Audit team members are responsible for which two of the following? I. Initiating the audit II. Remaining within the scope of the audit III. Compiling and analyzing evidence IV. Recommending specific corrective actions

The primary responsibilities of audit team members during the execution of an audit are to operate within the defined boundaries and to perform the core audit tasks. This includes remaining within the audit scope (II) to ensure the audit is focused and its objectives are met. A fundamental activity for auditors is to collect, verify, and analyze objective evidence (III) against the established audit criteria. This process forms the basis for the audit findings and conclusions. Initiating the audit is a management function, and prescribing specific corrective actions is the responsibility of the auditee to maintain auditor independence and objectivity.

I. Initiating the audit: This is the responsibility of the individual managing the audit program or the audit client, not the audit team members who are assigned to a pre-initiated audit.
IV. Recommending specific corrective actions: Auditors identify and report nonconformities. Prescribing solutions is the auditee's role; doing so would compromise the auditor's objectivity and create a potential conflict of interest.

1. ISO 19011:2018, Guidelines for auditing management systems.

Clause 7.2.3.2, Auditors: This section outlines the responsibilities of auditors, which explicitly include "remaining within the audit scope" and "collecting and analysing audit evidence to reach audit conclusions."

Clause 5.4.1, Initiating the audit: This clause specifies that the individual(s) managing the audit programme should initiate the audit, confirming that this is not an audit team member's task.

Clause 6.6, Preparing and distributing the audit report: The standard indicates the report should contain audit findings and conclusions. It does not state that auditors should recommend specific corrective actions. The responsibility for determining and implementing corrections lies with the auditee.

2. Russell, J. P. (Ed.). (2013). The ASQ Auditing Handbook (4th ed.). ASQ Quality Press.

Chapter 6, The Audit Process: This chapter details the stages of an audit. It clarifies that auditors are responsible for "collecting objective evidence" and "evaluating evidence against criteria" (p. 89). It also emphasizes that the audit team must adhere to the agreed-upon scope (p. 85). The handbook distinguishes the auditor's role of reporting findings from the auditee's role of determining corrective actions (p. 93).