Beyond Audit

CHAPTER 4Building an Effective Audit Team

THERE ARE MANY SUGGESTIONS of how internal audit can be more effective, but as previously discussed, having a well-developed, detailed audit methodology has to be the foundation for your audit team to be as effective and efficient as possible. Additionally, the internal audit department must operate as a team when it comes to marketing their services and staying focused on communicating at a high level to create and maintain business partner relationships. These concepts may seem simple and very straightforward, but bringing them from a concept to a reality on a consistent basis is a significant challenge. To make this happen, every auditor throughout the audit team must have the audit knowledge and skills to perform the associated responsibilities. These skills will range from basic audit methodology understanding to building and managing an effective team that is recognized throughout the company as a high-value partner. The big question facing audit teams around the world is how to ensure their audit team has the skills necessary to be successful. The answer is to start with the Learning Map process.

BEYOND AUDIT LEARNING MAP

The Learning Map process is a customized document that details the expected results and core competencies for every level or job position within an internal audit department (Figure 4.1). This document is created from each internal audit's services offered as well as the specific audit methodology requirements. ...