In the world of quality and compliance management, auditing is the main tool to assess whether a system is running according to standards. One audit approach that is now increasingly popular is combined audit. Many organizations are starting to choose this method because of the efficiency and effectiveness it offers.
Definition of Combined Audit
Combined audit is an audit process conducted against two or more management systems at one time and by one audit team. For example, if your organization implements ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 14001 (environment), and ISO 45001 (occupational safety), you can conduct a joint audit for all three systems at the same time.
The main purpose of a joint audit is to save time, resources, and avoid duplication of the audit process. In addition, this approach also helps create a more holistic view of your organization's compliance and performance.
Benefits of Combined Audit
Conducting a joint audit provides a number of important advantages:
- Resource Efficiency: Reduce audit time and team involvement compared to separate audits.
- Lower Cost: Reduce expenses for auditor fees, travel, and paperwork.
- Increased Collaboration: The internal team becomes more synchronous in the face of the audit process.
- Strengthening System Integration: Be an opportunity to review the alignment between different management systems.
- Comprehensive Understanding: Auditors and management get a comprehensive view of the overall performance of the organization.
Combined Audit Strategy
For a combined audit to be successful, you need to implement the following strategies:
1. Identification Of Audit Scope
Determine what management standards will be combined, for example ISO 9001 + ISO 14001.
2. Documentation Integration
Ensure that policy documents, procedures, and audit records can cover all audited systems.
3. Internal Team Coordination
Involve all process owners from the beginning, and form a liaison team from each department.
4. Auditor Training
Internal Auditor or external must understand all the standards included in the joint audit.
5. Integrated Audit Plan
Create efficient audit schedules and checklists, covering aspects of each management system.
6. Effective Communication
Always communicate audit objectives, schedules, and results to all stakeholders.
Read Also: ISO Internal Audit: definition, objectives, and Implementation Mechanism
Combined Audit vs Joint Audit: Apa Bedanya?
Although they sound similar, combined audits and joint audits have fundamental differences:
| Aspect | Combined Audit | Joint Audit |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Auditing one organization against multiple standards | Audit of one organization by two separate teams of auditors |
| Auditor Team | One audit team | Two or more audit teams |
| Focus | Multiple management systems | Cross-institutional or external collaboration |
| Purpose | Audit efficiency | Higher objectivity and comparative results |
| Example of | ISO 9001 + ISO 14001 in one audit | Audit of the company by internal and external auditors simultaneously |
So, if you want efficiency and an integrated approach, combined audit becomes the right choice. Meanwhile, if you want a balanced view from two different parties, a joint audit is more suitable.
Challenges in Combined Audits
While it offers many benefits, combined audits also have challenges:
- Coordination Complexity: The more systems audited, the higher the coordination required.
- Auditor Skill Level: The Auditor must have competence in several standards at once.
- Risk Of Overlap: Some processes can be audited too often if they are not properly managed.
- Strict time management: The team needs to design the audit time appropriately so that all systems are maximally covered.
Tips for Successfully Conducting a Combined Audit
To make a combined audit successful, you can follow these tips:
- Use an audit software audit management to simplify planning and tracking.
- Do a simulation or internal audit first.
- Focus on cross-functional processes so that the audit results are more thorough.
- Document the results neatly and specifically for each standard.
- Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the combined audit approach.
Benefits of Combined auditing for your company
Adopting a combined audit provides many strategic benefits to your business:
- Operational Efficiency: Reduce audit frequency and time required by your team.
- Cost Savings: More efficient than conducting separate audits for each standard.
- Integrated Audit results: Provide a holistic view of the suitability and effectiveness of the management system.
- Reduction Of Administrative Burden: The documentation process becomes more streamlined because it is not done repeatedly.
With these benefits, it's no wonder that many organizations are turning to this approach to improve efficiency and consistency in compliance management.
Combine Your Audits, Maximize Efficiency
In the era of efficiency and digitalization, managing multiple audit systems separately feels time-consuming and costly.
With combined auditing, you can save resources, strengthen system integration, and gain a thorough understanding of just one audit process.
Imagine one audit team comes in, then all your ISO systems are inspected in one go — fast, efficient, and impactful.
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