The Deadly Internal Audit


Small Business Cartoon: The Deadly Internal Audit

Nothing struck fear into myself and my coworkers like the words “internal audit.”

Our company was undergoing ISO 9000 certification and, for a while, our quality guy was a drill sergeant. We were constantly tested and retested on procedures and policy. Any misstep or hesitation was met with reaction usually reserved for professional wrestling pre-match interviews. I can still rattle off that horrible mission statement in my sleep.

After a particularly grueling week, we all began to blow off steam by inventing our own arcane protocols for making coffee, checking the fax, and going out for lunch. I think the above cartoon was born soon after.

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Mark Anderson, professional cartoonist

About the Author: Mark Anderson’s cartoons appear in publications including The Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review. Anderson is the creator of the popular cartoon website, Andertoons.com, where he licenses his cartoons for presentations, newsletters and other projects. He blogs at Andertoons cartoon blog.

4 Comments ▼

Mark Anderson Mark Anderson's cartoons appear in publications including Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review. His business cartoons are available for licensing at his website, Andertoons.com.

4 Reactions
  1. Ah, I remember back in the day with the implementation of ISO 9000 at our work. Our QA manager had a busy time! 😉 And then you had the external control from the quality association visiting every two or three years. It was not a shock for us with these routines due to the fact that it had been a common practice in the welding industry for a long time.

    Mark: Do you have “trackability” on your cartoons? Which revision number is the above mentioned cartoon? 😉

  2. No, revisions are against my mission statement, but they are part of my mantra. Maybe I’ll have the two fight it out!

  3. Arguing with an ISO 9000 auditor is like wrestling with a pig in mud.
    Sooner or later you realize the pig enjoys it!

  4. thank for Article 😉