The audit report recommendations describe the actions you hope that management is going to take as a result of your findings. And if you do not clearly describe what you want, squirrelly behaviors can result.
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What’s in an action plan for audit findings?
A wise auditor will ask for specifics from the auditee in their action plan for audit findings so that audit follow-up is easier.
What Are the Principles of Internal Control?
In this episode of THE SAMPLE, Leita Hart-Fanta, CPA answers the question, “What Are the Principles of Internal Control?”
The Difference Between Fraud, Waste and Abuse
The difference between fraud, waste and abuse is a matter of degrees. Only fraud is a reportable condition under Yellow Book standards.
Transparency in Audit Reports
The GAO cares about the quality and transparency of the audit report. The AICPA doesn’t. How do I know? Because the Yellow Book, and not the AICPA: requires that auditors use the five elements of a finding to develop the most compelling argument possible. requires that the client get a chance to respond to our […]
The Power of Word Choice
Your word choice can mean the difference between readers taking your audit recommendations seriously and blowing you off. Here is an example of how the National Weather Service used strong words to warn the city of New Orleans about Hurricane Katrina. The following is an excerpt from a Vanity Fair article entitled “How New Orleans […]
Are You Setting Up Hurdles for Your Reader?
Do you have time to read everything that comes across your desk and through your computer word for word? Most of us would say no. I scan business documents before I decide to read them. I try to glean the key take-aways from each document by reading titles, looking at pull quotes, and concentrating on […]
Who is the target audience for your audit report?
You have to talk to members of the target audience for your audit report to find out what they care about. Yes. Talk to your readers. No. I am not crazy and you, deep down, know that I am right. I had to learn this the hard way from a radical guy named Brad. Early […]
The Four Principles of Good Business Writing
Many moons ago, Marty Stuckey changed my professional life. My job was to make our audit reports more appealing to the Legislature and I was flailing a bit. So far, all I had figured out was that the writing habits that I learned in high school and college were not being rewarded at work. I […]
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