Why we take internal audits seriously
Not because “the auditor is coming.”
Well because a good audit forces you to take an honest look at how your organization really works.
An internal audit holds up a mirror to you. Without trappings. Without excuses.
Five questions every good audit asks
1. Policy: does it still match practice?
What is written on paper often makes sense.
But is it applied that way on the shop floor?
An audit shows where policies are outdated. Or where people have gone their own way because the official story doesn’t work.
2. Processes: does it work even when no one is looking?
Many processes work fine as long as the same people are there.
The question is: Does it continue to work when someone is sick, leaves or on vacation?
An audit tests whether processes are robust. Not dependent on heroes or memory.
3. Risks: do you really know them?
Risks that are not discussed do not disappear.
They only become invisible.
During an audit, we look not only at what can go wrong, but also whether everyone has that same view. Or whether one hopes that things will continue to go right.
4. Improvement: do you really learn from mistakes?
Incidents happen. That’s normal.
The question is what you do next.
Will there be an evaluation? Is anything being adjusted? Or will everyone go on as if nothing happened?
Without this learning moment, an audit becomes a play. With this learning moment, it becomes a growth tool.
5. Management review: do you steer or tick off?
A management review is not a summary for the folder.
It is a steering tool.
Do you use the outcomes to make choices? Or is it mainly to show that it’s done?
A good audit sometimes feels uncomfortable
And that’s exactly the point.
If an audit only confirms that all is well, you haven’t looked deeply enough.
The value is precisely in the friction. In the questions no one has immediate answers to.
That discomfort is not a weakness. It is a signal that you are learning.
Without audit rhythm, you lean on chance
Organizations without a set audit rhythm often run on people skills and luck.
That can go well for a long time. Until things go wrong.
Organizations with this rhythm build grip. They know where they stand. They make adjustments before it hurts.
How we do it at ALTA-ICT
At ALTA-ICT B.V., we consciously make time for this.
For ISO 27001. For NEN 7510. And also for ISO 9001.
Not because it has to.
But because it works.
Internal audits help us stay sharper. More honest. And better prepared for what’s to come.
In conclusion
An internal audit is not an assessment.
It is maintenance.
The question is not whether you have weaknesses.
The question is whether you dare to see them.
How painful was your last audit?
