Checking yourself.
WHAT THEY ARE FOR
Establishing whether practice matches what you documented.
WHY IT MATTERS
Process drifts, silently, and nobody notices until something fails.
WHO SHOULD DO IT
Someone not responsible for the area.
WHY
People cannot audit their own work objectively.
WHAT TO EXAMINE
A sample of actual work, against the procedure Records, against what should exist Whether people know the process Whether previous findings were addressed
HOW TO SAMPLE
Pick real examples at random, and follow them through.
WHY REAL EXAMPLES
Asking how it works produces the intended answer.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Steps skipped Records missing Workarounds in use Procedures out of date
WHAT WORKAROUNDS INDICATE
A procedure that does not fit reality.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT THAT
Fix the procedure, not the person.
WHAT TO RECORD
Findings, factually, with evidence.
WHAT TO AVOID
Framing findings as blame Findings with no owner or date
WHAT TO PRODUCE
A short list of actions, owned and dated.
WHAT TO DO AFTERWARDS
Verify they were completed.
WHY
Uncompleted actions from previous audits are the commonest finding of all.
HOW OFTEN TO AUDIT
Regularly, covering everything over a cycle.
WHAT TO PRIORITISE
Areas with the most risk or the most recent problems.
