CPD Guidance
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
CPD keeps your auditing current. QA Assessor does not count hours or points: what matters is what you set out to learn, what you did and what changed as a result. You complete at least three CPD records in every full calendar year of your three-year certification period, each verified by QA Assessor (for a period from 4 November 2026 to 3 November 2029, the years are 2027 and 2028).
Two dates to keep apart
Your registration is renewed by the annual fee, which is due before each anniversary of your issue date (the “annual renewal date” on your certificate). If it has not been received by 00:00 on that date, your certification lapses on that date. The annual fee cannot extend a certification beyond its recertification due date. Your certification is confirmed every three years by recertification (the “recertification due” date), which looks at your CPD records and your continued auditing. CPD is counted by calendar year: the records you complete between 1 January and 31 December count for that year.
One record, one Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle
Each CPD record is a short reflective cycle rather than a list of hours. Open the CPD Log in your dashboard and fill in:
| Stage | What you record |
|---|---|
| Plan | Objective: what you want to learn, improve or achieve, and why it matters to your auditing. Start date and planned completion date. Planned activities: how you intend to get there (a course, reading, an audit in a new sector, mentoring, standards work, a webinar, writing). |
| Do | Activities undertaken: what you actually did, with dates, and any evidence (a certificate, an attendance record, an audit plan or report with confidential details removed, an article). |
| Check | Reflection on the activities undertaken: what you learned, what worked and what did not, and how it changes the way you audit. |
| Act | What next: how you will apply it in your next audits, and the objective it leads to. |
A record can be saved as planned or in progress and completed later. It counts for the year in which you mark it completed. A good record is specific: “Audit the ISO 9001:2026 changes with confidence” is an objective; “read more” is not.
What activities can go into a record
- Auditing, implementing or managing a management system in the scope of your certification, especially in a new sector, role or edition of the standard
- Training courses, webinars, conferences and workshops on management systems, auditing (ISO 19011) or the relevant standard, from QA Assessor or any other provider
- Reading and studying the standard, sector guidance, technical publications and case studies, with notes on what you took from them
- Delivering training, mentoring or coaching other auditors, or presenting on management systems topics
- Contributing to standards committees, professional bodies, peer reviews or witnessed audits
- Structured self-study, research or writing that adds to your competence
One activity can serve one objective; a large objective can take several activities. What matters is the reflection: an activity without a reflection is not a completed record.
Evidence and verification
Attach evidence where it exists. QA Assessor checks CPD records on a sample basis and at recertification, and may ask for evidence or for a short conversation about a record. Verified records are locked; if something on a verified record is wrong, use Request a correction.
If you fall behind
CPD is checked at recertification: a favourable recertification decision needs three verified records for every full calendar year of the period, so missing records hold up recertification. Catch up as soon as you can and record what you did; assessors look for a genuine cycle, not a date.
Earlier entries
CPD entries recorded in hours before this guidance took effect are kept in your CPD Log, but they do not count towards the requirement unless they are converted into complete, verified PDCA records under an approved conversion process.