Randy, the question is; 1) What to do now? 2) Was the team out of line? 3) With this happening, there is a breakdown in the process somewhere, right? 4) What to do about him not wanting us to perform any process audits?
1..Do what is required and asked of you according to the way requested.
2...To answer #2 requires a question. What was the objective of the audit? Every audit has to have an objective or purpose. We don't audit for the sake of auditing. What were you trying to find out? If there was no predefined objective then you have initiated an audit to serve no purpose.
3..You are correct, there is a breakdown and it seems to start with your management by what you have stated.
4...Is he the boss or does he serve someone else? Is he the client or is someone else the client? Auditing whether internal, like yours, or external, like the ones I perform should be guided by 5 basic principles from ISO 19011:
a)
Ethical conduct: the foundation of professionalism
Trust, integrity, confidentiality and discretion are essential to auditing.
b)
Fair presentation: the obligation to report truthfully and accurately
Audit findings, audit conclusions and audit reports reflect truthfully and accurately the audit activities.
c)
Due professional care: the application of diligence and judgement in auditing
Auditors exercise care in accordance with the importance of the task they perform and the confidence placed in them by audit clients and other interested parties. Having the necessary competence is an important factor.
d)
Independence: the basis for the impartiality of the audit and objectivity of the audit conclusions
Auditors are independent of the activity being audited and are free from bias and conflict of interest. Auditors maintain an objective state of mind throughout the audit process to ensure that the audit findings and conclusions will be based only on the audit evidence.
e)
Evidence-based approach: the rational method for reaching reliable and reproducible audit conclusions in a systematic audit process
Audit evidence is verifiable. It is based on samples of the information available, since an audit is conducted during a finite period of time and with finite resources.
Did you apply these principles? Did you conduct your audit as a value added process?