Do OFI's (Opportunities for Improvement) really help?

I think that OFI's are useful (1) and I want to continue to receive them (2)

  • 1 - Very useful

    Votes: 11 31.4%
  • 1 - Occassionally useful

    Votes: 20 57.1%
  • 1 - A waste of time

    Votes: 3 8.6%
  • 2 - I want to continue to receive them

    Votes: 7 20.0%
  • 2 - I do not care

    Votes: 3 8.6%
  • 2 - Please stop

    Votes: 4 11.4%

  • Total voters
    35
  • Poll closed .
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D

DRDDO

#42
Dear All
It seems Auditor & Consultant problem!
NC raised by Auditor = absolutely value add
Obs or OFi raised by Auditor = close to consulting,
In Thailand, to save cost, we need consutant when system start, and we need audit for follow up,
NC --> corrective action
but OBs, OFi --> preventive action
I prefer OBs or OFi more than NC
Thanks,
DRDDO
 
F

fuzzy

#43
Good question Phil:

When would an internal auditor issue an OFI?
We routinely issued OFI's when I ran the IA function at my last company. The problem I dealt poorly with was, what to do with them. I documented the OFI's in our audit report but then they sat:eek:. Just before I got laid off:notme:, I came up with the idea to take a quarters worth of OFI's and analyze them via a four grid matrix (easy +big benefit, hard + big benefit, easy + small benefit, hard + small benefit), with the goal of referring one or two over to the CA/PA process for implementation. Didn't get a chance to actually work the concept but...it coulda worked.
 
#44
I'm thinking it's all in the perception of management. They don't get 'dinged' by OFI's etc. plus there's not normally a CA associated with them. Probably why they 'sat'.........

When someone gets a non-conformity it usually means they have to do something and it gets on management's radar. Not good in most places! Hence OFI's and observations are less embarrasing!

But then, nothing gets done, either. So, IMHO, they are not much good. If audits focused on something management was interested in, it wouldn't matter what you called it, they'd feel more inclined to fix it!
 

Coury Ferguson

Moderator here to help
Staff member
Super Moderator
#45
I look at all/any OFI as a potential NC later down the road, and I will usually address the OFI's in my responses to any NC's that may have been written. I look at all the OFI's and don't consider them consulting. In my opinion, most OFI's have validity and could lead to a NC.
 

Crusader

Trusted Information Resource
#47
We consider all OFI's and act upon them as we deem necessary. We typically consider those Continuous Improvement or Preventive Action.
 
L

lgoeke

#48
Along this same line....I have an Internal Auditor that wrote a few OFI's during the last Internal Audit. Currently he is doing another round of audits and wanted to know where my proof of action was for the OFI's. I did take action on all of the OFI's. However, I didn't report on it. If he had wrote them as a nonconformance then they would have went into the system as a CAR and that would have been the proof of action.

I don't have the action taken actually documented anywhere. Is this necessary? Should OFI's from one audit even be looked at during the next audit?
 

Crusader

Trusted Information Resource
#49
Along this same line....I have an Internal Auditor that wrote a few OFI's during the last Internal Audit. Currently he is doing another round of audits and wanted to know where my proof of action was for the OFI's. I did take action on all of the OFI's. However, I didn't report on it. If he had wrote them as a nonconformance then they would have went into the system as a CAR and that would have been the proof of action.

I don't have the action taken actually documented anywhere. Is this necessary? Should OFI's from one audit even be looked at during the next audit?
Does your system state that you will document OFI's? If yes, then refer to that method, otherwise it is not required anywhere in ISO to document them and have proof of evidence.

Added Note: Typically, the "evidence" of an OFI could be documented as: Continuous Improvement, Preventive Action, Meeting Minutes of addressed OFI's / Action Items, etc.
 
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