Internal Auditing. A word that can strike dread into the hearts of many responsible for business compliance and ISO Certification! It might be sweeping to say that we have an impression of a clipboard-bearing pedant that will torture you into submission with your own procedures, but it really doesn’t have to be that way….

Consider the actual definition of Internal Audits; an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organisation’s operations. (Source iia.org)
It’s an exercise to reassure that business compliance is happening and your systems are working effectively; it’s a consultation and discussion to improve operations; it can be whatever you need it to be to assure yourself and your interested parties that your management system is doing what it sets out to do.

So when it comes to planning your audit schedule look at things differently to see how you can really take a close look at your activities and operations and get real value from your audits. It doesn’t always have to be a grilling on a set of procedures; perhaps a walk through and checklist is adequate. Sometimes file audits are more appropriate; selecting random files and reviewing them and their contents against expectation. Always engage and listen to the person(s) whom you are auditing, try not to use words and phrases like “should be”, “not right”, “doing it wrong”. Usually operations have come up with a way to do things better and more efficiently than the process they are using. The audit is a great way to get things up to date.

My experience has also found that the Internal Audit can be very empowering to an Auditee. Nothing draws management attention to an issue like a Non Conformance Report. With the right attitude you can actually help people facing operational issues to bring about some focus on action and support. Once your Audit Team starts to build a reputation of assisting and supporting with constructive auditing, you will have actual engagement in your Audit Programme leading to real results and improvements, rather than that familiar collective groan……