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Understanding the Process Auditing Approach
Organizations that organize their management systems according to how businesses process work as opposed to against standards are implementing the process management approach. Interest in this type of approach have been rising, particularly following the issuance of the ISO 9001 standard in December of the year 2000. Today, the international standard promotes the process approach, particularly for organizations seeking to develop, improve and implement an effective management system.
Traditional Auditing vs. Process Auditing
Internal audits are designed to obtain valuable information to be used in senior level management decisions. Traditional auditing approaches focused more on procedures, rather than the quality of those procedures. Often, costs were not examined. And, the results were often put aside, not used by management to drive decisions within their organizations.
< P>A process auditing approach is designed to aid the organization in achieving their stated end results. The process auditing approach is designed to provide:Critical data required for management decision making, particularly in the areas of technology, staff training and development, product launches and processes and overall growthA review of whether current organizational performance is on targetInformation regarding opportunities for performance improvement via better controlled processesIdeas and concepts for improving internal processesWhile many of the same things are reviewed during the audit, the output and information collected requires a shift in focus, and a slightly different procedure. In addition to the on-site auditing, previous preparation is required on behalf of the auditor. The auditor must become familiar with the processes and procedures being assessed, so their audit can be customized.
Process Audit Preparation
While auditing processes within an organization, a series of basic questions should be addresses to ensure an accurate reporting outcome. Some of the most basic questions could include:
Are the processes appropriately identified and defined?Are the responsibilities and their respective owners defined?Has each process been implemented and is it being properly maintained?Are the processes achieving their desired end results?Developing a list of questions for each upcoming audit will not only facilitate positive dialogue, but will ensure that the type of information needed to complete the audit is being collected.
Upcoming Article Series- Understanding the Process Audit Approach
In the upcoming series of articles, we will discuss basic questions to ask during each process segment, which includes:
Documentation RequirementsManagement CommitmentProvision of ResourcesPlanning of Product RealizationCustomer Related ProcessesDesign and DevelopmentPro duction and Service ProvisionMonitoring and MeasurementImprovementIssues arising during audits should be compared against 9100:2009 requirements. While the upcoming article series addresses key areas of this audit process, acceptable compliance isn't limited to these concepts alone. However, understanding what to look for and what to ask during each auditing stage will result in a more accurate assessment of the organization, and more valuable information for the business's key leaders.
Stay tuned for the second article in this series, Documentation Requirements.
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