Volume 5 · Issue 8 · August 2000

Contents

Do You Have an Effective Internal Audit Program?

Andy Nichols writes that the effective use of internal audits in any QMS is vital to the implementation, maintenance and improvement of that system. Although the wording of Clause 4.17 in ISO 9001:1994 differs some from that of Subclause 8.2.2 in ISO/FDIS 9001:2000, the intent of internal audits is the same: to not only check that the QMS works and will not result in additional (and expensive) audits by a registrar, but to help improve the processes of an organization–how work is done and the value of that work. Yet, many organizations invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to train a team of internal auditors only to find that the audit scheduling often fails to maximize the return on investment. Nichols explores the importance of audit scheduling in meeting your organization’s objectives and of elevating the role of the internal auditors to a strategic level after registration.