For supplier audits, it is recommended to have specific objectives that’ll be evaluated in the supplier’s facilities. Here are the recommendations a good supplier auditing firm provides to enhance the performance of the audit:
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Table of Contents
Audit methodology:
It is very important that the auditor follows a methodology when conducting an audit to collect data to make efficient use of time.
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Data collection:
The collection of inspection/audit data generally consists of two main parts:
- Interrogate / Interview
- Field investigation/verification
To relieve the auditee’s anxiety (audited company) about what is being recorded, the Inspector/auditor must read aloud what he writes in the answer area of each question after presenting the information, documentation and verification.
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Question and interview:
Most of the information obtained during the conduct of the Inspection/Audit will be through the questioning of the Auditee staff.
- Questions on the checklist should be written to allow flexible questions.
- The Inspection / Auditor must determine not only compliance but also how adequate compliance is.
- Open questions can lead to more instructive questions that are not on the checklist.
- The information obtained from the interviews must be corroborated by evidence from other independent physical sources such as:
- Auditor’s Witness
- Documentation and records
- Sampling or measurement
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Verification of documents and records
In the performance of the third party inspection services / Audit, any supporting Audited / Audited documentation should be noted below the question in the corresponding checklist. The Inspector / Auditor can review the documentation at the time it is submitted. The best thing is that the backup documentation has been obtained and reviewed previously during the planning phase.
Tracking. Monitoring is a good way to verify that the systems work as designed. Documents and records can be traced forward or backward. Many documents and records are maintained electronically. The Inspector / Auditor should verify the control method to ensure that unauthorized personnel cannot make changes to records or documents.
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Sampling:
Some samples are generally adequate to verify documents or controls of records. Sampling is done for:
- Locate where document control problems are occurring.
- Provide information on compliance with the Inspection / Audit record level.
Physical evidence. The verification of practices, methods, policies, procedures, and documentation is done through fieldwork. It should be expected that the Auditee will perform some cleaning tasks and last minute arrangements in preparation for the arrival of the Inspection / Auditors. No amount of the last-minute fixes hides serious problems.
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Physical examination techniques
- Depending on the type of Inspection / Audit, the Inspection / Audit team may be required to examine a product or process in detail. The team must be familiar with the tools and techniques to accomplish this task.
- If a quality inspection/audit team is not familiar with the instrumentation or measurement technique, it should include a technical expert who is.
- Often, a sample must be examined in detail. The inspector/auditor must be present when the sample is taken.
- Accuracy measurements must be made under the same environmental conditions that the Inspection / Audit is expected to perform.
- It is necessary to confirm that the test equipment “borrowed” from the Inspection / Audit meets all the conditions of the appropriate calibration procedures.
- The Inspector / Auditor should be familiar with the basic roadmaps, plans, production orders, etc.
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Determine the effectiveness of the controls:
The effectiveness of the quality control services in individual activities should be determined during an inspection/audit.
A good part of the evidence will be evident from the results of the Inspection / Audit checklist. To help determine how effective the existing controls are, the Inspection / Audit team can consider, or include in the checklist, the following types of questions.
Based on how the questions can be answered, the inspection/audit team will make an objective or subjective determination of the effectiveness of the existing quality system.
Videos and images according to the type of audit, different photos and/or videos should be taken. These documentation methods must be confirmed by the Engineers prior to the execution of the audit and reconfirmed by the Auditor during the execution of the Audit.