Planning Remote Quality Management System Audits

It is crucial to plan for remote audits, for both the auditor and for the organization being audited. Remote audit planning is more than just assembling an agenda of topics that will be reviewed. The remote audit planning involves the identification of the video platform and ensuring that the log in credentials have been received before the audit. These items are important to me so I included a time for the auditor and the auditee to log in to the video platform to ensure that we have access to video, microphones, and speakers. This has effectively replaced the time required for auditors to arrive and get settled for on-site audits Auditform Safety Inspection Software.

Next, the auditor will request to review the policies, procedures, documents and records of an audit team during the course. These documents will be provided during the interview. It is much easier to request the documents before the audit date in remote audit planning. This allows the auditor to review the documents. This saves both auditor and auditor time.

Next, you need to plan for the opening meeting. An opening meeting in an on-site audit is usually informal. The auditor will usually provide information about the audit, the audit plan, and how to handle any changes to the audit plan. These items are not covered in remote audits, but it is different. A simple PowerPoint presentation was created for the opening meeting. It is shared via screen sharing because more people are visual learners. This covers the usual items, but also includes the details of remote audits: screen sharing, taking breaks and viewing production and operational areas. It also addresses what could happen that would result in the termination of the remote audit. It is essential to have backup plans in place for the event that the Wi-Fi fails or the video platform crashes. This will allow the remote auditor to achieve their objectives. Both the auditor and the auditee should have a backup plan or recovery plan in case of technology problems. This will reduce the chance of the audit being terminated.

After we've discussed the planning process for remote audits, let's move on to the actual remote audit. The remote audit process is quite different, as I discovered early. Even during on-site audits, auditors tend to sit for a long time. Add in staring at a computer screen for seven to eight hours and you can become physically exhausted. Remote audits are now more ergonomically-oriented than many auditors realized, at least not in the beginning. Both the auditor and the auditee need to take breaks throughout each day. During the opening meeting, we will all take a 5- to 10-minute stretch break every 60-70 minutes. This allows us to get out of the computer screen, drink water and, most importantly, to get our circulation going.

It's time for auditing after the opening meeting. It sounds simple enough. An auditor can be a technical support person for the auditee in relation to the videoconferencing platform. As an ISO auditor, it has been a challenge to learn and master the various video conference platforms. I also had to show some organizations how to use them, such as screen sharing, screen muting, screen sharing and switching between a phone and a computer for viewing operations.