Who's choosing unannounced for your upcoming audit?

Just curious; how many of you SQF folks are arranging an unnanounced audit for your upcoming recertification audit? If so why? If not why? Just curious. We're going for unannounced because this is the last year our auditor can perform the SQF audit and I don't want to introduce two new variables into the equation.

I am for the wait to see how it shakes out. 

I've done unannounced for the GMP side for the last few years now and it works well for us as our factory is good but the paperwork side is sometimes a bit messy.  It also means you don't have 2-3 days straight as the second part is normally 1-1/2 days now.  I think it will come in eventually that everyone needs to be unannounced so might as well start the transition now

Regards

I've done unannounced for the GMP side for the last few years now and it works well for us as our factory is good but the paperwork side is sometimes a bit messy.  It also means you don't have 2-3 days straight as the second part is normally 1-1/2 days now.  I think it will come in eventually that everyone needs to be unannounced so might as well start the transition now

 

Regards

I agree that unannounced is the wave coming that everyone needs to prepare for.  Pharma companies may love it as it will require massive doses of tranquilizers for upper management. 

Hi,

we have prepared in the last years with an internal project "always ready for audits". We have already unannouned audits by retailers in Germany and started this year with IFS Food Check.

Rgds

moskito

we have just gone through an unanounced BRC audit and came out the other end with an A+.  It was not so bad, we are constantly being audited by our customers so we are ready.  The most stressful part was when he arrived the people who are normally involved with the auditing were not on site yet.  Somebody else took him for a tour while we all scrambled into work

Unannounced! The way it ought to be anyway. We are supposed to be audit ready every day and doing all we can to prevent food safety issues.

Ive just had confirmaiton of my next SQF audit date (Jan 2015) from my CB - I was not given the choice of announced or unannounced but I am relieved we are in the announced camp for this upcoming year at least.

We have numerous product launches at the start of the year with customers wanting to attend each launch so I can now plan around the SQF dates - I was dreading the situation of being in the middle of a customer launch visit and the SQF auditor turning up ready to go.......

its not like unannounced is not known... you can basically black-out some dates when you will be busy and leave the ones you are free. So when customers come-just black out those dates when communicating to your CB

I think after our first surveillance audit, we'll get a feel for how the process is and also see what the auditor writes in his report.  Once we have the confidence that we're doing everything asked of us, then we may opt for an unannounced visit.  That way, it forces you to keep with it on a daily basis and puts a little pressure on everyone involved.  Once that culture gets ingrained, then it will be no biggie.

"I don't want to introduce two new variables into the equation"  Similar situation: new QA director, new auditor, new sqf practitioner, culture not ready for this, etc.  If I have my way, the unannounced will be next year.  Year after that it won't be a choice.

its not like unannounced is not known... you can basically black-out some dates when you will be busy and leave the ones you are free. So when customers come-just black out those dates when communicating to your CB

 Free? You have "free" days??!!

I didn't choose, I was forced down the unannounced route!!