GUEST BLOG POST I apologize in advance to all my friends who make a living (at least in part) by helping people write what they believe are “effective” internal audit reports. But every so often, we should challenge everything we do. So today, I am focusing on internal audit reports. Read More
GUEST BLOG POST I believe just about every internal audit executive would agree with me that our independence from management is critical. We need to be able to operate without undue interference from management. That means that they are not able to stop or change our audit reporting, our opinions, Read More
Internal audit reports play a crucial role in ensuring organizational governance and driving improvement. However, crafting reports that are clear, concise, and impactful can be a challenging task. This guide equips you with the knowledge and tools necessary to transform your internal audit reports from mere documentation to powerful catalysts Read More
GUEST BLOG POST A few years ago, I was privileged to be a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors’ Relook Task Force. It had a couple of objectives, including reviewing the Definition of Internal Audit (which it decided did not require updating, although we did decide to add a Read More
We’ve all heard it: “I want this issue to be resolved even more than you do,” a senior member of management told me during a phone conversation following-up on an open audit finding. I was relieved, believing that the higher-ups had finally understood the gravity of not taking action on Read More
When we talk about effecting change, internal audit findings and reporting on them can bring needed improvements to the attention of senior management and the board. But if those ideas are never implemented, then what good are they? Audit findings that go unheeded can be demoralizing for internal auditors. When Read More
Evolution is a process of change. In recent years we have seen a significant change in the human resources auditing process, in the value derived from HR auditing, and in the tools that companies are using to audit HR. HR audits have evolved from a simple checklist of dos and Read More
GUEST BLOG POST I recently wrote about an inherent problem with some audit reports. I discussed the fact that some auditors believe they can persuade management with an audit report to take action to correct a deficiency. I pointed out that a report is far less persuasive than a face-to-face Read More
A short while ago, I was talking to an internal audit manager whom I had been helping with her audit of enterprise risk management at her company. Not surprisingly, her team found a great many issues. Communicating her opinion, that the risk management team and related activities were not seen Read More
Are most internal audit reports the right length? For many consumers of audit reports in the executive suite and boardroom, the answer is probably that they’re “too long!” Audit reports may run to extraordinary lengths these days. For example, I recently talked to one organization where they could easily extend Read More
