Tips to Relieve the Stress of ISO Audits: Part 1
An audit to receive certification for an ISO quality management system, or an environmental management system of roughly the same type is one of the most stressful times for any company, its workers and its executives. Some people in the corporate world refer to it as “week from hell,” and with the unease and stress that an audit generates, it’s no wonder why. Fortunately, you can alleviate or at least minimize stress for a successful audit. As we always tell our clients, the keys to your success are in your hands. All you have to do is pay attention and use your common sense.
Here are some tips to help you run a successful ISO certification audit. All the tips below are based on the experiences of our clients, many of whom have succeeded following a simple but effective strategy that we here at CG Business Consulting like to push forward. Note that these tips are applicable to most ISO audits, such as ISO 9000 to 14000 series systems.
1 relax
In all my years in the business consulting industry, I have seen countless executives and employees experience anxiety and stress episodes, all due to an ISO registration and continuous monitoring by an auditor or registrar. The best way to alleviate anxiety is to make the proper preparations before the audit process takes place. If you think you’ve done everything you can to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible, and yet if you feel anxious then you are being silly.
2 Review your job description
Not only should you do this, the people who work under you should do it too. Find out what their job description is, what their respective roles are, and what their responsibilities are in the organization.
3 Be clean and sharp
I’m not going to beat around the bush with you. Appearances count, a lot. So make sure your employees are at least presentable, workstations are clean, and any logs of any kind are only minutes away from being found; nothing puts an audit more in perspective than organization.
4 don’t be defensive
Auditors are not your enemy. An audit is not a contradictory situation, so don’t get too defensive and, above all, don’t argue with the auditor. Ask questions if you want clarification, but don’t argue with the points your auditor makes.
Stay tuned for the next installment of this two-part article for even more advice when it’s time to audit.