Review of the company's documents and systems by an independent professional person - an auditor.
An audit serves to examine the functionality of a company's internal processes, the conformity of documentation, and the outputs of processes with prescribed standards and the quality of the company's internal control. The result of an audit is a report that captures any deficiencies along with deadlines for their correction. Upon successful completion of the audit, auditing companies issue certificates confirming the company's system's compliance with the standard requirements, but for a specific period. In practice, this means that a company's system must undergo regular audits by an independent auditor.
In practice we encounter two main types of audits.
Internal, or corporate audit, is used for a quick assessment of the company's status and compliance with internal regulations. For example, in the food industry, a GMP audit is used to examine the conformity of manufacturing practices with health-safe product standards. An internal audit allows for the rapid identification of issues resulting from non-compliance with internal company documents. Internal audits often serve as a management tool for a quick evaluation of the company's condition.
External audit, conducted by an independent party not affiliated with the company, examines the discrepancies between the company's processes and the standards it committed to follow. External audits can be performed by customers and are often part of the approval process for commercial contracts between the buyer and the supplier. In cases of significant and repeated non-compliance, the audit may result in a recommendation to terminate cooperation.
Audits examining compliance with universally accepted standards, such as ISO or VDA series, are typically conducted by auditing companies. The objective of these audits is to review the functionality of the company's internal processes and their alignment with specific standards, as well as the depth of implementation of the standard's requirements in internal regulations. The outcome usually involves a report highlighting identified deficiencies.
Audits are conducted in sequential steps, although they are not always strictly adhered to. Audits are often announced in advance to allow the company to prepare adequately, such as by gathering necessary documentation or addressing discrepancies. However, unannounced audits are also common, aiming to assess the real conditions. Unannounced audits are particularly used for examining critical requirements that impact safety, health, or the environment.
The second step typically involves defining the scope of the audit. Audits are time-limited activities during which the auditor examines a representative, as comprehensive as possible, area determined by the audit's focus. However, if the auditor identifies deficiencies in any area, they may conduct a more in-depth audit of the processes.
The third step involves the execution of the audit by the auditor or the auditing team. Auditing is performed, for instance, by using a questionnaire with questions to which the company must provide satisfactory answers. If the response is unsatisfactory, the auditor records the type and significance of the discrepancy in the audit questionnaire.
The next step involves the preparation of a system status report, which captures the current identified deficiencies and other seemingly unrelated findings. For instance, it may include the employees' attitude during the audit, the level of knowledge about the audited issues at different levels of the company, efforts for correction upon identifying deficiencies, etc.
In the case of a certification audit, the auditor, based on the findings, confirms the conformity of processes with the requirements of the examined standard and issues a time-limited certificate.
Among the most common external audits are:
Automotive-specific audit according to VDA 6.X standards for the automotive industry.
Today, audits are an integral part of both manufacturing and non-manufacturing practices. However, conducting an audit is not merely about identifying discrepancies. The purpose of an audit is to find solutions to the identified issues, with the aim of elevating the audited company to a higher level. An experienced auditor knows what could help and, although their duty is to point out and record the discrepancies, they can propose solutions for their resolution.
Our company's team of auditors is among the most experienced in the market due to their profound knowledge of the subject matter and extensive auditing practice. Audits conducted by our company provide added value through well-defined discrepancies and suggestions for their resolution. We are committed to assisting you in improving your practices and taking your company to new heights.
