The Five C’s of Internal Audits and Expert Recommendations 101

What is an internal audit? This is a very frequently asked question online! An audit is essentially a review assessment that helps add value to the overall operations of a company. An internal audit assessment is conducted prior to registering a system for ISO certification. It is an evaluation that assists the management team determine if their system model is complying to all regulatory clauses. Your management team will need to verify and check progress after a system has been modified or implemented for the first time. An audit assessment must be documented so that all stakeholders can take account for and take relevant courses of action to ensure conformity.

An external audit will be conducted by a third-party team assigned to ensure compliance and see things through all the way through to certification. An internal audit is a phase that assures a team is fully aware of their system’s preparedness. Then, companies must emphasize these assessments alongside a gap analysis and readiness reviews. To ensure a flawless evaluation, you must acknowledge the five C’s of an audit.

The following blog will assist you with any questions related to the five C’s. Also, this blog will discuss each C and showcase its significance in conducting an effective and timely audit.

The Five C’s of Internal Audits For ISO Certifications

C 1 – Criteria

The first step begins with criteria. Your management team must identify the specific requirements prior to conducting an assessment. There must be certain issues identify that require attention and must be rectified right from the beginning. Your management team must determine the requirements of an audit and see ensure attention to these requests are addressed when conducting this assessment. Questions like: “why this is required, “who asked for it” and “is the audit being conducted prior to an external audit” are answered.

C 2- Condition

Alongside these questions, he second C focuses on current condition, and these should be fully communicated and presented beforehand.

• How is the previously identified issue related to the company’s expected outcomes?

• Is there any policy that has been broken?

• Has the management team identified the condition that caused non-conformity or the dissatisfaction?

• Does management believe that there is no issue? If yes, why?

• Which benchmarks have not been met?

C 3 – Cause

This is the time when a root-cause analysis will be conducted. The fundamental reasons behind each issue or the cause will be identified, and a specific priority will be assigned to each item along with a corresponding level urgency. Audits are pivotal to detect and analyze these items and their root causes. That is the most systematic way of taking relevant courses of actions against any identified flaw(s). The following questions would be addressed during this process.

• Why caused the issue to occur?

• Which parties are involved?

• Has the management team verified what processed were broken and their cause?

• Which measures could have helped to avoid this situation?

C 4 – Consequences

To determine the results and impact of an issue, the following questions should be asked. 

• What are the consequences of the problem that occurred?

• Are the problems associated a specific internal process or are there any external consequences?

• Are there any financial implications? If yes, what are they?

C 5 – Corrective Actions

The last C, the checklist should ask the following questions.

• What resources will the company use to ensure improvement?

• What process can a company take to fix the issue?

• What are the specific steps that need to be taken to ensure a seamless and timely implementation of all corrective measures?

• What type of reviews, updates, and monitoring techniques would be required?

Concluding Thoughts

You need to need to ensure your governance processes are easy and holistic. Conducting an audit with help with risk management, control, and sustainability. Internal auditors are typically employees of outside organization, and their role is to provide insights and recommendations to enhance your internal controls and operational efficiency.

When you are looking to hire experienced and professional support to help you meet all the requirements of an internal audit and their relevant assessments, contact us Compliancehelp Consulting LLC. We are premier consultancy that can help you achieve any ISO certification in the US. Our customized ISO solutions and other global certifications are ready to make the seemingly exhausting process of accreditation simple and seamless. From basic consultation to audit and analysis, we will cover everything. Eliminate any questions or remove and doubts you have regarding the clauses of any management system standard you require. We will help you answer all questions related to and audit, a management review, and gap analysis.