In quality management, audits are a prime choice for permanent improvement. We used our experience in auditing quality management systems on the bases of ISO 9001 quality management in research, to determine the most currently occurring problems in quality management. The identification of clients, their requirements and satisfaction and the identification of quality-objectives, specific actions and associated indicators appeared to pose the majority of problems. This could partly be interpreted as to be due to a cultural specificity in scientific research, which is largely related to the creation of knowledge and not to a sell and buy relationship. This does however not mean that science is an exception in quality management according to ISO 9001, since the term client is devoid of economic aspects and used to designate the beneficiary of an activity. In the lab, objectives are present but usually treated in an informal way - the respect of the ISO 9001 requirements will lead the labs to a more formal approach with increased traceability and transparency
