Exactly, that is the right mindset because an effective audit should leave the organization with meaningful value, and risk-based thinking helps keep the auditor focused on where that value can make the biggest difference.
Francisco J. Tapia Guerrero
Original Message:
Sent: 06-12-2026 05:34 PM
From: Billie King
Subject: The Importance of Risk-Based Auditing
Great point, Frank! You are definitely correct.
If I cannot leave an audit knowing that I provided value, I do not feel as if I did my job effectively. Risk based thinking and approach continues working for me in this regard to ensure I stay focused on task, as well.
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Billie King
Supplier Quality Engineer
Hussmann Corp.
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-12-2026 05:21 PM
From: Frank Higley-Sanchez
Subject: The Importance of Risk-Based Auditing
Well said, @Francisco J. Tapia Guerrero & @Billie King
Risk-based thinking is not necessarily more difficult; many auditors already practice this technique; they just may not recognize it as such. The goal of the newer version of the standard is to emphasize these areas more clearly.
If we structure our questions effectively, we can naturally apply risk-based thinking methodologies by simply asking ourselves, or the auditee, the right questions:
- What if the process is not followed as intended?
- What if there is a system outage or data loss?
From there, we can dig deeper into severity, occurrence, and detectability. It all begins with asking a strong "What if…?"
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Frank Higley-Sanchez
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-12-2026 11:14 AM
From: Billie King
Subject: The Importance of Risk-Based Auditing
Francisco,
I agree with you 1000%!! Risk-based auditing has netted many gains for the organization I work for. I would add that leadership must believe and buy-in to this approach, as well as act on the information the risk-based audits identify. If an organization has both of these in place, it is a win-win for that organization. BK
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Billie King
Supplier Quality Engineer
Hussmann Corp.
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