The purpose of a management system audit is to evaluate the performance of an organization’s management system.

A management system audit is an independent and systematic analysis and evaluation of a company’s overall activities and performances1. It is a valuable tool used to determine the efficiency, functions, accomplishments and achievements of the company1. A management system audit can be conducted against a range of audit criteria, including (but not limited to) requirements set of in existing ISO standards2.

According to ISO 19011:2018, which provides guidelines for auditing management systems, the purpose of an audit is to enable the auditor to provide an audit conclusion that is related to the audit objectives2. The audit objectives are defined by the audit client and may include determining the extent of conformity or nonconformity of the audited management system against the audit criteria, evaluating the ability of the audited management system to ensure that the organization meets applicable statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements, identifying potential improvement opportunities for the audited management system, and facilitating continual improvement of the audited management system2.

Therefore, the correct answer is evaluate, as it best describes the purpose of a management system audit. The other options are not correct because they are not specific enough or do not reflect the intended outcome of an audit. For example, improve implies that the audit itself will enhance the performance of the management system, which is not necessarily true. Manage implies that the audit will control or direct the management system, which is not its role. Research implies that the audit will generate new knowledge or information about the management system, which is not its primary aim.