Be as prepared as you can be for your NATA audit with these 10 tips on dealing with stressful situations.
1. Your ISO auditor turns up earlier than you do and your staff don’t know what to do with them.
Aim for a really early start before your audit so you are not flustered when they turn up. Your staff should be fully briefed before audit day about what to expect so they are not caught by surprise.
2. Your staff are so busy trying to guess what trick the ISO auditor is playing, that they freeze and can’t answer any questions.
Your auditor shouldn’t be out to trick you. Remind your staff that auditors ask questions and the obvious answer is often the right one.
3. Your staff are terrified of not knowing the ‘right answers’.
Your staff need to be told that it is perfectly OK to say ‘I don’t know’ and refer to procedures, standards, or other staff as you would if it were a regular work day.
4. Your ISO auditor asks what was hanging on the wall in the rectangular shaped patch where the paint has not faded.
If you have work instructions hanging on the wall, make sure they are current and part of your document control system. If they aren’t, it’s OK if the ISO auditor sees them – sometimes that’s what it takes to prompt change for the better.
5. It’s 11 am and your ISO auditor hasn’t stopped for a break yet.
If your auditor has forgotten to stick to the schedule, don’t be afraid to let them know when you or your staff usually stop for breaks. They will likely appreciate the reminder to take a breather themselves!
6. Your corrective action register is empty except for the issues that were raised at the previous audit 18 months ago…
A clear sign you are not using your corrective action system optimally! They may raise eyebrows if you suggest that you haven’t had any non-conformances for the last 18 months. By not using your corrective action system you are missing opportunities for improvement, which is kind of the whole point of having a quality management system.
7. Your ISO auditor or technical assessor raises a non-conformance that you are not convinced is an issue.
You don’t have to stay silent on this one. You can ask questions. A good question to ask is – where does it say this in the standard? I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again – there is nothing wrong with questioning an auditor, so long as nobody gets too worked up.
8. You can't find a record requested, and your go-to person that knows where to find everything is on sick-leave.
A lesson to be learnt here... eggs in one basket? Don't waste time fumbling if you don't think you can find the record quickly. This is a situation where it is probably better to admit you could have organised things better, and move onto the next question.
9. A record has been found with a blank space where someone should have written 'N/A'.
Panic stations! Or you could keep things in perspective. If it's not a systematic issue, things are probably going to be OK.
10. You look at the report a few days after the audit and you realise you don’t understand what it is on about.
No worries! If your ISO auditor hasn't made it clear enough, give them a call and ask them to explain!
Of course if you need further help figuring out how to address issues raised on your NATA / ISO 9001 audit...
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