The more work put in to the planing and preparation phases of an audit, the smoother the conduct of the audit. In this steps it’s very important on how audit people will be introduced. Definitely not as Auditors, since in most organizations this word has a negative connotation. Rather as Coaches or Consultants who will observe, give feedback and mentoring lessons. We estimate that up to 10% of the total project time is required for both the Plan and Prepare phases.
Using our unique methodology, maturity model, experience, and deep-dive checklists, a further 75% of the project time is required to Perform the audit. This phase involves both observation, interviews, cross-checking, verification and validation steps. Key aspect here is trust, building a relationships and gaining trust of people being audited. Only this way any empirically gain information will we valuable for further refinement.
The results of the Audit are documented in a formal manner and presented to the organisation in a standard report with formalised findings. This is part of the concluding stages in this Report phase. If the audit determines areas for quick-wins and improvement, further Follow-Up actions may be necessary to close out these issues.