Any IA success stories? Internal audits that have resulted in great improvements?

#11
Not exactly a blast from the past, but I think this thread fizzled and died a bit too soon, and would like to resurrect it. Surely (at least I hope so) there must be more succesfull audits than this???
/Claes
 
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RoxaneB

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#12
Claes Gefvenberg said:
Not exactly a blast from the past, but I think this thread fizzled and died a bit too soon, and would like to resurrect it. Surely (at least I hope so) there must be more succesfull audits than this???
/Claes
It's difficult, sometimes, to get any true "success" stories from Internal Audits, at least in my case, because, while I see the benefits to them, I don't always see great and wonderful things happening after them. More often than naught, my pool of Internal Auditors finds cases of requirements not being met (they were met originally, but then things slide).

Internal Audits, around here, tend to be used more as a safety net. That back-up mechanism that ensures things are done when they need to be done. Like ensuring equipment in the Quality Control Lab is calibrated/inspected/verified at the proper frequency.

I guess the best impact I've seen off of one of my ISO 9001:2000 Internal Audits has been the improvement in the quality of sister-mill product received. Before, it was never politically correct to reject it - we didn't want to step on the toes of the bigger powers-that-be.

But as an Internal Auditor, I could not ignore how the material sitting on the floor right in front of me met none of our requirements except for chemistry and nothing had been done.

I had to write my Nonconformance in as unpersonal a way as possible. "Just the facts, ma'am." I knew what accepting this nonconforming product was doing to our own facilty's morale. I knew how it was making me feel. But, of course, feelings can not coming into play when writing up a Nonconformance. We were accepting product that did not meet our requirements and not issuing the supplier a Nonconformance as required. It sounds so trivial, but it got our two plants working together.

Not only are our requirements usually met now, but the quality of the product from the other mill (to their other Customers) has also increased.
 
#13
RCBeyette said:
It sounds so trivial, but it got our two plants working together.

Not only are our requirements usually met now, but the quality of the product from the other mill (to their other Customers) has also increased.
You call that trivial? I don't. In my world that certainly qualifies as a success story. Well done, I say. :agree:

/Claes
 

RoxaneB

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#14
Claes Gefvenberg said:
You call that trivial? I don't. In my world that certainly qualifies as a success story. Well done, I say. :agree:

/Claes
I call it that only because I'm naive enough to wish/hope/believe/trust that organizations that are part of "one big happy family" would automatically talk to each other. :eek:
 
#15
RCBeyette said:
I call it that only because I'm naive enough to wish/hope/believe/trust that organizations that are part of "one big happy family" would automatically talk to each other.
Wish: Absolutley
Hope: Yes, certainly
Believe: No way, Jose
Trust: You've got to be joking...:vfunny: Right? :eek:

/Claes ;)
 

RoxaneB

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
#16
Claes Gefvenberg said:
Wish: Absolutley
Hope: Yes, certainly
Believe: No way, Jose
Trust: You've got to be joking...:vfunny: Right? :eek:

/Claes ;)
What can I say? Maybe it's because it's that time of the year when we're supposed to have faith in the goodness of humankind. ;)

Or I'm just naive....yeah...that's it. :eek:

I think another good auditing story/experience was not the result of the audit, but the impact it has had on the audit pool.

The pool has people from all over our facility who seldom venture outside of their territory/department. By providing them with exposure to other parts of the process, they not only gain insight into what their "internal supplier" is doing, but they also gain understanding as to the requirements of their "internal Customer". This helps them do their job when planning out processes, changes, and the like.
 
#17
RCBeyette said:
By providing them with exposure to other parts of the process, they not only gain insight into what their "internal supplier" is doing, but they also gain understanding as to the requirements of their "internal Customer". This helps them do their job when planning out processes, changes, and the like.
Bingo! I've seen the same thing happening, and it's quite important :agree:

/Claes
 
W

WALLACE

#18
Success!

Here's an internal auditing success story.
I noted at an industrial location I visited some time ago that, the audit pool at that time consisted of 75%, @ 10 production workers. I recall a training incentive in place that encouraged the internal auditors to attend either a quality registrar, college or independent training facility for certified training of quality auditing. The IA's were encouraged to go through the process of graduating towards passing the LA course for IS0 9001.
The employees were asked to pay half for the course initially from their own financial resources, this approach motivated and encouraged those of the audit pool, who were serious about auditing to attend the quality courses.
The course cost's were paid to the employees on receipt of the course pass marks.
I returned recently to visit this facility to find that 7 of the original IA's were in positions that were full time regarding quality.
I further spoke to the director of quality and, she informed me that the 7 production employees were the best investment she has made to date regarding developing a full time quality team that were able to view the production system from both sides of the proverbial fence.
The team, to date have made phenomenal cost reduction process changes that were not possible before they became full time quality reps.
Wallace.
 

LUV-d-4UM

Quite Involved in Discussions
#19
When we discuss internal audits we usually only talk about the problems connected with them... I would like to hear success stories: Tales about audits that have resulted in great improvements, something to buck up and inspire fellow auditors.

Anyone?

/Claes
One of the smaller plants that I visit usually conducts Internal Audits according to planned arrangement. My job there is to audit the Internal Audit System to make sure that they comply with the procedure. For almost 10 years now, this little plant showed very tight control of Internal Auditing, have improved their procedure, made profit for the company- with no Customer Complaints and only and I can remember only one time that they received 1 minor NC from an external auditor because one employee forgot to sign the training material. This is my success story.
 
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