# The gap between procedure and practice, with the evidence

> Measure the gap between the written procedure and real practice, with timestamped evidence and recaps validated by the people who do the work.

Source : https://tellmehow.io/en/use-cases/quality-compliance · Updated on : 2026-10-18

A process audit compares what is written with what is done. TellMeHow captures how each role actually works, sets it against the procedures you upload, and links every gap to a time-stamped clip or a screenshot.

For a quality and compliance firm, TellMeHow runs process audit interviews with each employee, by voice and with sight of their screen, compares the practice they describe and show with written procedures, and records gaps, checks, approvals, and risks, each linked to time-stamped evidence drawn from recaps the participants have validated.

### What a process audit involves

Whether it is preparing a certification, a surveillance audit, or an internal review, a quality firm checks that processes run the way procedures say they should. The procedure takes an hour to read; the practice means interviewing operators, inspectors, and managers, team by team. The most significant gaps often come down to a check skipped under pressure or an approval handled by email. The report has to substantiate them without putting individuals on the spot.

### Where a process audit runs short

#### The recited procedure

In front of an auditor, people describe the procedure as it is posted on the wall. Day-to-day adaptations only show up when you ask to see the action or the screen.

#### Teams that are hard to reach

Night shifts, remote sites, staggered hours: the audited sample is often limited to whoever is on site the day of the visit.

#### Gaps disputed for lack of a record

A gap jotted down during an interview gets disputed afterward. Without a record of what was said and shown, the management review gets stuck on competing versions.

### From written procedure to substantiated finding

TellMeHow supports the firm’s audit method; it issues no certification and does not replace the auditor’s judgment.

#### Upload the standard and the procedures

You start from the quality audit method template, upload the client’s procedures and work instructions as engagement artifacts, and define for each population the topics, the checks to walk through, and the expected demonstrations.

#### Have people describe and show their practice

Each employee does the interview at a time that suits their role, including on staggered shifts. The AI interviewer asks them to walk through what actually happens, asks to see records and inspection screens, then presents a recap the participant corrects and validates.

#### Compare practice with procedure

The analysis cross-references validated recaps and uploaded procedures. When practice diverges from the written version, or from one department to the next, it creates a contradiction that shows both versions with their evidence.

#### Write and publish the report

You classify the gaps against your standard, choose which evidence to publish, and write your conclusions. The client opens a versioned deliverable where every finding links to its evidence.

### Example: a 210-person plastics molder

Illustrative example, not a client case.

Injection-molded plastic parts manufacturer for the automotive industry, 210 employees, three-shift production, preparing for its ISO 9001 surveillance audit.

- Production shift leaders
- Quality control
- Manufacturing engineering
- Shipping

- Production start-up and first-article approval
- In-process inspections
- Handling nonconformities
- Deviations and lot release
- Shift handover

- Show me how you record an in-process inspection
- Show me how you open a nonconformity report

On the night shift, first-article approval is done by the setter alone, whereas the procedure requires a countersignature from quality control.

Customer deviations are granted by email and are not entered in the log required by the nonconformity procedure.

One team keeps a handover sheet listing changed settings and pending inspections, which the other teams do not have.

### What the firm delivers

- A map of processes as they are actually practiced, team by team.
- Gaps between written procedure and practice, each linked to a time-stamped clip, a screenshot, or an artifact.
- A record of the checks and approvals actually performed, and the associated risks.
- Findings drawn from recaps that employees have reviewed and validated themselves.

### Common questions from quality consultants

**Is TellMeHow certified, or does it certify processes?**

No. TellMeHow is an interview and analysis tool that supports the firm’s audit method; it holds no certification and issues none. Classifying gaps against a standard such as ISO 9001 remains the auditor’s work.

**How reliable is a finding from an interview run by an AI?**

In TellMeHow, every finding is linked to at least one piece of evidence: a time-stamped transcript excerpt with its audio, a pinned screenshot, or a passage from an artifact. Only chapters the participant has reviewed and validated feed the analysis, and the consultant reviews each finding before publication.

**Could employees be blamed?**

TellMeHow evaluates processes, never people: no ratings, no rankings, and evidence attributed by role by default. The sponsor sees only the synthesis and the selected evidence, never full recordings.

**How long are recordings kept?**

In TellMeHow, raw data (recordings and screen images) is kept for 90 days by default, a period configurable per workspace and per engagement. The deliverable and its published evidence have their own retention period.

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- Français : https://tellmehow.io/cas-usage/qualite-conformite.md