Which of the following can be performed to verify the effectiveness of a quality management system?

Configuration auditing verifies that a system or product matches its defined configuration baseline, which is a change management control rather than a QMS evaluation activity.

Benchmarking compares an organization's metrics or processes against industry peers or best practices, but it does not formally verify QMS compliance or operational effectiveness.

Project analysis evaluates the outcomes and performance of a specific project, not the overarching quality management system that governs project work.

Quality audits are systematic, independent examinations of a quality management system (QMS) that assess whether quality activities conform to planned arrangements and whether those arrangements are implemented effectively. Standards such as ISO 9001 specifically designate quality audits as the primary tool for evaluating and improving QMS performance.