Audits

The Auditor records an audit number, scope, planned date and responsible person. The audit moves from planned to in progress, then reporting and closed. Findings belong to the audit and retain the requirement, finding, severity, due date, closed date and owner. That relationship lets a reviewer read a finding in the scope that produced it instead of treating it as an unrelated task.

When the audit enters reporting, the close workflow verifies that scope is recorded against its findings before closing the audit. The Quality Manager can review open findings and their owners while the Auditor prepares reporting. A closed audit and an open finding can be read separately because they are distinct records with distinct dates.

• Set scope and assignment. Record what the audit covers, when it is planned and who performs it.
• Record each finding. Link requirement and observation to the audit and assign a person with a due date.
• Report and close. Move the audit through reporting after scope and findings are ready for review.

Agree how scope names the property, service area or standard being checked. Decide how findings are written so the requirement and observed issue can be understood later. Define when a finding is closed and how the owner records the close date. Give the Auditor enough context to distinguish an observation from a minor or major finding.

Use the audit number consistently in communications with property teams. If an audit finding also exposes a problem found during an inspection, retain the inspection and audit as their own records and agree how the team references the same operating event. The finding points to its audit and owner.

An Auditor plans a service-quality audit for a property and writes the scope before beginning. During the audit, the Auditor records a requirement and a major finding with a due date and owner. The finding remains on the audit. The Auditor moves the audit into reporting and checks the written scope against the recorded finding. When the report is complete, the audit closes with its completed date. The owner can still see the finding in the open findings list until its own close date is recorded.

Rehearse another audit whose scope is blank. It should stay out of a clean close handoff until the Auditor has recorded what was audited. Review open audits and open findings independently.

• Open audits — Planned, in-progress and reporting audits with scope and auditor.
• Open findings — Findings without a close date, with owner and due date.
• Critical severity — Inspection-linked issues for cross-checking a serious concern.

See audit reporting and inspection review.