Internal Auditing in Plain English: A Simple Guide to Super Effective ISO Audits by Cochran Craig

Internal Auditing in Plain English: A Simple Guide to Super Effective ISO Audits by Cochran Craig

Author:Cochran, Craig [Cochran, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Paton Professional
Published: 2017-07-09T16:00:00+00:00


TREATING THE AUDIT AS A “GOTCHA” EXERCISE

Remember, the objective of the audit is to find out where the organization is meeting requirements. You’ll likely find instances of the organization failing to meet requirements. It’s all part of the improvement process. However, finding nonconformities isn’t the purpose of the audit. The purpose is to evaluate conformity and to identify opportunities for improvement.

Treating the audit as a “gotcha” exercise is a trap that inexperienced auditors often fall into. After all, it’s satisfying to identify a nonconformity. You were perceptive and observant, and this makes you feel good. This satisfaction can sometimes turn into outright glee with nonconformities. Of course, this behavior tells that auditee that you’re playing on the opposing team. You’re not a partner in improvement; you’re an adversary. People will stop trusting the audit process and your support will deteriorate.

Here are some “gotcha” techniques to avoid at all costs.

Keep digging until you find a problem. Instead, remind yourself that the audit is only a sample, and some samples reveal no nonconformities.

Express satisfaction at identifying nonconformities. There should be no satisfaction in finding nonconformities. An auditor is nothing more than a fact finder. Negative facts are no better than positive facts. You react the same to both.

Nitpick minor issues. Don’t focus on small or inconsequential issues. Ask yourself, “Will this issue help the auditee survive and improve?” If the answer is no, you might want to move on.

Fail to see the big picture. The best auditors can see the big picture of the auditee’s competitive environment. They focus on issues that affect customers and long-term success. The only way to do this is by preparing before the audit and truly understanding the world that the auditee exists within.

Intimidate people until they admit fault. Some auditors believe that being a little scary will knock auditees out of their comfort zone, and here they won’t be able to hide the truth. Being scary or intimating will only make people hate auditing. You will always get the most cooperation by being friendly and engaging.



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