Is it mandatory to classify nonconformities as minor or major during an internal audit?

Classifying nonconformities as minor or major during an internal audit is not mandated by the ISO 9001 standard. Instead, the standard focuses on the effectiveness of the quality management system in meeting its intended outcomes, which includes addressing nonconformities in a systematic way. Organizations have the flexibility to determine their own criteria for classifying nonconformities based on their context, size, complexity, and specific processes.

This means that the classification can vary between organizations and might not be necessary for every audit. While some organizations might choose to implement a classification system to prioritize corrective actions and resource allocation, it is not a requirement of the ISO 9001 standard. Therefore, the decision to classify nonconformities is left to the organization’s discretion.

In contexts where classification is deemed useful, the criteria and consequences of such classifications should ideally be documented in the organization's internal audit procedures; however, they are not dictated by the ISO 9001 standard.