1. PEOPLE
AUDITING
The sum of
many parts
As ISO develops a standard for
auditor competence, Sarah-
Jayne Russell asks: What are the
most important skills in auditing?
G
one is the image of experienced auditor who has been de-
auditors simply as signing and delivering auditor training
intimidating figures courses for many years. She says: “In
behind clipboards simple terms, if auditors do not know
asking awkward what they are doing they can mess up a
questions. Just as company. If an organisation is told that it
the rest of the quality profession has must take actions on audit findings they
evolved from control to assurance, the are totally dependent on the skill of the
role of management systems auditors is auditor for the relevance of those ac-
becoming increasingly complex as the tions. If an auditor raises non-conform-
subjects and scope of audits diversify. ities that are unjustified an organisation
In 2002 when ISO published ISO can create procedures or documents
19011, the guidelines for manage- that are not useful. Auditors can have
ment systems auditing, there were only a major impact on the direction of an
two ISO requirements standards, ISO organisation and its success.”
9001 and ISO 14001. Now there are
standards for food safety, information Competence
security, supply chain management Bearing in mind the strong influence
and a raft of sector-specific versions of auditors can have on an organisation
ISO 9001. Not only that but whether the there is a clear need to ensure that such
audit is internal or external, checking professionals are competent. However,
for compliance or evaluating areas for before an employer or auditee can
improvement, has a huge impact on the define the necessary knowledge and
skills needed by auditors. skills, Nina argues that questions must
While the objectives behind each be asked about the audit. “The scope
audit and the areas examined differ and objective of an audit defines the
there can be no doubting the powerful competence of the auditor required,”
impact that an auditor can have on she says. “If an organisation only wants
an organisation. Nina Abbassi, man- a compliance audit then the skills
aging director of Abbassi Ltd, is an needed to complete the audit are much
© Jon SchuLte
36 | APRIL 2010 | qw www.thecqi.org
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