How Mazda centralized its audit information to improve operational efficiency

In this installment of our Spotlight on Success series, we hear from Mazda Motor Corporation on how they're leveraging AuditBoard to achieve true digitalization of their internal audit processes.

Learn how Mazda is enhancing its audit capabilities with AuditBoard:

• Centralizing audit information for improved storage and searchability
• Streamlining communication with global audit teams
• Accelerating digital transformation within the company
• Paving the way for AI integration to further optimize audit work

Tell us a little about Mazda Motor Corporation and your AuditBoard implementation journey.

Mazda Motor Corporation, founded in 1920, is a global manufacturer and distributor of automobiles. We are recognized worldwide for our unique designs and strong brand power. Our internal audits, conducted collaboratively by audit departments at headquarters and group companies, are crucial to managing all this.

Before AuditBoard, a major challenge was the storage and searchability of audit information. While audit results were digitized, they were scattered across various formats like Excel, Word, and PDF on file servers. This made them difficult to view and time-consuming to retrieve, hindering our ability to efficiently create new audit documents or cross-reference past information.

As the company's digital transformation accelerated, our Global Audit Department recognized the need for true digitalization and database creation of audit information. We explored various GRC and internal audit tools, but it was during a visit to Mazda North American Operations that we discovered AuditBoard. Our North American subsidiary had introduced AuditBoard several years prior to enhance their audit work. After seeing a demonstration and hearing positive feedback about its ease of use and efficiency gains, we seriously considered bringing it to headquarters. We then connected with Protiviti, who provided invaluable implementation support in Japanese, bridging the communication gap with AuditBoard.

The implementation project kicked off in February 2024. Protiviti's consistent support, from initial preparations to system design, testing, and release, was instrumental. They acted as our help desk in Japanese, addressing inquiries, troubleshooting issues, and effectively liaising with AuditBoard.

How has AuditBoard improved your processes, and what are your future goals?

With AuditBoard, we've taken a significant step toward true digitalization through centralized information management. We aim to consolidate all global audit information, including internal reports, into AuditBoard to gain a comprehensive view of our audit landscape and expedite our work. Our goal is to standardize audit processes and leverage AuditBoard as a knowledge-accumulating platform that helps everyone understand audit procedures.

Looking ahead, we're particularly excited about integrating AI to thoroughly streamline audit work. We plan to continue collaborating with Protiviti for knowledge sharing and networking opportunities to further advance our internal audit capabilities.