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Many service supply organizations are using internal audits as a method to improve operations and impact their bottom line. In addition to being required by API Spec Q2, an effective audit program will highlight potential problems areas, identify failure points, and determine the effectiveness of controls.
Internal auditing provides the mechanism that organizations use to examine business processes and evaluate compliance with both internal and external requirements. Successful auditing incorporates best practices and other tools to provide maximum impact. To that end, we have outlined five useful tips to help advance your next internal quality audit. 1. Strong Attention to Detail It is important for internal auditors to note and document evidence throughout the auditing process. These notes are used later to analyze events and reconstruct specific situations. This does not mean that auditors should focus on tiny, unimportant details through nit-picking, but rather components that are a part of a bigger issue that can be addressed. 2. Friendly Attitude Stress levels are already high when employees are dealing with an audit. If an internal auditor is aggressive, hostile, or difficult to deal with, employers often minimally engage and will not share as much. If an internal auditor presents with a friendly attitude and is open, they will be more likely to get feedback. The last thing an auditor wants to do is put an employee on the defensive or make them feel ill at ease. 3. Reporting Supported by Checklists Internal auditors use checklists to balance reporting and should ensure that they are clean and support numerical values and ratings. These checklists enable companies to report on growth as well as challenges that exist across various departments. These reports are essential and allow businesses to assess whether their improvement efforts are working, and what training is needed to reach their goals. 4. Generation of Auditing Teams Internal auditing teams can be very successful, especially with all the documentation that goes into completing an audit the right way. While a single auditor would be responsible for actively listening while documenting their findings, a team can allocate responsibilities to various areas such as recording, listening, and documenting. This way, all team members can collaborate to ensure no information is overlooked. 5. Looking at the Whole Picture When an internal audit is taking place, the auditor or team should be able to look at the picture as a whole, incorporating current situations as well as past audit results. Focus should take place on past issues to determine whether they have been corrected and closed before reassessments take place in the same area. This is a delicate balance that will prove most effective and time efficient. For more information on how Accupoint Software can help streamline your internal auditing program, please contact us today. All certified organizations must strictly adhere to and comply with regulatory guidelines and requirements such as the ISO standards. However, too many organizations seem to take a cavalier attitude towards internal quality audits. Failure to maintain proper documentation and records of the process may ultimately lead to loss of certification and clients.
Internal Audits are vital to the longevity and success of a business enterprise. Today, internal quality audits take a holistic approach leveraging powerful auditing software capable of monitoring systems in real time. In today’s post, Accupoint Software will illuminate some of the benefits of an effective internal quality audit process. Improve efficiency Quality internal audits help an organization identify areas that need improvement. The software evaluates the effectiveness of a management system and highlights areas in its functionality that require expansion. Agent of Change Internal audits compare the documentation practices in the organization with standards in the real world. If your organization is lagging behind, an internal review will compel your team to evolve into newer, more efficient practices. Security Quality internal audits highlight security risks in your organization. As more organization utilize technology in their operations, information theft is becoming an increasingly intimidating security threat. Internal audits will identify sensitive areas of attack and help develop procedures and action items to address vulnerabilities. Optimization Internal quality audits help to identify inefficiencies and unnecessary waste. Identifying and correcting the source will lead to lower production costs and ultimately, higher profits. Monitoring Another benefit of the internal audit process is that a company can draft monitoring and assessment procedures. This involves guidelines of how and when to conduct routine assessments on the system. For more information on how Accupoint can help streamline your internal audit process, please contact us today. Process excellence and quality management systems have the power to transform entire organizations into lean, highly efficient cash flow machines that exceed customer expectations. While quality management systems, including API Spec Q1 or API Spec Q2, comprise different tiers and tools there are common methodologies for monitoring and improving quality within companies. Two common tools include standard operating instructions and quality auditing.
Standard Operating Instructions Standardizing processes and systems is a critical step in quality assurance and enhancing operational efficiency. After benchmarking a process, the next step is to measure, analyze and improve it, leading to benefits for employees, customers and businesses. Writing a standard operating instruction is part of standardizing a process, so that subject matter experts along with management can analyze and improve it. These written instructions are either detailed or in an outline form, depending on the needs of employees and management. Quality Auditing Product, process and system audits improve the way individuals and teams function within organizations. These audits examine what the ideal process or system is relative to current state operations. This element of a quality management system is also closely tied with corrective action requests, which take a systematic approach to identifying and solving operational deficiencies. Independent audits related to efficiency and effectiveness have the power to drive quality and innovation in functional departments across organizations. For additional information on quality management systems and the power of process excellence to improve your business, please contact us today. System optimization can take your business to the next level, with the proper planning and professional support. Happy Holidays! An internal quality audit is folded into a company’s corrective and preventative practices. The audit takes a snap shot of the organization’s compliance procedures, and then analyzes that snapshot to identify potential problems. In the oil and gas industry, internal audits are an integral part of the quality management system.
To that end we have outlined 5 key steps to ensure that your internal audit process is effective:
Oil and gas concerns are usually multi-state and multi-location enterprises with hundreds, if not thousands of employees. The compliance audits for the oil and gas industries are exhaustive and complex. Effectively managing the audit function will ensure compliance to customer requirements, as well as related regulations and standards. For more information on how Accupoint Software can help improve your internal audit process, please contact us. Many service supply organizations are using internal audits as a method to improve operations and impact their bottom line. In addition to being required by API Spec Q2, an effective audit program will highlight potential problems areas, identify failure points, and determine the effectiveness of controls.
Internal auditing provides the mechanism that organizations use to examine business processes and evaluate compliance with both internal and external requirements. Successful auditing incorporates best practices and other tools to provide maximum impact. To that end, we have outlined five useful tips to help advance your next internal quality audit. 1. Strong Attention to Detail It is important for internal auditors to note and document evidence throughout the auditing process. These notes are used later to analyze events and reconstruct specific situations. This does not mean that auditors should focus on tiny, unimportant details through nit-picking, but rather components that are a part of a bigger issue that can be addressed. 2. Friendly Attitude Stress levels are already high when employees are dealing with an audit. If an internal auditor is aggressive, hostile, or difficult to deal with, employers often minimally engage and will not share as much. If an internal auditor presents with a friendly attitude and is open, they will be more likely to get feedback. The last thing an auditor wants to do is put an employee on the defensive or make them feel ill at ease. 3. Reporting Supported by ChecklistsInternal auditors use checklists to balance reporting and should ensure that they are clean and support numerical values and ratings. These checklists enable companies to report on growth as well as challenges that exist across various departments. These reports are essential and allow businesses to assess whether their improvement efforts are working, and what training is needed to reach their goals. 4. Generation of Auditing TeamsInternal auditing teams can be very successful, especially with all the documentation that goes into completing an audit the right way. While a single auditor would be responsible for actively listening while documenting their findings, a team can allocate responsibilities to various areas such as recording, listening, and documenting. This way, all team members can collaborate to ensure no information is overlooked. 5. Looking at the Whole Picture When an internal audit is taking place, the auditor or team should be able to look at the picture as a whole, incorporating current situations as well as past audit results. Focus should take place on past issues to determine whether they have been corrected and closed before reassessments take place in the same area. This is a delicate balance that will prove most effective and time efficient. In addition, there are numerous best practices that should be examined in relation to internal audit activities. An internal audit is usually successful when the auditor is able to implement the following activities.
For more information on how we can help manage your internal audit process, please call us at 800.563.6250 or visit us at www.accupointsoftware.com. |
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