We have gone through the audit. It was the most thorough I have seen in a long time but there were no major problems. The other half of "keep it simple" is "but make sure you address ALL requirements."

I strongly recommend that you contact QMC and ask their advice. They can't tell you what to do, but I found that they are willing to review what you have and give some guidance.
QMC had a concern in our documentation review but after talking with them they saw that we were actually in compliance and I saw that I could make that procedure easier to understand.

My only complaint is that our audit was 2 months ago (66 days), we addressed our CARs, but QMC's email glitches has delayed reviewing our corrections and certification. Many other companies face the same problem.

Chet Guilford

Fortunately or unfortunately we have one audit left in the checklist format. I am sad to see it go since we haven't had a CAR in 10 years in either Bridge or Building. So to start over is a little scary. I hear the Bridge System will be changed in the near future.

Mike

We completed the audit to the new standard back in March 04 and it went well.
I found it quite similar in nature to ISO 9000. "Say what you do, do what you say"
Probably the documentation audit was the biggest hurdle.
We had a few CAR's written up but we were able to close them quickly.
I really like the new standard.
Make sure you keep up to date on the AISC Audit Program Policies. You must incorporate them into your quality process.
Best wishes for a successful audit.
ziggy