Auditing Essentials
High performing auditors possess core competencies. Our auditing courses will build the confidence and competency high-performing auditors require to be perceived as credible and knowledgeable in the eyes of the client, audit office management and their peers.

Sampling: Design and Analysis for Performance Auditing (2-day course)

• Choosing an appropriate sample design for the audit objectives
• Understanding the application of nonprobability (judgmental)
  sampling
• Understanding the application of probability sampling
• Choosing appropriate sample sizes
• Minimizing errors and bias
• Analyzing sample data
• Reporting results from probability and nonprobability samples

Managing Your Work (2-day course)

• Understand and overcome barriers to priority setting
• Eliminate activities that waste time
• Organize and handle paperwork, phone calls, and e-mail more efficiently
• Clarify expectations
• Seek feedback
• Understand directions correctly the first time they are received
• Handle competing demands
• Plan work effectively

Audit Report Writing (2-day course)

• Crafting Sound Audit Objectives
• Writing User-Friendly Audit Reports:
• Balanced Tone
• Knowing the Audience's Needs
• Deductive Structure
• Charge Paragraphs
• Topic Sentences
  
  How to Write:
• Executive Summaries
• Introductory Paragraphs
• Background
• Findings Sections
• Conclusions
• Recommendations

Auditing Essentials (3-day course)

Designed primarily for newly hired auditors, this comprehensive training covers the following learning objectives:

• Understand the importance of the auditing profession
• Understand the importance of the Yellow Book and how it is organized
• Understand the importance of ethical behavior for auditors
• Describe the general standards
• Describe the phases of audits
• Describe the importance and key steps of audit planning
  
• Understand the elements of a finding
  
• Write sound audit objectives
• Collect evidence that meets the Yellow Book tests of evidence
• Understand the types of evidence
• Understand frequently used data collection and analysis methodologies
  
• Understand critical success factors for conducting interviews
• Understand the importance of quality control, including indexing and referencing
• Understand key components of audit reports
• Apply tools for writing audit reports, e.g., deductive writing style, active voice, etc.
• Define entrance and exit conferences

Ethics For Auditors (1-day course)

• What it means to be a public servant
• Overview and
• importance of chapter 2, Ethics, in the Yellow Book
• Independence
• Personal Impairments
• External Impairments
• Organizational Independence
• Gifts from outside sources
• Conflicting financial interests
• Seeking employment

Designing and Conducting Surveys

• Draft precise audit surveys
• Design questions that are objective, specific, and clearly written
• Effectively implement audit surveys
• Follow up to maximize the response rate

Audit Objectives and Audit Programs (1-day course)

• Describe the elements of soundly crafted audit objectives
• Understand the critical components of audit programs
• Apply applicable planning standards as identified in the "Yellow Book"
• Perform audits that directly link to audit programs and objectives
• Understand the tests and types of evidence

Understanding the Yellow Book (1-day course)

• Understand key Yellow Book standards
• Understand ethical responsibilities
• Understand the General Standards
• Understand performance audits standards
• Understand changes proposed in the 2010 exposure draft

Attestation Engagements and Performance Auditing: Understanding the Standards

• Defining "performance audits" and "attestation engagements.
• Differentiating between performance audits and attestation engagements
• The importance of performance audits
• Describing how attestation engagements add value
• Reviewing performance auditing standards (Chapters 7 and 8 in the "Yellow Book"
• Reviewing attestation standards (AICPA's Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements and Chapter 6 of the "Yellow Book")
  

Conducting Effective Meetings

• The importance of effective meetings
• What makes meetings ineffective? Pitfalls to avoid
• Planning effective meetings, including developing a clear agenda
• Conducting effective meetings, including handling disruptive behavior with poise and confidence
• Concluding and evaluating the meetings
• Developing an action plan

Team Building and Leadership Styles

• Understand the stages of teams
• Learn and apply helpful techniques for building and sustaining high-performing teams
• Understand and apply helpful approaches to handling conflict
• Understand a variety of leadership styles

Creative Thinking for Auditors

• Understanding learning styles
• Thinking “outside the box”
• Overcoming writer’s block
• Generating ideas
• Using “new” analysis tools
• Applying innovative approaches to teambuilding

Data Collection and Analysis Fundamentals

• Understanding frequently used data collection tools
• Collecting primary information
• Interviewing techniques
• Designing questionnaires
• Analyzing information to develop findings
• Comparing qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques

Interviewing for Information: A Structured Approach

• The eight-step interviewing model
• Active listening skills
• Effective questioning techniques
• Team interviewing
• Handling difficult interview situations

Performance Auditing: The Fundamentals

• Plan high-impact audits
• Understand the critical elements of audit programs
• Write sound audit objectives
• Collect evidence that meets the Yellow Book tests of evidence
• Successfully communicate the results of your audit findings in both writing and orally

Public Speaking for Auditors

• Planning oral presentations
• Organizing
• Employing effective delivery skills
• Preparing and using visual aids
• Video conferencing
• Fielding questions

Reporting and Presenting Findings

• Differentiating different types of audit findings
• Explaining the effect objectives have on findings and message formulation
• Designing a report message
• Writing findings that incorporate all four finding elements
• Writing findings that meet the standards of evidence
• Using charge paragraphs and topic sentences to organize findings

Standards of Evidence and Audit Documentation

• What the “Yellow Book” says
• Tests of evidence
• Reviewing Types of evidence
• Documenting evidence to support findings
• Indexing and referencing

Streamlining the Report Writing Process

• The report writing process as a team process
• The importance of audit objectives and findings
• The link between audit objectives and audit findings
• Differentiating between types of audit findings
• Collecting evidence that meets Yellow Book standards
• Clarifying tests and types of evidence
• Summarizing findings into a coherent draft report message
• Writing effective charge paragraphs
• Composing report sections
• Writing tools that make audit reports more easily understandable and convincing
• Applying strategies to overcome report writing challenges.
• Clarifying the responsibilities of the audit manager, the AIC, and the performance team
• Conducting productive report planning meetings

Writing Effective Audit Reports

• Developing the message
• Writing reader-friendly audit reports
• Using deductive structure to present report information
• Writing paragraphs with focus, unity, and coherence
• Writing effective sentences
• Choosing words that precisely and directly convey your message

Additional On-site Workshops

• Supervision and Leadership
  
• Communications
• Data Collection and Analysis

Carole Buncher and Associates: The Competency Company™  is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.