What do you think is the single most important factor for an inspector or auditor?

Believe it or not, it is ‘time’. The auditor is already hard-pressed for time and needs to find as many gaps as possible in the stipulated timeframe allocated for the audit. You cannot afford to take any chance, irrespective of which side of the table you are on.

There are times when we are waiting for the management team to join the opening meeting which was supposed to start at 9 AM, or when the important stakeholder has not joined the closing meeting which was scheduled at 4:30 PM. It is possible, that the auditor has a train to catch immediately after the audit/inspection. You don’t want to take any chance to annoy him/her further.

In the case of remote audits, the IT and network issues could result in unforeseen delays. Besides, IT and network issues could even delay the demo sessions during the on-site audit. If the delay is from the auditors’ end, there is little you can do apart from hoping that the audit does not get extended due to no fault of yours.

Common areas where one could expect delays:

1. Starting the opening meeting
2. Delay in closing meeting
3. The interviewee has not reached the location
4. Facilitation of document requests
5. IT and network issues

The next time when you are hosting an inspection or audit, make sure to be mindful of the auditor’s time. If you are an inspector or auditor, you have one more reason to get annoyed.

The only way to prevent these issues is Preparation! Preparation! Preparation!