Internal Auditing
An old saying goes,
“Getting Certification is Easy, Maintaining is Difficult.”
Maintaining a certified management system takes a lot of commitment and discipline. Once the hurrah of the certification ends, the slack in commitment or discipline over time will lead to lapses in the established management system. Lapses can be slight mistakes or, to the extreme, a breakdown of processes followed by unpleasant incidents.
For this reason, the certification cycle is limited to three years with compulsory annual internal audits to check that the management system is intact. Conducting your internal audit can be daunting, especially you are short on skilled human resources and time.
This program is most suitable for
Planned AuditsPre scheduled internal audits | Unplanned AuditsSurprise or spot audits to find out root cause | Limited ResourcesLack of time, people resources |
---|---|---|
Gap ClosureNeed to Identify or close gaps | Unbiased ViewIndependent external view of situation |
How We Can Help In 3 Steps
Program Specific FAQs
It can be as affordable as below SG$1K or more depending on the number of sites, choice of single or multiple management standard, and complexity of business processes.
Please use the RFQ page if you wish to have a cost estimate. Select Internal Auditing of Management System.
How much does it cost to use this service?
Yes. You do not need to re-format or re-write your internal audit report. Our report is comprehensive to cover the required areas of the management standard. All external certification bodies accept our report without questions.
There is a long-standing myth that internal audit is supposed to be conducted by “internal” organization members. The correct meaning of "internal" means looking inwards to your system. You can either use your own auditors or outsource to accomplish this. The management standard allows you to outsource.
Can I use your audit report as-is for my internal audit?
Our Engagement terms and conditions cover this by a non-disclosure clause. If you require us to sign an additional non-disclosure agreement (NDA), forward it to us for endorsement. With the NDA, we should be allowed to audit.
We are concerned about confidential areas. How do you address this?
The required team members are those in charge of departmental functions within the audit scope, such as operations, sales, procurement, supply chain, and product development.
Please let us know your site business functions when you request for an estimate at the RFQ page. With this information, we can advise you on your scope of audit and team composition.
Who should be involved in this program?
For a single site, the audit duration is usually 1.5 days. More extensive audit scope or multiple locations will require more man-days.
We have started providing remote audits. The benefit is cost savings since our auditors do not need to travel to the site.
How much time is required to complete the program?
Yes. Please let us know your business activity when you request for an estimate at the RFQ page. Once we have this information, the audit objectives become clear.
We have clients wanting to adopt a certain management standard but unsure of what to do. An audit using the proposed management standard will reveal the extent of gaps and overall readiness. This information will help in project implementation planning for resources and budget. Also, by closing the gaps, the client could direct their attention to the relevant areas of the standard, thus saving time and money.
My business is not certified to any management standard. Can I use this service.?
Every certified management system will have a scope. Examples are:
“Manufacture of..”,
“Management of …”.
"Sales and Trading of..."
In short, the audit scope is your business activity. You can check this by reading your ISO certificate.
What is the meaning of the scope of the audit?
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Our consultants also possess auditor qualifications from internationally recognized accreditation bodies such as IRCA or Exemplar Global. The accreditation ensures that our auditor competence are peer-reviewed by industry experts.
Additionally, our consulting experience of almost three decades in different industries will allow us to assess businesses holistically and comprehensively.
Are your auditors qualified?
No. A schedule will be provided with approximate start and end times. Your team members can carry on with business until the appointed time.
Do I need my team to be around throughout the audit?
Small mistakes happen all the time in any given work process. A lack of commitment to correct them normalizes the problem. Over time, these mistakes become the “new normal” unless an external person points it out. The main benefit of outsourcing is the external or third-party view of the current situation.
The additional benefit is the freeing up of your precious time to conduct the audit. We take care of the planning, preparation, audit, and reporting. You just need to focus your time on closing the gaps.
What is the key benefit of outsourcing the internal audit?
General FAQs
There are no government grants for this program.