Observation: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)
An observation (French: observation), sometimes called an area of concern, is a finding in an audit report that is not a nonconformity but flags a weak point that could become one. In an ISO 53001 audit it draws the organisation's attention without requiring a corrective action plan.
Updated: · edition covered: ISO/UNDP 53001:2026
In an ISO/UNDP 53001 audit
Auditors use it when evidence is insufficient to establish a nonconformity, or when a risk of drift is visible: a fragile indicator calculation, a major supplier not yet assessed. It is not a disguised nonconformity and does not weigh on the certification decision.
The point will nonetheless be revisited at the next visit; a weakness left unattended whose risk has materialised becomes a nonconformity. In audit method, the word also means watching an activity as it happens. See the ISO/UNDP 53001 standard.
Observations in the report
Observations are written with the same factual care as nonconformities: the requirement, the fact, the evidence. The organisation decides freely whether to act on them, and the certification body draws no conclusion from that choice alone. At the next visit, however, the auditor rereads the earlier report and checks whether the risk noted has grown.
See also
- Audit finding: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)An audit finding (French: *constat d'audit*) is the result of comparing the evidence collected with the audit criteria.
- Minor nonconformity: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)A minor nonconformity (French: *non-conformité mineure*) is a genuine deviation from an ISO 53001 requirement that does not, on its own, undermine the ability of the SDG management system to achieve its results.
- Opportunity: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)An opportunity (French: *opportunité*) is a favourable circumstance an organisation can use to achieve or exceed its intended results.