Abstract

[Similar but not identical to article of same name in Quality Audit Congress Proceedings, February 2001, QICID: 14499.]

Assessment of a specific process within the quality system is the role of the process audit, which is also known as a mini, partial, or phased audit. Usually an internal audit, the process audit operates under an internal quality standard rather than an external standard like ISO 9000. Reasons for conducting process audits include the inability of system audits to examine fine details and the opportunity to involve employees in the quality auditing process. Process audits also are beneficial because they introduce potential improvements; they are inexpensive; and they provide opportunities for auditor training and employee exposure to audits. Despite these benefits, process audits suffer from the handicap of being perceived as unimportant or as a management spying tool. Employee education is the key to removing such handicaps. The typical structure of a process audit has these elements: preparing, including use of a checklist; conducting the audit, usually by a single auditor; writing a brief report; and doing a follow-up. This article includes a case study of a process audit on measurement and equipment for handling melt index data at Solvay Polymers.