Another Work Situation - When You Are Responsible....

I don't see anything you could have done differently. The reaction is one of two things, they are new and think the sky is going to fall, once they realize the sky isn't falling they relax and things get better. The other thing is they don't see any need for changes. I don't get that vibe from what you said but it is the only other thing that causes that reaction I can think of.

If I were you I would just continue, once they realize the world is not ending they will realize they overreacted.

Did you put it, in your discussion with them today, the way you did for us in your post? Because, with a few tweaks, you put it very well:

"There is nothing in my report that wasn't discussed with you in person during my visit."

"You've said that everything in the report is fair and accurate but your concern as I hear it is that you are worried you will be blamed for these things. Am I hearing that right? You are not being blamed for things that were going on before you took over. I realize you just recently took the lead there. But you do now have the responsibility to fix them. This report is intended to help you do that, not to blame you."

"Your next corporate level audit is due in a year or so. This report can help you address issues BEFORE that audit takes place, so that you can have a good audit when it does happen. It is much better for your division to hear this now, from me, than to hear it for the first time in a corporate audit where everything is on the division's permanent record, so to speak. I am available to answer questions and to help you well before corporate comes in and gives its assessment."

And visit them again soon - don't let the fact they're pissed make you find reasons to stay away. In fact let it make you go there much, much sooner. They will of course think "She's checking up on us!"

Well, you ARE. That is your job. Do it without apology. But yes, do it while building the best possible rapport with them. Tell them that in so many words - "I want to build rapport with you and this report is intended as a frank outline of what can be improved and aren't all of us interested in improvement?" Then get them the resources they need to make changes happen. If you had issues with certain things do they actually feel (though they may be scared to tell you this) that they don't have the money or people or corporate support to make changes happen? Something to consider.

Can you set up regularly scheduled videoconferences with all your divisions? Maybe you do that already. It sounds like this new guy is running scared; did he possibly come from the ranks and hasn't had much management training? I'd try to work with him, get him resources, let him see you are all about helping them, but do not backpedal on your specific findings or apologize for producing a report that your own boss expected from you.

Sounds like you were very upfront and thorough. I see no problem putting pressure on people and stressing accountability, as long as it is reasonable, warranted, and isn't out of malice or for your own personal gain. Give it time -- they may be pissed now, but when things start to shape up, they will come to trust your judgment and honesty. In my former life (before kids), I was a dept. manager. I probably rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, but I'll tell you this -- when something needed to be done, my superiors called me first. When someone I managed needed help, they came to me.

There's not much you can do about their feelings about the matter but your mission was not to lay blame so much as it was to bring things up to code.
You don't know (or care much) how things got the way they are - you are just moving forward.
(Actually the classic solution is to blame who ever left the company in the last year or so).
The new guy is insecure.
Learning to take constructive criticism is a skill this guy needs to learn.
You need to tell him you KNOW he's not part of the problem - he's part of the solution - and as documents and processes are brought up to snuff, he'll be able to tick these things off as significant accomplishments come his annual appraisal time.
Be willing to hold their hand - just a little bit - till they get over their huff and get to work.
They can feel like it was a pre-audit all they want.
Fixing these things now will make them (and you) look really good come official audit time.

I work in samiliar field (minus the travel). I have come to realize that people just don't like to be told they're possibly doing some things wrong. It automatically puts them on the defensive. If I pulled one of my associates aside and said "hey, maybe you could start doing things this way", they would be OK with it but if they knew I was putting it in a report that was going to higher management, they would not be OK with it.
I'm use to it now. I will let them know what is being put in the report and just send it. They're not going to be happy unless you say everything is good.

If you were as candid with them as you have been with us here, I would say the problem is them. I really don't like working with paranoid people. Their response to your visit screams to me that something less than above the board may be going on. Almost like when the kids do something wrong and their reaction to something close to the issue at hand is way over the top leaving you feeling like what else is going on here.

Their pissed or upset or whatever, so what. You are their to do your job. You explained your function to them and now it is up to them to fix it or not.

Continue to be pleasant with them, supportive of them and show them you are not the enemy but their to help improve the process. If the get it great, if they don't they may be successfully putting the nails into their own coffins in the work place. Don't give this much more thought but continue to be professional in doing your job.

Typical response from people when you point out what they're doing wrong. A very similar thing happen to my boss last year. He wasn't following corporate processes. I pointed out to him he wasn't. He shrugged and said there's only 3 people, processes is a waste of time. 6 mos later, the auditor came and wrote a formal report that went up the chain of command. Boy was he pissed. You did your job, people didn't like it. It won't be the last time. What you need to do is stop apologizing for doing your job. When you offer to show it to them prior to releasing, you imply that they can change what you wrote. Yeah, I got that from the tone of your post. I imagine they probably felt you could be bended to their will.
Next time, state the purpose of your visit explicitly. If you're just touring, then just write about your tour. If you're investigating corporate policies, state that. Write your report from the standpoint of this is policy, this is what I saw. This is the rule, this is what is being practiced. Cite corporate policy, cite industry standard and cite the violation. And be professional. Don't be apologetic. It's not your fault.

In addition to pointing out what needs to be improved, make sure you include what they're doing correctly.

I suggest that this is just part of the adjustment phase for a new set of circumstances. They're unsure of who you are and how you work and are reacting to their fears. They will get to know you and your style and calm down. The new manager is unsure of himself and is reacting to the perceived pressure to fix things. He probably doesn't have a good idea of how he can fix the problems.

Remain calm and reassuring. Listen and empathize to their concerns. All of you will eventually settle into a more comfortable relationship.

I also suggest that you take this as a learning experience for you too. Perhaps there is a way that you could word such reports so that they are more easily accepted. I am a direct, no-nonsense person and learned that I needed to spend more time on my wording of things so that I worded my comments in a more sympathetic manner. I needed to include what was done right as well as what needed to be corrected.