How To Prepare For An Audit
6 Oct 2011 | 3 min
read
Written by Virginia Sarkis
October was a busy month for EBR as we recently went through an audit by the RCSA, an annual event that takes place for our company. Many would agree that an audit can be a harrowing event for any business. Fear is the most prominent feeling that arises when thinking of an audit, however it doesn't have to be. Having achieved a great score this year, I would like to share with you my top 5 tips on how to prepare for an audit that you may find beneficial for your business.
Assign one/two specific staff members to deal with it
It is best to assign all Audit related issues to a specific staff member. If you have a large business with more than 30 staff it would be wise too assign more than one person, however for a small business, one person should be enough. Having specific staff members assigned to the Audit ensures that the business can carry on as usual with minimal disruptions.
Work from a checklist
Checklists are very helpful when it comes to audit preparation. A checklist ensures that you can work through the tasks one by one without any confusion. Once one task is complete, you can check it off and move to the next. It is also wise to work from a checklist as it summarises all your tasks on one piece of paper.
Delegate Tasks
Delegating tasks is an integral part of audit preparation. One person cannot complete all the tasks by themselves and help is essential. When tasks are delegated to others it is important to make sure the staff member it has been delegated too understands their task completely without any confusion. Be sure to explain the task thoroughly, and to allow questions to be asked.
Pay Attention to Detail
All information that is handled and prepared by you will most likely be reviewed by the auditor. This means that all information that is processed must be done so with specific attention to detail to ensure minimal errors. Paying attention to detail is crucial when it comes to an audit.
Remain Calm!
Most importantly do not panic, and remain calm! You have nothing to loose, if you have nothing to hide. The audit is there to ensure everything in your business is running smoothly and it is not an event to be feared. Be sure to plan ahead of your audit date wisely and most importantly, remain calm at all times!
tags:
News
categories:
News
