Putting the Quality In Audit Reports
Mr. Keith has over 40 years of audit experience and served as the Chief Audit Executive for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) for 11 years before his retirement in 2012. His other audit experience includes serving as Operational Audit Manager for five years and was a Senior Auditor in the Contract Compliance Audit Branch at MARTA. He was also a Senior Auditor at Norfolk Southern Railway (formally Southern Railway), and a Bank Examiner at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
He was a volunteer seminar instructor for the Institute of Internal Auditors. Some of the courses taught include:
- Writing Effective Audit Reports
- Tools and Techniques for the Beginning Auditor
- Communication Skills for Auditors
- Leadership Skills for the Auditor-In-Charge
- Audit Project Management
- CIA Review Course
He currently teaches audit webinars, including:
- Writing Effective Audit Observations
- Putting the Quality in Audit Reports
- What it Takes to be the Auditor-In-Charge
- Risk-Based Operational Audit
- Assessing Risk and Evaluating Controls
He has a degree in Economics from Clark Atlanta University. His certifications include Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Government Auditing Professional (CGAP), and Certified Internal Control Auditor (CICA).
How well you communicate that information is critical to getting management’s acceptance of your findings and their agreement with your recommendations. A well-written audit report adds value to your clients by providing information that is:
- Accurate
- Objective
- Clear
- Concise
- Constructive
- Complete
- Timely
In addition to audit reports, these elements can apply to all kinds of writings including:
- Executive summaries
- Fraud investigations
- Consulting reports
- Memos
- General correspondence
Learning Objectives
- Provide a review of the audit standards related to audit report quality
- Provide a detailed review of each of the seven report quality elements:
- Accurate
- Objective
- Clear
- Concise
- Constructive
- Complete
- Timely - Participate in various quality report exercises
Areas Covered
- A review of the audit standards related to audit report quality
- A detailed review of each of the seven report quality elements:
- Accurate
- Objective
- Clear
- Concise
- Constructive
- Complete
- Timely - Various quality report exercises
Who Should Attend
- Chief Audit Executives
- Audit Directors
- Audit Supervisors
- Audit Managers
- Staff Auditors
- Government Auditors
- Compliance Auditors
- Internal Control Specialists
- Public Accountants
- Accounting Analysts
- Business Analysts
- Quality Control Specialists
Why Should You Attend
The objective of any report is to provide important information to management in the area reviewed. It represents the result of weeks of reviews, analyses, interviews, and discussions. The quality of that report will have an impact on how well the report is understood and accepted. A report with the best information and recommendations may not be acted upon if the report is poorly written and hard to understand. Poor quality reports can result in management:
- Misunderstanding the information and making the wrong decisions
- Getting too little information and making poor decisions
- Getting too much information and wasting valuable time in making decisions
Ideally, the audit report should provide management with enough information to understand:
- What was done in the audit
- What was found in the audit
- What management should do to address the audit concerns
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$200.00
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