Re: Good Auditors - What is benefit I get from NC & OFI
Aren't your two statements in direct conflict? Pointing out ways to do something different/better IS consulting.
You make a valid point, but I don't think the two statements are in direct conflict. I pay to be told where I am not in compliance...not how to do my job better. It is not consulting on how to do better, it is a third party measurement of where I'm not good enough.
I truly dislike being audited. The company pays a person to come in and find weaknesses in systems that I built, then tell my colleagues (who are involved in CARs) and my management where the weak points are. I dislike audits because I want to believe that my systems have no weaknesses and the auditor makes me face the truth...there
are weaknesses.
But the auditor adds the value of pointing out where my systems can be better (by pointing out where they are weak). They do this not by comparing my system to one they might come up with, but to a set and published (objective) standard. I truly dislike being audited, but my systems (and thus I) benefit from it.
When I get audited, the auditor often knows bupkiss (sp?) about my system or the goal of it in terms of customer technical application. He may give unsolicited advice on how to technically do it better but has no authority to force a technical change or to ding me for recognizing he doesn't know what he's talking about. He does have the right to point out where I do not follow the
standard, and to force that change to follow the
standard.
If I didn't care about certification, I wouldn't pay to be certified and I certainly wouldn't pay to have someone come in and tell me where I'm weak. Since I do care to certified, I get over my dislike of the audit and focus on the opportunities to improve. If a suggestion from an auditor makes no improvement in the system, I simply document why it is not implemented. If my system is truly in conflict with the standard, and I want to stay certified, I change the system to be in compliance (typically record keeping).
Auditors add value in a way that I do not prefer...that is not at all saying that they don't add value. If the auditor insists on changes that do not reflect coming into compliance with the standard, you can appeal, or make the case for a new auditor. Focusing on how the business can be improved through this ego-reducing process helps to keep it tolerable. Focusing on how I feel after the audit only leads to frustration and heartburn
Keep your eyes on the prize...not the person you pay to find your faults. Finding fault can have value if it is used judiciously. (Note that the prize is sustained profit...not a certificate hanging on the wall)
