What are the pitfalls to avoid in conducting ISO 27001 audits?

Some pitfalls to avoid when organising and conducting an ISO 27001 audit include:

• Not communicating the scope and criteria effectively enough for the audit and inadequate planning/confirmation with the departments/areas being audited.
• Allowing auditees to assume control of the audit, potentially avoiding responses to the questions asked
• Not collecting adequate objective evidence to support statements of conformance or nonconformance
• Allowing subjectivity to influence audit findings and conclusions - i.e. not being objective
• Being poorly prepared and not understanding the policies, clauses or controls that are being audited
• Following audit trails that are inconsequential and compromise the ability to conduct the audit in the available timeframe.