Hi all,
Here's an area I continually struggle with...how should the audit schedule be set up??? Everytime I think I'm on the right track I either second-guess myself, prove myself wrong, or have the registrar give suggestions. I just cant seem to get it right.
Attached is my current internal audit schedule and would like some comments, criticism, etc...on it. What's missing? What dont I need? Would it be effective or compliant? Anything...
Here's an area I continually struggle with...how should the audit schedule be set up??? Everytime I think I'm on the right track I either second-guess myself, prove myself wrong, or have the registrar give suggestions. I just cant seem to get it right.
Attached is my current internal audit schedule and would like some comments, criticism, etc...on it. What's missing? What dont I need? Would it be effective or compliant? Anything...

Interestingly enough, you aren't required to have anything like a 'calendar' of audits. You have to establish an audit program, the frequency of audits and define scope and criteria. I'd suggest reading ISO 9004, which provides excellent guidance on scheduling audits, which is more often than not completely overlooked.
To answer your post, what would the optimal schedule look like? Well, some aspects are 'fixed'. Like the 'once over' audit looking into the items the external audits focus on - it's a bit like cleaning house before you have visitors. You don't do everything, just make sure it's all tidy, dusted etc.
Over and beyond the house keeping, IMHO you don't/can't put a meaningful 12 month calendar together, as Sidney is alluding to. The optimal schedule is based on some frequency, let's say (for example only) 1/month. You can then choose your 'focus' based on what's going on at that moment -i.e the 'status and importance'. That make the audit a 'pull' rather than 'push' and management will get more benefit from hearing about the system if the results relate to contemporary issues.
My clients do it this way since 2000 and never had any issues with registrars regarding covering all the processes once a year etc..........

