Audit Success Secret of LMS TRG

Some people see audits as an opportunity for improvement that helps organizations and staff identify potential gaps and focus on their weak points. Others see audits as a process run by an auditor to identify their faults. Regardless of the approach, certain things must be done to prepare for a stress-free audit.

An audit is an assessment of a specified scope against the criteria. Many types of audits occur in our day-to-day life. Some audits are run by organizations and are known as internal audits. An independent external party may run the others, therefore, called an external audit. Regardless of the type of audit, there are certain things you need to do to be ready and prepared – it will help you to have a smooth, stress-free audit. Here are some tips to help you successfully pass any audit.

Before the audit:

Familiarize yourself with the audit process.
Every audit has its process – whether it’s an internal audit, external audit, supply chain audit, etc., there is a specific process. Familiarize yourself with the process relevant to the audit you are engaged in. Including but not limited to the auditor(s), the audit date, the method of assessment, the audit criteria, the audit duration, audit outcomes and consequences. 

Familiarize yourself with the audit criteria.
Audit criteria are the basis that auditors use to evaluate a system. The audit criteria can be a clause of ISO 9001:2015 or the whole standard of ISO 45001:2018. As an auditee, you can use the criteria to evaluate your readiness and identify your gaps.

Conduct an internal audit/self-evaluation before the audit.
You have already learned about the audit criteria. It is time to assess yourself and your system, which will be audited against the specified criteria. The internal auditor self-assessment is crucial to help you evaluate your readiness for the audit. If you find some gaps, you can address them – in most cases, the auditors will accept them. Do not forget to have an action plan for the identified gaps. You now have a clear picture of the potential outcomes of your upcoming audit.

During the audit:

Don’t panic. Non-conformities in audits are not the end of the audit process.
The outcome of any audit may lead to some non-conformities. It is part of the process to have some non-conformities. Things may not always follow the book and may appear as audit non-conformities at the end of the audit. The audit non-conformities can often be addressed within a specified timeframe. You will have time to come up with your corrective actions and fix the issues.

Ask your auditor to support their non-conformities with objective evidence.
The more you learn about the audit process, the more confident you will handle the audit. It is essential to understand the non-conformities. Ask your auditor to be specific about non-conformities and ask him/her to support the non-conformities with objective evidence.

After the audit:

Make sure you are following the process and adhering to the time frame.
The audit is over now, and you have been handed the audit report. You have to extract some points from the audit report and communicate with relevant staff if applicable. In most cases, things like nonconformities and time frames to address actions or whom we have to update about our actions can be extracted from the audit reports. The auditors also have to explain their processes during the opening and closing meetings.

If not picked up during the audit, focus on similar findings across your organizations.
Most audits use the sampling method, so looking at audit nonconformities and evaluating similar gaps that the auditors may not identify during the audit is always recommended. This will allow you to improve your organization’s performance against the audited criteria.

Who We Are

At core, LMS TRG is a compliance consulting and training organisation that builds and delivers powerful and practical products for people and businesses. Born and bred in Melbourne, Australia with an amazing team of expert auditors, consultants, and entrepreneurs.

Our area of expertise lies in providing training and guidance on compliance with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). We also assist organisations in implementing effective management systems that are tailored to their specific needs and requirements. Our comprehensive approach to compliance training and management systems ensures our clients have the knowledge and tools necessary to meet regulatory requirements and industry standards. We are committed to helping our clients achieve success and maintain a culture of excellence in their operations.

We Care for each other, our members, and our society.

We Dare to discover and experiment, trying to be different and be fearless, and innovative.

We share our knowledge and experience, work together and continue to support our members.