![Advisera John Nolan](https://advisera.com/wp-content/uploads/blog_authors/johnnolan.jpg)
January 16, 2017
The internal audit is one of the most vital elements of an ISO 14001-certified EMS (Environmental Management System) in ensuring that processes are effective and being followed, and therefore delivering continual improvement. With so much importance placed on the internal audit process and so many details that need to be captured, it therefore makes sense to approach your audit program with some sort of methodical plan to ensure that your organization derives maximum benefit from your internal audit function. So, what is the best way to go about this?
It is likely that your organization will decide on the frequency of your internal audit cycle at its management review, normally held on an annual basis. It is possible at this time that your organization may decide on the topics for your internal audit, although that may change during the year as a response to any incidents or accidents, or as outputs from risk assessment and risk-based discussions emerge. However, there is always the danger that an internal audit can be less effective than hoped because of lack of planning – whether lack of resources, the correct process owner being unavailable, or badly recorded or insufficient details. Therefore, it makes sense to put some sort of plan in place when looking at the year ahead to ensure your internal audit function is planned, organized, and has the maximum benefit to your organization. To learn more about internal audits in general, you can see the previous article Internal audits in the EMS: 5 main steps, and this can help you understand how to perform the audit itself, but what detail do we need to consider to help us make the most effective audit plan possible?
To ensure we capture all the vital components of the internal audit, what should your organization think of when creating an audit plan? Let us examine in more detail:
The effectiveness of your internal audits themselves can be greatly improved by the level of planning your organization does around them. Having the correct people auditing the correct processes and employees at the correct time and in the correct place, with a very accurate level of detail resulting, can give your organization an excellent view of how effective that particular process is.
When this level of detail is not present, then gaps can easily appear that may not otherwise be evident. This undoubtedly creates danger for your organization when certification and surveillance audits come around, but just as importantly, can cost your organization money on a daily basis through inefficiency and poor performance. Your internal audit is critical to your organization’s performance and well-being – plan it well, and you will see the benefit.
Why not use our free online ISO 14001:2015 Internal Auditor course to improve your knowledge of the internal audit function?