Using consultants for Internal Audits

I

iamtroll

#11
Yes, we have used an outside consultant for internal auditing. We are a small company and found that we didn't have anyone qualified to audit our quality system other than the quality system manager. This worked well for us since we were able to meet that requirement and as others commented the no punches pulled gave us greater insignt into how to improve our system. In general I would say it was a value added experience that we would probably not gotten any other way.
 
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Big Jim

Super Moderator
#12
I do a lot of internal audits. Most are for long time clients. Most of the time, they have me do everything. A few have me follow their schedule, audit plan, and use their forms. And there are a few that fall anywhere in between. There are a couple that have me in once a year to look over their internal audit and fill them in on what is going on in the quality world.

Occasionally someone will move to doing their own and discontinue using me.

It seems like the smaller the company the more likely they will use a consultant.

Some of the larger ones have told me that for what they get they feel my service is a great value.

Some feel that manpower resources are too thin to do a good job of it themselves.

For some, it wouldn't get done if they didn't outsource it.

Every organization is different and has different reasons.

It's my job to make sure that what I do is effective.
 
E

ElizaAnderson

#13
Hello Dramman,

Hope you are doing good. You need to consider some small but most useful points.

You should hire a professional consultants
Try to involve with hired expert and keep updated yourself
take the help of new techniques
Work with your expert for the internal auditing
Attempt internal auditing
try to do internal audit yourself if possible
 
J

Joe Cruse

#14
Only used once here, and it worked pretty well. Our corporate had an outside source conduct internal audits for just the labs, at all our locations. Very helpful to have an outside eye do this for us, and I would not hesitate to use another 3rd party to conduct any of our internal process audits.
 

normzone

Trusted Information Resource
#15
This all makes me think that even if one has an effective internal audit program using staff, bringing in outsiders once in a while would be a value add, at least if the organization and the audit program was young.
 
#17
This all makes me think that even if one has an effective internal audit program using staff, bringing in outsiders once in a while would be a value add, at least if the organization and the audit program was young.
If certified, isn't that the role of the CB auditor?
 
#18
Only used once here, and it worked pretty well. Our corporate had an outside source conduct internal audits for just the labs, at all our locations. Very helpful to have an outside eye do this for us, and I would not hesitate to use another 3rd party to conduct any of our internal process audits.
Not really a "third party", Joe. A CB/AB is a 3rd party. A consultant is a supplier - 2nd party.
 

WCHorn

Rubber, Too Glamorous?
Trusted Information Resource
#19
Not really a "third party", Joe. A CB/AB is a 3rd party. A consultant is a supplier - 2nd party.
In my experience, a first-party audit is when you audit yourself (internal audit), a second-party audit is when your customer audits you, and a third-party audit is when an independent authority (such as a certifying body) audits you. I would say that we are talking about a subcontracted first-party audit.

My experience with subcontracted first-party audits is very positive. One problem it solved for me is the time involved in identifying and training good internal auditors that work for the company only to loose them to promotion or attrition. Subcontracting internal audits has not been terribly expensive and yields good results in the form of a thorough audit report, actionable nonconformities and risk identification (as long as you have identified a very good subcontractor).
 

Ettore

Quite Involved in Discussions
#20
:applause::applause::applause::applause:

Audits are too much important for one organizations and they have to be done by people able to do it. I think no one of you would make to the heart by a surgeon who operates only one couple of times a year or by a nurse. We use internal auditors but the audit is useful mostly for the auditors. But someone of them is an exception and work quite fine.
 
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