Lacking Auditors for Internal Process Audits - What to Do?

I have been asked to perform 2 complete process audits per day. I am the only trained auditor. I have one assistant to help perform this task. I usually have performed a complete system audit within 6 months and utilizing 5 trained auditors. I have inquired about expanding the audit team, but have been told to accomplish this task with what I have. Is this do-able? If so, how in-depth should I be? Help!!!

[WALLACE]

Originally Posted by Tim Douty

I have been asked to perform 2 complete process audits per day. I am the only trained auditor. I have one assistant to help perform this task. I usually have performed a complete system audit within 6 months and utilizing 5 trained auditors. I have inquired about expanding the audit team, but have been told to accomplish this task with what I have. Is this do-able? If so, how in-depth should I be? Help!!!

Tim,
Who asked you to perform the "complete process audits"?
What is your definition of "process audit"?
Wallace.

[Wes Bucey]

Originally Posted by Tim Douty

I have been asked to perform 2 complete process audits per day. I am the only trained auditor. I have one assistant to help perform this task. I usually have performed a complete system audit within 6 months and utilizing 5 trained auditors. I have inquired about expanding the audit team, but have been told to accomplish this task with what I have. Is this do-able? If so, how in-depth should I be? Help!!!

Golly, Tim, it all depends on the process or the system. Some organizations have operations that can be audited in one shift. Others have operations which take 1 week just to physically walk through (let alone audit.)

Your task lies somewhere on that spectrum. Where?

Once you determine that, you can make a budget of time segments to cover each aspect of a process or system. With the budget in hand, you'll know whether you can meet the time constraints of the bosses. If not, you need to work out a compromise with the bosses - either more help or more time OR smaller scope of the task.

Without details of your operation, none of us here can give you a definitive answer. In fact, there are many here who make a living by going to organizations and surveying them to establish such timetables.

[Randy]

Tim,

From my point of view as an active 3rd party auditor and a deliverer of numerous auditor training programs in multiple disciplines this topic bothers me for 2 reasons.

1) Why do you not have more folks? I'm looking at a Management Committment here when it comes to resource allocation (among potential other things).

2) How are you going to be able to prove the audit process is effective?

[Greg B]

Originally Posted by Tim Douty

I have been asked to perform 2 complete process audits per day. I am the only trained auditor. I have one assistant to help perform this task. I usually have performed a complete system audit within 6 months and utilizing 5 trained auditors. I have inquired about expanding the audit team, but have been told to accomplish this task with what I have. Is this do-able? If so, how in-depth should I be? Help!!!

Tim,

My first question is WHY?????
I've just put forward to management that we do a minimum of 18 audits per YEAR ( 1 x plant and 2 x Mines). Of course there may be unscheduled audits called by the management review team from time to time to evaluate problem or potential problem areas.... but 2 a day!!!
I would end up re-auditing the same thing almost monthly and I think I would soon lose my objectivity and the crews would probably lynch me. IMHO I think it is overkill and won't prove anything ecept that you will probably be overworked.

Greg B

Randy,
This is part of my problem, I want to build an audit team consisting of a variety of people such as purchasing, sales, and people from the different processes. I have been told (for now) auditing is the Quality Dept.'s role.

Gregg,
This is the point I tried to make to upper management. It's a good idea to enlist different personnel to get a more objective view, but a continuous audit by myself will get others thinking I'm picking on a process.

[Randy]

Bottom line...you management lacks knowledge in this area and they need to be educated. Auditing is not the Q Departments "role", it is managements responsibility. I see and hear of too many "dead" systems because the only involvement is in the Q Department. The total organization has to be involved, this is the only real way buy-in and organizational committment can happen.

Winners participate....losers watch

No disrepect intended Tim.