Are you a journalist, monitor, or auditor? Or do you embody qualities of all three? Journalists Essential Audit Skills – 16 hours of Governmental CPE in Austin on October 29 & 30. REGISTER TODAY. The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosensteil [1] lays […]
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Fraud links you might find interesting
Hello Friends – I am still writing that book on fraud in government! This one has taken me years to pull together because fraudsters are extremely creative and the stories just keep popping up – and I just keep adding them to the book! But, in case you don’t want to read my whole self-study […]
The True Rock Stars
At a recent conference, I was introduced as a rock star. That extreme, exaggerated but well intentioned complement made me feel like the chubby old man who can’t fly a balloon hiding behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz. I am NOT the ‘Great and Powerful OZ!’ But it was an interesting glimpse into […]
when is the yellow book applicable?
Here is a question I received VIA email last week that might help you… Leita, I have heard you speak at some of the seminars and enjoy your newsletter. I have a question concerning City and hospital audits. (The hospitals are either hospital districts or component units of the county. The cities either receive sales […]
auditing is dangerous
This last week, two events occurred that reminded me how dangerous auditing is. It is dangerous because auditors can’t win! If they tell the truth, it can come back to bite them. If they don’t tell the truth, the scandals they are covering will come to light and implicate the auditor. One of my internal […]
The Iterative Nature of Control Evaluation
It is time to trim the roses. We just moved into a new house where the roses had not been pruned in years – maybe a decade. One absolutely beautiful light pink rose bush is right outside my office window and I started in on trimming it one afternoon thinking I’d make quick work of […]
Introducing and Demystifying Lean Six Sigma
Even for those familiar with it, LeanSix Sigma can mean different things to different people depending on the situation. Sometimes, it indicates a manufacturing technique designed to reduce waste and improve yield. Sometimes it refers to a quality department tool set. Sometimes, it seems like just part of the latest “fix-it” hype, consulting mumbo-jumbo or […]
Internal Audit Independence
Common hurdles to internal audit independence include asking auditors to report to those who they audit and managing the entity.
Governments Are Freaky
Taking government clients on? Be warned you may need to adjust to a different sensibility to pull it off. Why? Governments are freaky.