The other day whilst searching the internet an article caught my eye on auditing and stopping the internal audit. This post made me stop and catch my breath. It discussed how internal auditing contravenes some of W Edward Deming’s 14 points. Now I started my life reading and loving Deming, so this caused me some concern. And before you ask how does the RTO Standards related to what Deming had to say, here is a brief summary.
Deming
6 of Deming’s 14 Points are as follows (and the italics is how it relates to RTOs):
- Create constancy of purpose for improving products and services. Have a purpose for what you train and assess.
- Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. My point for this post
- Improve constantly and forever every service. Continuous improvement, feedback, consultation
- Institute training on the job. Think trainer/assessors vocational competence and industry currency
- Adopt and institute leadership. It starts from the CEO down
- Break down barriers between staff areas. Encourage open communication, invite consultation and feedback
This post that I read was mainly around point 3 – “Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate the need for inspection on a mass basis by building quality into the product in the first place.”
Now I am a great proponent of internal auditing, especially if it is done by someone from outside. Of course you say, you do that! Yes correct. And I believe it provides valuable insight into what is going well and what is not going so well.
So how did I react to the blog?
Not well. Then I got thinking about internal audits and the actual comments being made. To me, most internal audits are very poorly done. I know, I have been an RTO Manager and tried to do them to my own RTO; sometimes you just can’t see the wood for the trees. Often the tool being used, or the person conducting the audit asks closed questions from a defined list. The answers are yes or no (bit of a tick and flick situation), and then you might get to see a procedure. The auditor then takes the checked list and tries to find something to report. The report needs to show that one was done, and to justify their time. These sorts of audits do NOT support the RTO. It is basically a waste of time, and could potentially be damaging to your business.
So in my experience audits are a great opportunity for everyone to step back and honestly appraise what they do, and why they do it. They are a time to reflect and tell someone from the outside what is happening, and to take a good hard look at how things are going, and how things can be improved. Take this time to discuss with your colleagues your trainers/assessors, and your students and ask them what is happening. Ask them open-ended questions. Consider the customer, have a discussion and analysis, not an inspection for the sake of a report. So let’s say yes to internal audits to enable you to raise your head above the everyday busy-ness of business and get creative.
Continuous improvement of RTO systems is an area that RTO’s often fall down in according to my conversations with accrediting bodies. While I see the point about stopping the tick and flick mentality, I tend to think Deming would have been a supporter of tools that make you focus on the quality and the customer experience. For me I applaud any RTO that routinely goes down this path and asks the hard questions.
What are your thoughts?
Should you stop auditing and cease dependence on inspection?
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My name is Merinda Smith. I am an RTO Consultant and Mentor. I am also the founder of RTO Mentor and Become an RTO. I specialise in helping Australians set up RTOs and create their ultimate business. Over the last 8 years I have had the pleasure and honour of personally mentoring over 200 RTOs to create their ideal RTO business. I believe that life is too short to be stuck in a compliance nightmare.
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