Excluding "Design" from the ISO audit

Let us consider three situations:

a) Company does not perform design activities
b) Company performs design activities, but they are performed outside the scope of the quality management system
c) Company performs design activities, and they are performed within the scope of the quality management system and the company decides to exclude design from the certification process

Situations a) and b) are allowed, but the organization has to explain why design was excluded. These are common, pacific situations.
Situation c) is not allowed. If design is performed within the management system scope it must be included. Not including design is a major non-conformity.
The following material will provide you more information about exclusions:

• What clauses can be excluded in ISO 9001:2015? - https://advisera.com/9001academy/blog/2015/07/07/what-clauses-can-be-excluded-in-iso-90012015/2015/
• Free webinar on demand - ISO 9001:2015 clause 4 - Context of the organization, interested parties, and scope -
• Enroll for free course - ISO 9001:2015 Foundations Course - https://advisera.com/training/iso-9001-foundations-course/
• Book - Discover ISO 9001:2015 Through Practical Examples - https://advisera.com/books/discover-iso-9001-2015-through-practical-examples/