The International Standards Organization (ISO) created the technical standard TS16949 which is applicable to the automotive industry. It is commonly referred to as a Quality Management System. It is an extension of the ISO9001 Standard. With specific emphasis on defect prevention instead of detection, the standard is a guideline with which companies work towards continuous improvement in areas that govern the quality of the products being created. Internal auditing is a key component of a TS16949 registered quality system.
- It is a requirement of the TS16949 Standard that you have a documented audit schedule to include the areas you will be visiting. Choose your internal audit team from your trained internal auditors list. Notify the head of the selected area of the pending audit. Work with your audit team to prepare an audit plan which directs the team to their interviewees and locations to perform their observations. Your audit plan takes into consideration the results of past audits, documented internal or external nonconformities, customer complaints and time since the last audit of the area. Make a list of the procedures to which you will verify employee compliance. Prepare a list of potential interview subjects.
- Conduct an opening meeting and include the department manager and any secondary supervisory staff. Give them a brief overview of the areas which you'll be checking on throughout your audit activities. Be flexible enough to assure that your audit will be as minimally disruptive to the production activities as possible. Inform them of your expected closing meeting time.
- Conduct your process audits using the latest revision of the TS16949 Standards. This is a change from the historical method of auditing to the older revisions of actual standards. Evaluate the all of the different processes within your organization as part of the overall audit of the entire quality management system. See that the employees are performing their tasks in accordance with documented procedures or work instructions. See that they are completing all of the required paperwork which will ultimately become quality records. Check to see evidence that appropriate measuring and testing (as applicable) is done and documented. Confirm that all materials are properly identified and at the correct location. Remember, you are evaluating all activities that affect the quality of the product. Determine if your organization has effectively designed potential nonconformities out of the processes.
- Document your findings throughout the audit and afterward. It is important to identify positive areas in addition to the negative ones. You don't want your audit efforts to be portrayed as blame-finding. The idea is to make objective observations, so be sure to report on the good as well as the areas which need improvement. Complete your audit report and create any corrective actions resulting from observed deficiencies.
- Once your report and corrective actions are complete, conduct a closing meeting between your team and the staff who were part of your opening meeting. Discuss your findings, both positive and negative, and prepare to listen carefully to any feedback you get from the supervisory staff. Issue your corrective actions that detail the observations requiring improvement. The corrective actions should have a specified date for initial reply and then an expected date of completion from the department head. You, the auditor leader, or a member of your audit team, should follow-up completed corrective actions and close them out accordingly.
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