5 important points in your internal audit in supermarkets

If the manager is not well prepared or does not know how to reconcile day-to-day tasks, he may experience difficulties, getting lost in his proposals and objectives. Good reading!

The internal audit in supermarkets is a very important process, which requires incisive preparation and, even, a change in the company’s routine so that everyone can understand and carry out this action.

So, to help you better understand the subject, we have prepared this article with the main points and tips on internal audit in supermarkets. Continue with us and check it out.

What is the difference between internal audit and external audit?

To begin, it is important that you understand the difference between internal audit and external audit. Although the names and concepts are similar, each action has different people and goals.

External audit

An external audit, as its name suggests, is carried out by external professionals, that is, people outside the company. In addition to the fact that there is no link with the institution, they focus on verifying documents and accounting statements of the business.

Here, the main objective is to confirm the veracity of the information passed on by the enterprise. For a more effective job, it is necessary that the auditors are trained in accounting sciences.

Internal audit

In the Internal Audit and control system reviews in UAE, the inspection is carried out by the employees themselves, who can be professionals in any training area.

The idea is to investigate the existence of internal security controls and assess the level of efficiency of each one, preventing losses and ensuring greater tranquility in the work routine.

How to perform an efficient internal audit?

After understanding the differences between the audits, check out some tips for efficient internal action in your supermarket.

1. Prepare everything in advance

Internal audits are actions that require care to the smallest details. The leader assigned to monitor the process, or even the auditor himself, must propose the action with a timely deadline so that everything is prepared correctly. Therefore, he must always be attentive to the minutiae of the entire audit.

A good tip is that each sector of the company runs its own simulations based on the standards to be audited. This prevents the “big day” from having unpleasant surprises.

2. Set aside an entire day for internal audit

A good audit is one that takes time to verify each point, so that the reports are delivered perfectly. Therefore, it is important to carry out a plan in which  employees  do not need to perform the routine tasks of the supermarket.

The day of the audit in a project is like the “bride’s day”. Imagine if she had to go shopping or worry about parallel factors on that date? Certainly something would be missing.

3. Check all pending issues

Auditors in Dubai are continuous improvement processes within a company. Therefore, check in the previous actions which are the   pending non-conformities, what was suggested as an improvement, which action plans were not put into effect, among other similar situations.

If it is the first audit of the business, an external consultancy is a good option. But, in the case of a supermarket that has in its history previous events, a study on how the problems and suggestions were dealt with in the past is fundamental.

4. Work with checklists

If the company is trying to comply with quality standards , plan a checklist, in order to verify the adjustments suggested in these pre-established standards according to the reality of the business.

The same tip applies to the production of flowcharts. For that, it is worth what we described in the first tip: work with the deadlines in your favor for the production of these documents. This is because each process within the enterprise must be very well understood by everyone.

If you find that there will not be enough time for all checks on the day, try to prioritize what is most important. However, even this hierarchy must be carried out in advance and accurately.

5. Be careful with generic standards

Never work with standardized or generic checklists. The audit process with the use of this type of tool is much poorer and ends up adding nothing to the reality of the company.

The employee responsible for producing these work tools must understand that the audit is beneficial to the enterprise. After all, it happens with the objective that the processes, as well as everyone’s life, improve in the day-to-day work.

Thus, checklists need to be made according to the needs of the business. They should not be seen as something to be used only to accomplish a boring and bureaucratic task.

Why are internal audit processes in supermarkets important?

Some of the advantages of carrying out internal auditing in supermarkets are the reduction of wasted resources in the establishment and the increase in business profitability. This importance can be seen on several fronts. Understand.

Problem solving

As we have seen, internal audit focuses on identifying and assessing a supermarket’s standards and safety control. In other words, it is a work focused on prevention and problem solving.

Of course, the analysis is carried out according to defined criteria and within the establishment’s operating policies. For example, in practice, the food portion will follow rules parallel to those in the cleaning sector.

This is something fundamental to avoid the appearance of problems on a daily basis or, at least, to minimize its effects. When we talk about supermarkets, even a simple occurrence can bring great financial and image damage to the company.

Increased reliability

Speaking of reputation, the benefits of internal auditing are actually reflected in the company’s reliability. After all, customers and partners feel much more motivated to follow a brand that works on a concept of  continuous improvement .

Internal audit is another way of establishing transparency in the management of the establishment. This reinforces the message that the supermarket cares about the well-being of its public and follows good operating standards.

Purchasing control

As explained, one of the objectives of the internal audit is to reduce the waste of company resources. This includes products purchased for sale.

Thus, purchasing control gains a strong ally for its management. If there is less loss of goods, purchasing negotiations are better developed with suppliers. Consequently, the company is able to acquire the demand it needs without running the risk of overcrowding or stock lag.

Improvement identification

Logically, at the same time that the internal audit identifies failures and problems, it points out solutions. It is a natural process of self-analysis. With the data extracted from the monitoring, the manager now has complete and reliable information to create improvement plans.

It is no coincidence that internal audits are part of business growth plans  . Furthermore, with this in mind, they tend to be applied shortly before significant changes in the company.

In general, the internal audit in supermarkets should have basic rules for applying the operation: inspection, observation, investigation and information. In other words, it is important to have a solution that allows monitoring, storage and checking.

Did you like the article on how to perform an efficient audit inside your supermarket? How about now knowing why cleaning in a supermarket is fundamental to the success of the business?

Read also: 3 REASONS YOU NEED ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE TO MANAGE INVENTORIES

Have you used the checklist as a way to organize your work routine? How about trying a software that offers practicality and security in this process? The Easy Checklist offers all these features to get you all set up at the time of the audit.