An Unequal Pair | Assessment and Evaluation

The Difference Between Assessment and Evaluation

Questions within an audit should be assessed based on uniform criteria, regardless of the auditor. This ensures consistent evaluations by different auditors and across different locations. For instance, in the food production industry, uniform hygiene standards during audits are crucial. Such standardisation guarantees that all production facilities are evaluated stringently and fairly, maintaining consistently high product quality.

Understanding the distinction between assessment and evaluation in audits is crucial as it greatly simplifies the auditor's job.

• Assessment pertains to examining the results of a given condition or procedure. It involves verifying the integrity, accuracy, and completeness of data, processes, behaviours, and outcomes to determine compliance with requirements.
  

• Evaluation, on the other hand, refers to appraising the audit results against specific standards or criteria. This involves using points, demerit points, or grades for computational comparison. Deviations between the actual evaluation and the desired state are often expressed as a percentage, providing a clear measure of whether the results meet expectations or require improvement.

In summary, assessment is about checking results, while evaluation is about judging these results against set standards or criteria.

Accessible Assessment Criteria

For auditors, easy access to relevant assessment criteria for each question is vital. This helps save time and avoid misinterpretations. In a supermarket audit, for example, the relevant criteria for assessing food freshness or store cleanliness should be readily available. This allows auditors to make quick and precise evaluations.

Automated Background Evaluation

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