Internal audits are the cheapest audits you will ever have. They only pay back when auditors are competent, independent and willing to write uncomfortable findings.
Plan by risk, not by calendar convenience
Audit high-risk areas — CCP monitoring, chemical stores, traceability — more often than low-risk areas. Justify the frequency in the programme document.
Guarantee independence
No one audits their own work. In small teams, cross-train two people from different departments so they can audit each other's areas.
Write findings that stand up
- State the requirement (clause or procedure)
- State the objective evidence, with dates and identifiers
- State the gap in one sentence, without blame
Insist on root cause before corrective action
"Staff retrained" is not a root cause. Use five-whys or fishbone analysis, and verify effectiveness after an agreed interval rather than on the day of closure.