Why is it that when you drop the A-bomb (audit) people just seem to instinctively cringe. Is this a learned behavior or one that has been passed down since men began assessing each other for acceptance?
As an auditor for RQS I find this behavior very interesting, even unnerving, when I visit a client that is very uneasy. It's like most folks assume an auditor is only there to search for what you're doing wrong, and that the sooner the auditor leaves the better. What I want to convey are the reasons why I think you should not just accept the fact that you are being audited, but that you should want your organization to be regularly audited (aside from the fact that 21 CFR Part 820.22 requires internal audits)
The first thing organizations or individuals being audited should know is that the auditor is there to highlight both positive and negative findings. The auditor is not there to discipline but to provide a report, ultimately for management's review, to describe the good, the bad and maybe, the ugly.
Secondly, the auditor is auditing to possibly provide guidance to the organization for areas that may be in need of some improvement. While the auditor cannot tell the organization what to do (for fear of losing the ability to be unbiased) the auditor can highlight areas that could potentially become problems if left unattended.
Third, the auditor is a teacher and a student. Plain and simple, the auditor is there to learn from your organization as much as you are there to learn from him or her in what is being reviewed and what is found (whether positive or negative).
Lastly, the auditor's goal is to leave the organization in better shape than when they arrived. The goal is to leave the team with knowledge of where the organization stands today, where it needs to go tomorrow, and to provide insights into how to get there and to offer a helping hand along the way when reviewing the plans associated with any audit nonconformances.
I hope that eventually individuals and organizations will learn to accept that audits are not a means to make anyone look bad, instead the audit is a way to unlock a better version of you and your organization.
-MJB