G
galcantar
I am working in a Mexico plant and Sales - Purchasing departments are in Iowa; I just found that I missed to audit them and my boss suggest me to do it by phone, is this a correct method?
Performing Internal Audits by Phone? Multiple International Sites
Elsmar Forum Sponsor
Virtual Audit
See
Virtual Audit by Internet or Electronic Communication - Do you have any success?
Regards,
Govind.
See
Virtual Audit by Internet or Electronic Communication - Do you have any success?
Regards,
Govind.
Q
qualitygoddess - 2010
Audit by Phone
I think you could do a documentation audit via FAX and e-mail, depending on how the records are kept. If the records are electronic, have them send copies via e-mail. If the records are hand-written, send them via FAX. You would have to rely on the person at their end to send you an unbiased sample of records.
You could certainly question them about the process over the phone, but you would be at a disadvantage since you could not see the process "in action".
Regardless, I think you would have to document that the audit was not in person. I would not always do the audit this way; you could do it this way this time, and go on-site for the next time.
Just as a safeguard, you may want to ask your registrar for their opinion.
--Jodi
I think you could do a documentation audit via FAX and e-mail, depending on how the records are kept. If the records are electronic, have them send copies via e-mail. If the records are hand-written, send them via FAX. You would have to rely on the person at their end to send you an unbiased sample of records.
You could certainly question them about the process over the phone, but you would be at a disadvantage since you could not see the process "in action".
Regardless, I think you would have to document that the audit was not in person. I would not always do the audit this way; you could do it this way this time, and go on-site for the next time.
Just as a safeguard, you may want to ask your registrar for their opinion.
--Jodi
Wes Bucey
Prophet of Profit
Audit by telephone of a sales office seems certainly reasonable to me. Obviously, there is a small factor concerning what processes you are auditing. Is there a real difference between asking process operators questions in person versus asking them by phone? I don't think so.
The logistics of reviewing records seems easily handled. Sampling might be done by asking questions and saying at random,
You miss seeing cleanliness or lack thereof. You miss body language when interviewing employees. Those you can pick up on the next in-person audit. After all, most audits are not "surprise" - departments have been known to make an effort to clean up before a scheduled audit.
The logistics of reviewing records seems easily handled. Sampling might be done by asking questions and saying at random,
- "Send me a copy of your customer interview sheet with XYZ."
or - "Send me a copy of ALL correspondence for the last month between you and customer ABC."
or - "Send me last week's phone log for John Doe, salesman for Timbuktu."
You miss seeing cleanliness or lack thereof. You miss body language when interviewing employees. Those you can pick up on the next in-person audit. After all, most audits are not "surprise" - departments have been known to make an effort to clean up before a scheduled audit.
S
scbiswas
Audit by phone
You can send a checklist after studying the documentation from a remote location. The available person at site should interview the auditee based on the checklist and you could be on conference call mode or on video conference mode. Evidences need to be seen and activities need to be observed by your representative personally and then he can send the reports to you.
You can send a checklist after studying the documentation from a remote location. The available person at site should interview the auditee based on the checklist and you could be on conference call mode or on video conference mode. Evidences need to be seen and activities need to be observed by your representative personally and then he can send the reports to you.
Web Meeting
galcantar
My first reaction was no way!
If this was manufacturing, I couldn't imagine it.
But Purchasing may work, since it is more data and possibly computer bound.
Could you set up a web meeting so that the presentation of the data is real time. If they could easily call up most of what I asked for while I watch, I would have some confidence that all is well.
I would always wonder about any data "sent" to me.....
I still like to "go to the gemba"....at least to check out the employee washroom (another thread here)
I'm like Ohio <the show me state>....no matter what "they tell" me over the phone, I'd want to see some evidence. Perhaps with some clever forethought it could work. Could you ask them to FAX every document mentioned immediately after the call ends? That might be really cool as the last question. How long would it take to get to you?
Please let us know what happens.
galcantar said:
galcantar
My first reaction was no way!
If this was manufacturing, I couldn't imagine it.
But Purchasing may work, since it is more data and possibly computer bound.
Could you set up a web meeting so that the presentation of the data is real time. If they could easily call up most of what I asked for while I watch, I would have some confidence that all is well.
I would always wonder about any data "sent" to me.....
I still like to "go to the gemba"....at least to check out the employee washroom (another thread here)
I'm like Ohio <the show me state>....no matter what "they tell" me over the phone, I'd want to see some evidence. Perhaps with some clever forethought it could work. Could you ask them to FAX every document mentioned immediately after the call ends? That might be really cool as the last question. How long would it take to get to you?
Please let us know what happens.
Wes Bucey
Prophet of Profit
FYI - "Missouri" is the Show Me state ( you could look it up! [at the official state site https://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/history/slogan.asp])
Similar threads
