There you are, a Team Leader/Manager, with a full workload for the day, deadlines to meet, goods to get out the door, orders to process, sales to make and you get a notification of an audit! Either internal or external, they appear to get in the way of what you need to get done – or do they?
Apart from the requirement within ISO quality standards and the GDP Guidelines for internal audit or self-inspection, there are a number of benefits of checking your own processes and procedure.
Internal audits will:
- confirm your compliance to relevant standards, directives & guidelines, giving peace of mind
- quickly detect and correct any identified non-conformities before they become a larger, possibly costly, issue
- be key to the improvement of processes and procedures across the company, streamlining and improving internal processes and the resources required to carry them out
- prepare staff for external audits
- Improve your personnel’s understanding of the regulatory requirements of the industry that you work within
These are just a few of the benefits of monitoring and reviewing your own processes and procedures through internal audits.
So, are audits a disruption or a useful tool?
In summary, a well-structured internal audit programme will not only ensure that you meet your regulatory and quality requirements, but also could have the added benefit of improvement of your company processes, procedures and can, in the long term, even save you money.
PCL hold a number of Quality Audit Training days throughout the country for personnel who are interested in carrying out internal audits or self-inspections, for further details please contact us on +44(0) 1252 302 342.