How do you justify internal audits?

It is a necessary part of any ISO 9001 based Quality System, and if you want to get your system registered by BSI or one of the other registration bodies Internal Audits have to be carried out.

Internal Audits are a companies way of checking that internal policies & procedures are being done.

It also helps to ensure that any external commands set by the government are being complied with.

They are a massive pain in the backside but at the end of the day the company's are paying salaries & have the right to ensure that they are doing thier jobs well.

Internal audits keep the costs of external audit down, since the system and internal controls testing will be regulated 365 days a year.

Internal audits spot frauds and errors and can therefore save the company money. They are also there to make staff aware that all discrepencies can be detected.

Internal audit can also prepare specific reports and complete internal assignments on the companies performance and outlook. They do not just audit, audit, audit.

They are a requirement of current quality standard systems, 9001 (quality system), 13485 (medical device standard), 14001 (environmental standard). If a company is to attain a cert they must have an internal surveillance system.
The advantage of having a solid internal audit system, once you get past the must part, is that is gives the organization a chance to find its own problems first. Fundamentally the internal audit has to answer 3 questions: Do they have a system, Are they following it, and does it work? A company may be using a system that worked when they were smaller but growth made it ineffective. The internal audit can flesh that out. If a pocket of people decide to 'grow their own' system instead of the one that the rest of the organization uses, and it isn't blessed, the audit can find that. OR when people simply dont do what is expected. If the system doesnt meet requiremetns, the audit finds that out.
If an external registrar finds enough problems with an organizations quality system, then they can pull your certification. And typically they'd publish notificaiton of that in 3 or more trade journals. An announcement to the world that you suck.
Another advantage of doing a good job auditing yourself is that the internal audit results in regulated industries DO NOT have to be handed over to a federal inspector. You get to keep your results to yourself. This keeps the inspector unbiases and doesnt limit your findings.
Not to mention the competency you build in auditors. An internal audit program also has the opportunity to identify best practices in certain areas and share them with their leadership. Doesnt have to be all bad. Another big bonus of internal auditing: the crowd gets used to being audited. They relax and perform better when external auditors come in. Very important when external auditors might be customers performing a qualification audit.
I'll shut up now.

Internal audits are like fire drills we use to have in school. Its good practice to make sure all is in order prior to an external audit comes forward. The old boy scout thing. "Be Prepared"

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