Failing audits and ‘comprehensively shallow’ evaluations of system performance

Do (some) audits focus too greatly on paperwork? Or is the paperwork focus a strength of audits?

In our previous paper, we reviewed 44 major accident reports to assess the accident inquiries’ descriptions of pre-accident audit performance.

We argued that:

“many audits exhibited a ‘comprehensive shallowness,’ delving excessively into minor system details and paperwork rather than addressing critical factors“

At least based on descriptions by the investigators, audits did focus too greatly on paperwork, and this focus came at the expense of functional evaluations of system effectiveness.

We termed this phenomenon ‘comprehensive shallowness’, to describe audits which appeared to systematically evaluate paper systems, but without much apparent depth.

What do you think? Do you agree or not agree, and why? Feel free to post on the LinkedIn post below.

Link below if you’re interested in reading the paper.