Internal Audit Program
Abdur Rahman Farooq
Quality Management | Facility Management | Risk Management | Compliance | LSSGB | EFQM | GRCP | GRCA | IPMP| CQA | Member ISO Technical Committee | Trainer |
How I Developed an Audit Program for Quality Management Systems
I’m excited to share with you that I have recently developed an audit program for my company’s quality management system (QMS).
What is an Audit Program and Why Does It Matter?
An audit program is a system of audit objectives, scope, timeline, and activities that will be carried out by auditors. It functions as a plan for conducting various types of audits in a company.
An audit program is important because it helps to evaluate the effectiveness of the QMS and its conformance to ISO 9001:2015 requirements. It also helps to identify areas for improvement and prepare for external audits.
How I Developed the Audit Program for our QMS
The audit program I developed helped me plan and organize the internal audits for my QMS against the ISO 9001:2015 requirements. I followed the best practices and standards for audit program development and management, such as defining the audit program objectives, goals, and obligations; considering the management priorities, business intentions, system requirements, business structure, legal and contractual mandates; customer and other interested parties’ expectations; risk management vulnerabilities; corrective actions from previous audits; and IT general controls.
The audit program also included:
The schedule helped us ensure that all processes were audited at planned intervals to provide information on whether the QMS conforms to ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 41001, and ISO 27001 requirements; conforms to our organization’s own requirements, its policies and procedures; and is effectively implemented and maintained.
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How the Audit Program Helped Us Prepare for External Audits
The audit program was a success as it helped us prepare for external audits conducted by certification bodies or other agencies. The external auditors followed the generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS) and generated audit reports which included the audit processes and information obtained.
The external audits verified that our QMS was compliant with ISO standards' requirements. They also provided feedback on areas of strength and weakness in our QMS. They also suggested opportunities for improvement based on best practices or benchmarks.
What We Learned from This Experience and How It Benefited Me
It was an achievement as it demonstrates professionalism, efficiency, and a code of conduct as an auditor. We learned a lot from this experience about how to develop an effective audit program that meets both internal and external expectations.
This experience also benefited us in many ways. It helped us improve our QMS performance and customer satisfaction. It helped us reduce risks of nonconformity or non-compliance. It helped us enhance our reputation as a reliable department. It helped us gain confidence in our skills and knowledge.
How You Can Learn More or Contact Me
If you are interested in learning more about audit programs or have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to me. I would love to hear from you.
Thank you for reading!