As mentioned in our Introductory Blog last month, at Metis we are here to help you with clearing a path toward Compliance and Quality Assurance. One of the ways we do this is through Internal Audits. Below are some Tips so your Organization has the best experience with an Internal Audit.

Tips for Best Experience with an Internal Audit

1. Pre-planning the Audit

Before planning out the audit itself, you will want to make sure that everyone on your team has time to participate in the audit. Process managers should have enough time to wrap up anything they are working on, so the most accurate and up to date information possible will be available. Make sure you check in on the progress of projects among managers and teams as you are moving forward with planning the audit.

If your team members and management are prepared for the audit, they will have a better idea of what to expect for any external audits that will happen.

2. Planning the Audit

Once the logistics of the Managers and team members are set, get the audit scheduled. Work with auditors to determine the best time to come and conduct the review. They can also review your organization’s audit history and past issues.

3. Choosing Auditors

Either an assigned ISO 9001-trained employee(s) from within the company, or external verified auditor(s). For example, Metis Consulting Services has multiple knowledgeable and experienced Consultants in Quality, Compliance, GXP, and more- who can conduct and oversee an internal company audit. Their role is to ensure everything regarding your company processes are performing to regulatory standards and guidelines, and review findings with recommendations for pathways forward. We recommend that there be more than one auditor, to help move the conduct and review; it is also always better to have more than one set of eyes when it comes to audits. The larger your organization, the more eyes-auditors- that are welcome.

4. Running the Audit

After careful pre-planning and laying the groundwork, it is time to conduct the internal audit. Be sure that your organization and the auditor know the plan and that you share the same vocabulary.

The Auditors conduct the audit itself -reviewing all records, observing the success of certain functions, detecting and identifying areas for improvement within the system, having conversations with employees, and more. It is best to use independent auditors for this. They can help you through without conflict of interest, bias, and organizational or departmental “blind spots.” It is vital that the teams and managers not view the auditors as the” Quality Police” to hide problems and errors from but use the audits as a chance to show off how good they are at their jobs. And if the teams do know of a problem that they haven’t been able to have addressed up the ladder- now is the time to fix that communication problem. The reports generated by the internal audits should show areas that need improvement but also can provide recommendations for adjustments so that t areas can operate more effectively.

These adjustments, also known as process improvements, can provide process managers and organizational systems a path toward success.

5. What happens at the end?

Once completed, the auditors will meet with the process manager to discuss the results: the reported findings of issues, and, crucially, pathways for improvement.

A detailed report of which processes are not producing—in addition to paths to improvement—should be every process manager’s goal. The written, unbiased evidence produced through an internal audit is a golden opportunity to help save resource costs. You will now know where time and energy require focus to meet the regulatory requirements.

6. Afterward

Afterward, come back and reflect on the results of the audit. You will want to review this information with those who conducted the audit. Compare standards from before your audit to after for significant changes in performance based on recommended adjustments.
Periodically your organization will need to re-visit this process to ensure compliance and that improvements continue.

Contact Us to set up a consultation or ask any questions.