Your description of a natural born auditor?

[Claes Gefvenberg]

Audit reports - Typed or hand written[/url]]I have been training a new internal auditor (shes a natural, best Ive ever seen) .....

Glad to hear it Shaun. People who fit into that description are few and far between.

Now, I'd like to ask the Cove dwellers how you would describe such a person? What is it that makes them so special?

/Claes

 

[Randy Stewart]

A few things to consider.
Attention to detail, curiosity, an ability to step back and look at the big picture, open minded and good communication skills.
One of the best internal auditors I've seen was an industrial engineer.

 

[RoxaneB]

Good question! Ummm...my main trait for an Auditor is that s/he understand that an Audit does not equal Policing. We are NOT trying to catch people breaking rules (but it's fun when we do! ...my audits are traditionally cute, warm, fuzzy, friendly...until I smell blood and then I go for the jugular...oh...did I say that out loud???). We are auditing the system...not individuals.

That being said, and I feel like I'm writing something for a Personal Ad here, my ideal Auditor would be:

• unbiased
• impartial
• professional
• committed
• focused
• communicative
• articulate
• inquiring
• observant
• understanding
• diplomatic
• judicious
• honest
• thick-skinned (!!!)

I would want someone who could see beyond the "negatives" and provide positive feedback as well.

• What went well
• Individuals who performed well or made positive contributions during the audit
• Good attitudes
• Promptness
• Highlight areas for improvement

And with all of that said, come actual audit time, I would want someone who:

• Prepares - gathers appropriate data ahead of time and doesn't enter the ring without a general idea of what's going on
• Learns - all about the area to be audited
• Maintains control - knows how to manage the audit (without ruffling feathers)
• Is concise - avoids long winded questions that sound like they're straight from the standard
• Listens - goes beyond hearing what is said...what's not being said...sees the doors that are opened during the audit
• Assists - where confusion or misunderstanding is found
• Seeks - looks for objective evidence only, does not rely on guesses or assumptions
• Compliments - must be done prior to leaving the audit area and sometimes even during the audit itself

Okay, so I'm a bit on the picky side....I've got standards and high expectations. I think we've just explained my social life...or lack thereof!

 

[Aaron Lupo]

Good question! Ummm...my main trait for an Auditor is that s/he understand that an Audit does not equal Policing. We are NOT trying to catch people breaking rules (but it's fun when we do! ...my audits are traditionally cute, warm, fuzzy, friendly...until I smell blood and then I go for the jugular...oh...did I say that out loud???). We are auditing the system...not individuals.

That being said, and I feel like I'm writing something for a Personal Ad here, my ideal Auditor would be:

• unbiased
• impartial
• professional
• committed
• focused
• communicative
• articulate
• inquiring
• observant
• understanding
• diplomatic
• judicious
• honest
• thick-skinned (!!!)

I would want someone who could see beyond the "negatives" and provide positive feedback as well.

• What went well
• Individuals who performed well or made positive contributions during the audit
• Good attitudes
• Promptness
• Highlight areas for improvement

And with all of that said, come actual audit time, I would want someone who:

• Prepares - gathers appropriate data ahead of time and doesn't enter the ring without a general idea of what's going on
• Learns - all about the area to be audited
• Maintains control - knows how to manage the audit (without ruffling feathers)
• Is concise - avoids long winded questions that sound like they're straight from the standard
• Listens - goes beyond hearing what is said...what's not being said...sees the doors that are opened during the audit
• Assists - where confusion or misunderstanding is found
• Seeks - looks for objective evidence only, does not rely on guesses or assumptions
• Compliments - must be done prior to leaving the audit area and sometimes even during the audit itself

Okay, so I'm a bit on the picky side....I've got standards and high expectations. I think we've just explained my social life...or lack thereof!

I think this pretty much covers it. I would stress having a thick skin!

 

[SteelWoman]

My best auditors are people who understand an audit is done to catch people doing things RIGHT, not wrong. To verify the system is working as it should, and people are in compliance. Not the OPPOSITE, which I see too often with internal auditors - folks who think it's their job to find every tiny possibility to catch someone in the act and write up a non-conformance.

I once had an Internal Auditor (who no longer is an internal auditor) who griped at the end of an audit that there were NOT ENOUGH FINDINGS!!!! He maintained that the audit process had failed because we hadn't FOUND ENOUGH NON-CONFORMANCES!!! The anti-thesis of an "ideal" auditor, at least IMHO.

 

[Randy Stewart]

It's an audit of the system, not the people!

 

[Shaun Daly]

RCBeyette has pretty much hit the nail on the head.

I would add;

**Courage**

A good internal auditor must stand his/her ground when agreeing corrective action with a Manager who refuses to even acknowledge definate NC's.

Not that im thinking of anyone in particular <ahem>.

Can be hard for someone to do, as visions of that promotion/pay rise vanish into the distance.

 

[RoxaneB]

It's an audit of the system, not the people!

I agree! SteelWoman's concept of auditing what people are doing right is, IMO, nice but goes against what auditing is. We talk to people to obtain an understanding of the system...they are the medium through which an auditor will ascertain the effectiveness of the system. We do not audit the people.

 

[RoxaneB]

RCBeyette has pretty much hit the nail on the head.

I would add;

**Courage**

A good internal auditor must stand his/her ground when agreeing corrective action with a Manager who refuses to even acknowledge definate NC's.

Not that im thinking of anyone in particular <ahem>.

Can be hard for someone to do, as visions of that promotion/pay rise vanish into the distance.

Yes, we do need courage...and the ability to be politically correct.

I had a finding this year to be presented with our VP/GM in the room that basically said (a) incoming material from a sister facility was not up to spec and (b) we weren't rejecting it as we should. It was a political can of worms and, depending on how I phrased it, my neck on the line.

In the end, my finding was worded adequately (took me a while, but I figured it out) and was not only accepted, prompted our facility sticking to our guns and, demanding that our sister facilities should improve their processes...we should not have to accept their nonconforming product. I'd like to say that we are getting product that now meets our specifications more than it doesn't. Makes me feel good as an auditor that I was able to visibly see the benefits of being an auditor for my Company.

 

[WALLACE]

The best ever auditor

I always wanted to have Columbo on my audit team.
He was all over the place used his notes often and was the most calm and collective pain in the **s.
I guess being a calm and collective pain in the **s is the best attribute of a good auditor, just like Columbo, he gets people to reveal the real process.
Wallace.