10 Williams Laws for Customer/ISO Audits

I am sure you have heard of, or most likely experienced, one of Murphy’s Laws that says anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Well, in the context of customer visits, audits and ISO, I have developed the following 10 Williams Laws to help you avoid Mr. Murphy.

Williams Law 1

Never fear an unexpected customer visit. If every employee lives and breathes the quality system every day there will never be a need for an audit-prep panic.

Williams Law 2

When things are fun, things get done!

Williams Law 3

First Impressions Count!!!

Williams Law 4

Every time you volunteer something not asked for, you will end up sharing something you don’t want shared.

Williams Law 5

If an auditor waits longer than 15 seconds for a response, they will wander around and invariably find something you don’t want found.

Williams Law 6

Teach it, preach it, and audit to it! Prepare so that no question should be able to be asked that an operator does not know the answer to.

Williams Law 7

The ONE time a supervisor asked someone else to sign for them, the auditor will find!

Williams Law 8

Master List will show rev C and auditor will find employee using rev B!

Williams Law 9

“If you can’t prove it, it didn’t happen!”

Williams Law 10

The more “wins” you can bank with an auditor/customer, the greater the chance they will write-off a negative observation as an “isolated anomaly”. 

Williams Law 10.5

The more “findings” an auditor/customer identifies, the deeper they will dig in all subsequent areas.

Williams Master Law

“It’s always about the dollars!”