Most organisations with ISO certification struggle to perform effective audits, resulting in issues during certification audits and sometimes in a loss of certification. Why is this? There are several common reasons behind this:
- Resource – quite often the organisation does not have the time or resource to perform the audits meaning the audit programme slips behind;
- Training – in order to perform audits effectively staff need to be trained and the absence of such training results in ineffective audits and quite often a waste of time;
- Perception – a lot of organisations view internal audits as a hassle and miss the fact that audits can actually be used to drive continual improvement and to resolve pain points.
There are a number of ways to address these challenges. The provision of proper training for auditors is a good starting point. Quadra Consulting have been delivering internal audit training for over 30 years and our highly experienced trainers (most of whom have acted as Certification Body auditors) can provide a unique insight into how to conduct solid internal audits which not only focus on compliance but also on auditing for improvement. Our training course is aligned with the structure for audits suggested within ISO19011 and involves the practical application of audit techniques through group work and case studies.
Effective internal audits should be structured around the following key elements:
1 Initiating the audit
2 Preparing for the audit
3 Conducting the audit
4 Audit reporting
5 Audit completion and corrective action
For some clients it is often more cost effective to outsource the audits to Quadra. This means that internal resources can spend time working in the business on normal day to day challenges. Our consultants can perform audits in a more time efficient and cost-effective manner and will ensure that the audits stand up to the scrutiny of external certification audits. Our consultants can also use the audit process to help resolve pain points and problems and to identify areas for improvement.
For more information visit our website quadraconsulting.com or give us a call on 028 9042 3222
