Internal Audit Schedule – Who gets to set the schedule?

[Sidney Vianna]

or is he just trying to make me fit our IMS around him?

Auditorsaurus Rex with his archaic thinking creating problems where none exist. I would much rather have him challenging your system to schedule audits, on a risk-based perspective, as indirectly required by the standard...audits, based on status, importance and previous performance...that would add value, not this nonsense he reported.

 

[Randy]

1st I'll agree with my frequent adversary but nearly 20 year friend here in the Cove, Sidney, along with some of the others.

All I do is audit, nothing else but AUDIT (110-130 days a year on average), multiple systems, integrated systems, high risk, mom & pop and huge, huge high risk locations! I'm not the best nor am I the worse and I many time leave a client thinking I did a crappy audit that I need to improve on. But I don't make up my own requirements, I always look at what the clients says, what the client does and balance against what's required and always give them the benefit of the doubt, never basing anything on what I feel or what I like....Your auditor is full of dung! It's been stated that your schedule can be over a 3 year cycle...YEP, I've got a couple of those that's a monster of an electronics manufacturer for 9,14 & 45K...3 year cycle for all elements and all processes except for the ones they've (not me, but they) identified as high risk.....NBD, no big deal! Make sure you've got your ducks in a row and maybe even appeal the sucker, you've got that right along with requesting someone whom won't snap his neck when he sits.

 

[Naski]

Thank you all for your advice, it has been very helpful.

Did you have an audit scheduled/completed for the December before the surveillance audit?

No, we did not have an audit scheduled for the previous December as we have just changed our audit system to this one. This was because late last year myself and a colleague had the IMS dumped on us after the SHEQ manager left. The system was in a sorry state, there was no audit schedule and neither of us had any experience in running it. So, we got internal auditor training for 9, 14 and 45 and started the audit schedule fresh this year once we completed our training.

There will be an audit schedule in place every year stating exactly what is to be audited and when, and my plan is to have the audits spread throughout the year to give the system regular checks and keep an eye on high risk areas.

This is the same system we use for the 17025 audits we also do and the auditors for that system have never had a problem with it.

I just wanted to make sure that if I ignore him, he can’t slap me with a finding next time so long as we keep to the schedule we set.

Also, he didn’t give us any findings during the visit, despite telling me things needed to be changed. I found that a bit strange.

 

[Randy]

Now we're venturing into a minefield....He's telling you to change things? There's a possible loss of objectivity and impartiality going on here and he's apparently involving himself and exerting his opinions (consulting). Contact your CB, ask that he not return, appeal the NC and explain to them that you have the right to select another CB. You guys saw need for change and took it, I just experienced the same thing yesterday so again.....NBD!

 

[Mike S.]

I feel Naski's pain. And I agree the auditor was creating a requirement out of thin air.

I just went through something very similar with a different section of the standard (auditor wrote me a NCR for a nonexistent requirement). I am lucky though, that auditor will not be back.

 

[Tyranna]

The standard does not define a set time frame. I would appeal the non-conformance to the appeals board as if you are following your 12 month schedule and you had completed a full system audit in June, there is no justification for this finding.

 

[Project Man]

Please tell the CB about this auditor! Good Certification Bodies do not want people like this representing them.