Perennial self‐audit: model and applications

This paper illustrates a perennial self‐audit model for quality management system (QMS) improvement. The model is based on the concepts of self‐ and nano‐audits, which directly contradict the two central tenets of classical auditing, namely auditor independence and the discrete nature of the auditing process. The general model is presented first, including a description of the underlying concepts (self‐audit, milli‐audit, micro‐audit and nano‐audit), and an illustration of the model elements and their interrelationships. This is followed by an explanation of the benefits and possible uses of the model. Three specific applications are discussed: QSM upgrade based on standards, facilitation of the transition from minimalistic to excellence‐based business systems, and the provision of support in the integration of function‐specific management systems. Subsequently, the emphasis is shifted towards a real‐life application of the proposed model in a high‐tech company. A demonstration of how this model was used to help the case study company in the transition from the ISO 9001: 1994 to the ISO 9001: 2000 QMS is provided.