Audit with an End in MIND – Effective Engagement Planning and Reporting

Field: Auditing | Delivery Method: Self Study | CPE Hours: 8.0

Planning is the foundation for every efficient and effective audit. If audit teams take the time to build an effective audit risk assessment and plan the audit accordingly, the opportunity for a smooth and under budget audit increases exponentially. This one-day course will take attendees through the basics of audit-level risk assessments and appropriate steps throughout the planning phase of an audit.

Audit Reports can significantly lose their effect if not written professionally. Writing an audit report is a fine art and, once perfected, can take on more importance than the audit itself. In this four-hour course, attendees will learn, in-depth, about each component of an audit report and how to set the correct tense and clarity to gain the most effectiveness.
This course is taught by Danny Goldberg and Tali Ploetz.


Objectives
⦁ Attendees will learn how to identify audit risk and appropriate audit planning tools and techniques.
⦁ Attendees will learn how to apply critical thinking skills to the planning and risk assessment phase to perform an effective audit.
⦁ Attendees will discover the best techniques for team management.
⦁ Attendees will learn how to identify and manipulate qualitative and quantitative data that are often underutilized.
⦁ Overview of best practices in effective writing techniques, including effective word usage and what emotional words not to use.
⦁ Best practices in formatting of audit reports, including depth and length.
⦁ Learn how to write an executive summary that has impact and is read by executives.


Agenda

Overview – The End to End Audit Process
⦁ The Importance of Effective Planning
⦁ Positive vs. Negative Assurance
The Engagement Risk Assessment Process
⦁ Hypothesis of Risk – Preliminary Objectives
⦁ Hypothesizing Preliminary Objectives and Root Causes
⦁ Inherent Risk
⦁ Residual Risk
Audit Preliminary Survey – Gathering of Information
⦁ Knowledge Gathering
⦁ Authoritative Research
⦁ Interview Management
⦁ Inclusion of Peer Interviews
⦁ Internal Controls
⦁ Walkthroughs
⦁ Data Analysis
Audit Reporting – Report Types
⦁ Special Reports
⦁ New Trends
Report Contents
⦁ Executive Summary
⦁ Observations
Observation Components
⦁ Criteria
⦁ Condition
⦁ Cause
⦁ Effect
⦁ Recommendations
⦁ Action plans
New Trends
⦁ What Needs to be in the Report?
⦁ Do you need anything but an ES?
⦁ Are Observations necessary?
⦁ Criteria or Condition?
Report Optimization
⦁ Verb Tenses
⦁ Voice Tense
⦁ Emotional Words Not to Use
⦁ Graphics and Imagery
⦁ Spelling and Grammar
Report Review and Writer’s Block


Field: Auditing
CPE: 8
Delivery Method: Self-Study
Format: Video


Your Instructor


Danny Goldberg
Danny Goldberg

Danny M. Goldberg is the Founder of GoldSRD (www.GoldSRD.com), a leading provider of Staff Augmentation, Executive Recruiting and Professional Development services. Danny is a well-known speaker on internal auditing and People-Centric Skills, co-authoring and coining the term People-Centric Skills: Communication and Interpersonal Skills for Internal Auditors, via Wiley Publications. This is the first book published specifically to address the wide-ranging topic of communication skills for internal auditors. It has been offered through the IIA and ISACA bookstores since July 2015 and has sold over 4,000 copies. People-Centric Skills, 2nd Edition, the follow-up to this critically acclaimed book is due out in July 2020.

Danny has over 22 years of professional experience, including five years leading/building internal audit functions. Danny was named as one of the Fort Worth Business Press 40 Under 40 for 2014.

He is a thought-leader in the profession, recognized through his numerous articles in trade magazines and consistent rating as a top speaker in the industry. Mr. Goldberg is also accredited as the Professional Commentator of the Bureau of National Affairs - Internal Audit: Fundamental Principles and Best Practices (Professional Commentator). This book was authored by renowned audit scholars Curtis C. Verschoor and Mort A. Dittenhofer – co-author of Sawyer’s Internal Auditing.

Mr. Goldberg is an active member of the Institute for Internal Auditors, both at a local and national level.

Danny is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Information Systems Auditor, Certified in the Governance of Enterprise Information Technology, Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control, Certified in Risk Management Assurance, has obtained his Certification in Control Self-Assessment and is a Chartered Global Management Accountant.


Course Curriculum


  Audit with an End in MIND – Effective Engagement planning and reporting
Available in days
days after you enroll

Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 7 days and we will give you a full refund.

Get started now!