A noise audit can be implemented in any organization, public or private, to determine the extent to which noise is clouding the judgment of decision-makers. In the corporate world, this can expose opportunities to reduce costs and increase fairness.
To conduct a noise audit, decision-related data is gathered and compared to reveal unwanted variability. Multiple individuals judge the same problems, and the results are compared.
Whereas most of the decisions in a particular set should fall within a relatively small range, noise leads to a much larger than expected range. Once the existence of noise is clearly demonstrated, steps can be undertaken to reduce its impact.
