Beyond Audit

CHAPTER 7The Methodology – Partner Results

COMMUNICATING AUDIT RESULTS

Internal audit is a profession where the information, data, work performed, issues presented, recommendations made, and issued reports are going to be challenged regardless of the size of the department, location, or industry. That has and always will be the nature of being in an internal audit department. In Chapter 3, the discussion was focused on marketing the internal audit department as a partner, but no amount of marketing will ever change the necessity for audit reports to be questioned at a detailed level to ensure the authenticity of the information being presented. With this type of constant scrutiny, it is critically important that the results of any audit along with the documentation and data must be available and validated to support the audit testing conclusions. This will be particularly essential during a remote audit due to the lack of face-to-face time with the business partner. When audit results are being delivered remotely, it is a much more challenging discussion. In this chapter, the focus will be on effective partnering of results and communication of validated issues, which includes root cause identification, action plan development, and linking to the corresponding business objectives.

As previously stated, internal audit teams, regardless of size, location, or business, overcomplicate the reporting phase of an audit. If there is a commitment to transparent communication and a focus ...