Wow.
2019 has been an exciting year for both me, and for Total Quality Auditing® (TQA). I published my first book and workbook: Total Quality Auditing: How a total Quality Mindset Can Help Internal Audit Add Real Value at the beginning of 2019. And, in addition to those who have been introduced to the TQA concepts through the book and workbook, over a thousand auditors and audit leaders have participated in my TQA trainings that began in late 2018. Many Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) chapters included TQA in their training programs and I conducted a 12-part, live, NASBA approved, CPE webinar series on TQA each month of 2019.
TQA related articles have been published this past year on-line by IIA’s Internal Auditor magazine and Internal Audit 360° and, mostly recently, an article relating concepts of TQA to the healthcare industry was published in the Association of Healthcare Internal Auditors’ New Perspectives quarterly printed journal.
Oh, and what about on-demand webinars and podcasts? TQA was a featured, on-demand webinar by c-Risk Academy, as well as fully discussed in an episode of the #1 podcast in the world for internal audit: Jamming with Jason Mefford.
An additional milestone was reached in July 2019 when “Total Quality Auditing” received it’s trademark designation by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
And, finally, the TQA books are always available by ordering on my website and Amazon, but was also positively reviewed, accepted, and will soon be available in the IIA bookstore! What an honor to be recognized by the most successful leaders of our profession!
BOTTOM LINE:
The new focus of internal auditing, TQA, is on the map and, hopefully, beginning to change the mindset of auditors.
In 2018, after many years as an internal auditor, progressing to a director level position, I believed something was missing from traditional internal auditing. I left the corporate world and started a consulting and training business with an emphasis on a more progressive, proactive, and preventive approach to internal auditing (TQA!).
TQA is built on W. Edwards Deming’s Total Quality Management (TQM) principles with an application to internal auditing. Instead of a focus on the past, attempting to uncover deviations that have already occurred, TQA has a focus on the future and prevention – doing things that will reduce risks and improve organization effectiveness without waiting to react to a crisis.
I like to say, TQA is more about “coaching, not catching” with a proactive focus on culture, ethics, and conduct at your organizations, as well as feedback from stakeholders, lean audit techniques, and a healthy balance of auditing and consulting. And, of course, it is about being ethical and gritty audit leadership that speaks the truth and inherently earns respect throughout the organization.
According to the data I have collected and analyzed through both in-person and virtual TQA events over the past year, everyone agrees:
The beneficial product of auditing is not issuing a report; it is eliminating risks and solving real problems at our organizations.
Want to hear more about what your peers are agreeing with? Join us for the 2019 Summary of TQA webinar on December 19th, where I will present all the exact polling data I’ve collected.
ANOTHER BOTTOM LINE:
The goal of TQA is to reduce the need for audits, not to do more audits. As Deming said, “inspection (auditing) with the aim of finding the bad ones (people or processes) and then throwing them out is too late, ineffective, and costly.”
It’s time for internal auditors to stop being TOO LATE, INEFFECTIVE, and COSTLY to our organizations.
In 2020, I will repeat the 12-part, live TQA webinar series (join at a discount here) and I am already fully booked for IIA chapter sponsored TQA seminars in the Spring. Check my website for key training events coming up to find one close to you, or feel free to suggest your home IIA chapter include TQA in the training opportunities for the fall of 2020 and beyond.
As always, please contact me at Jo@AuditConsultingEducation.com for any TQA (or other) questions you may have.
Here’s to more transformational internal audit and TQA milestones in 2020!
