals cited are industry references that apply when the customer requires them; they are not part of the standard.
Type of information: Mandatory record Audit programme and results to be retained (9.2.2.3, building on 9.2 of ISO 9001)
Who fills it in: Qualified process auditor With the competence set by IATF (7.2.3) and any the customer requires; independent of the line
When: According to a three-year programme More often for processes with complaints, changes or high risk
How long it is kept: Organisation’s policy IATF requires a documented record retention policy that meets statutory, regulatory, organisational and customer requirements (7.5.3.2.1).

What the standard requires

What IATF 16949 demands and what it leaves to your judgement

The standard requires all manufacturing processes to be audited over each three-year calendar period to determine their effectiveness and efficiency, using the process audit approach the customer requires or, failing that, the organisation’s own.

Within each audit plan, each process is audited on every shift where it takes place, including sampling of the shift handover. The audit must cover the effective implementation of the process risk analysis, the control plan and the associated documents.

Many European manufacturers require VDA 6.3 as the method. The product audit (9.2.2.4) is complementary: it checks finished parts against all their requirements.

Read it in context: Performance evaluation, in the IATF 16949 Academy

Structure

Fields the template should include

Process or line, part and audit method (in-house, VDA 6.3, customer’s)
Shifts audited and sampling of the shift handover
Auditor and qualifications
Reference documents: flow chart, FMEA, control plan, work instructions
Checks at the workstation: controls, reaction, error-proofing, traceability
Findings with evidence and requirement
Score, if the method uses one
Actions, owner and deadline
Follow-up to closure

Example

Example: audit of the welding line

Company, people and figures are fictitious: the example only shows what a properly completed record looks like.

Field	Content
Process	Bracket welding line · VDA 6.3 method, required by customer OEM-B (fictitious)
Shifts	Morning, afternoon and night, 9 and 10 June 2026, including the 22:00 handover
Auditor	Plant quality process auditor, trained in VDA 6.3
Finding 1	Night shift: the torque test after an electrode change is not recorded · control plan PC-SA-0331
Finding 2	The FMEA does not reflect the May change of electrode supplier
Strength	The current-based lockout works and is verified at the start of each shift
Score	86% · conditionally acceptable under the method
Actions	Electrode change sheet with a mandatory torque field · FMEA revised · 30 June

At the audit

Mistakes auditors commonly flag

Only the morning shift is audited.
The three-year cycle does not cover every process, or there is no record of which processes exist.
The process audit is really a desk review of documents in the office.
What is observed is not compared with the FMEA and the control plan.
Auditors lack the qualifications the customer requires for its method.

In Kimobox

How this record is kept in Kimobox

1Process and product audits are planned alongside system audits, with their auditor and date.
2Each audit has its own checklist, completed on the platform.
3Findings are linked to actions and nonconformities, visible to the line manager.
4Progress against the three-year programme can be seen at a glance.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask us before getting started

How does it differ from the internal system audit?

The system audit reviews management processes against the standard. The process audit takes place on the line and checks that the manufacturing process is effective and efficient and that the FMEA and the control plan are followed. IATF requires both, plus product audits.

Is VDA 6.3 mandatory?

Only if the customer requires it. The standard refers to the process audit approach the customer asks for, and many European manufacturers ask for VDA 6.3. Without a customer requirement, a documented in-house method is acceptable.

Must every shift be audited?

Yes. Each process is audited on every shift where it runs, including the handover, because that is where differences in method and control tend to show up.

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Sources

Where each figure comes from

References to the official text in force. If a standard is revised, this page is updated and the review date says so.

IATF 16949:2016 — Quality management system requirements for automotive production and relevant service parts organizations IATF · First edition, October 2016
VDA QMC publications: VDA 2 (production process and product approval) and VDA 6.3 (process audit) (industry reference) VDA QMC · Current editions
IATF 16949 Sanctioned Interpretations and FAQs IATF Global Oversight · Continuously updated