In this article, we offer seven audit tips and tricks. Share these dos and don’ts with your team to help them prepare for the audit and ensure it goes smoothly.
Audit tips and tricks key takeaways:
1. Be positive and courteous
From your initial email correspondence to the end of the audit, remember to maintain a positive attitude.
Both your team and the auditor will appreciate the courtesy, and it will influence how everyone approaches the task at hand.
Offending the auditor will only make them hesitant or reluctant to work with you and your team on any findings.
2. Alert the staff well in advance
Alert your staff of the audit as far in advance as possible – especially subject matter experts who will work closely with the auditor.
If possible, ask the auditor for an agenda and forward it to the appropriate people. This will ensure they are well prepared and not caught off guard.
Also make sure key staff are aware they may be asked to join you during the course of the audit.
3. Aim to learn from the audit
Be aware of the scope of the audit and listen to questions carefully. Try to become a subject matter expert on the audit criteria.
If you have concerns or doubts about a potential nonconformity, ask the auditor to show you the relevant requirement in the audit criteria.
Above all else, an audit is a learning experience. Be a sponge. Learn from the questions and the overall experience for the next time.
4. If you don’t know, say so
Don’t be afraid to ask the auditor for clarification before responding to a question. Pretending to understand will only stymie the process later.
If you still don’t understand what is being asked, it’s ok to say, “I don’t know.” That’s better than guessing and inadvertently providing incorrect information.
Let the auditor know you’ll look for an answer and find out if the auditor wants to retrieve it now or in the future.
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5. Have a robust internal audit procedure
An internal audit is the best way to find out about your non-conformances and deficiencies before an external audit comes knocking.
Know your processes and how you fit into them. Know where to find them and how to interpret them.
Organizations that need to comply with regulatory standards should be conducting regular internal audits.
6. Encourage staff to raise potential issues
It’s always better for you or your staff to find an issue, rather than being caught off guard when an auditor finds it during an audit.
This way, you can implement corrective or preventive action (CAPA) to address the issue before the auditor arrives.
Even if an issue can’t be corrected prior to the audit, having it in your CAPA system shows the auditor that it’s being addressed. It also shows that you use your CAPA system effectively.
7. Stay focused and on topic
Provide concise answers to the auditor. Don’t go off on a tangent or tell stories. Keep responses on target. Don’t volunteer information – answer only what is asked.
Learn to be comfortable with silence and teach this to your team and employees. An auditor may pause before responding to encourage an auditee to fill the silence.
Don’t volunteer information just to fill the silence or you may end up babbling out of nervousness and saying something you regret.
How isoTracker can help
At isoTracker, we offer modular, cloud-based quality management software, including audit management software.
Our software helps you prepare for, conduct and analyze the results of an audit to ensure you are compliant with regulations and 100% ready for external audits.
Sign up for a free 60-day trial of isoTracker’s quality management software with full access to see how our audit management software can help your business conduct successful audits.
