10 Tips for NATA applicants.

Quality & Advice
Nov 10, 2020
2 min read

Updated: Feb 19, 2024

Considering NATA Accreditation? For some expert tips, read on!

1. Decide if NATA accreditation will be worthwhile for your business

You may be considering NATA accreditation for a range of reasons. Take your time before jumping into the process to weigh up costs involved with not only gaining but also maintaining NATA accreditation. Consult with your industry, and consider if NATA accreditation aligns with your business goals.

If you decide that benefits will outweigh the costs, keep reading!

2. If you have multiple sites/locations, it is sometimes easier to gain accreditation at one site initially, and expand the scope of accreditation at a later stage. Same goes for the scope of activities you want accredited - prioritize the activities you are really confident with, and the activities your business will benefit from being accredited sooner rather than later.

3. Set realistic time frames for gaining NATA accreditation. Take into account that it can take months to organise a NATA audit, and some businesses take 1-2 years to complete the entire process of gaining accreditation.

4. Set realistic budget goals for gaining NATA accreditation. Consider unexpected costs if things don't go smoothly the first time around. On top of the cost estimate NATA will provide you, consider that extra costs incur if submissions to NATA are unclear or incomplete; follow up audits when things don't go smoothly; additional application charges that can apply if there are significant delays on your end.

5. After a gap analysis has been performed, have a clear plan outlining what issues need to be addressed, who will do what, and when. Make sure you involve your staff that will be impacted by changes – not only will this improve the usability of your procedures, but it will let your staff know you are keen for their input and ideas.

6. Experiment with draft processes that have been significantly changed before implementing them as final revisions. Allow some time for staff to trial and suggest changes, before having the drafts approved for use. Allow even more time before conducting a full internal audit of your revised systems.

7. Make sure all your documentation and records are easy to access.

Sounds obvious, but some people think that taking time to find documents and records means the NATA audit team will get distracted and not ask the difficult questions. From my experience, watching people fumble to find their documents and records gives the impression that systems are not under control.

8. Prepare your staff for the NATA audit so they know what to expect and how to behave on the day. Your technical staff needs particular attention as they will have to perform for and answer questions to the technical expert NATA will bring to the audit.

9. Non-conformances are inevitable. It is rare to survive an audit without some issues being identified. See them not as criticism but as opportunities to improve.

10. When you have succeeded, congratulate your staff and give credit where credit is due.