Indexing & Referencing: The Foundation of Audit Quality – August 2026

Description

$275 (per person) includes an online webinar for 4 hours of CPE credit

In the world of government auditing, having sufficient and appropriate evidence is not an option. It is a required Yellow Book standard!

Whether preparing for peer review, defending findings, or collaborating across teams, audit work papers must stand alone and speak for themselves. This course empowers government auditors to master the art and science of indexing and referencing which transforms required documentation from a compliance chore to a strategic asset.

This course builds on basic concepts and tasks to expand participants’ understanding of why evidence is the foundation supporting the overall message in government audit reports. Through real-world examples, work paper demonstrations and practical templates, auditors will learn how to build an audit trail that is easy to navigate, defensible under scrutiny, and aligned with professional standards.

Whether a new auditor building foundational skills or an experienced team member excited about refining their approach, do not miss this opportunity to attend an immersive course that will equip auditors with skills to document work papers and successfully conduct a referencing assignment.

Learning objectives:

• Determine how to document work papers throughout the audit cycle that support planning, findings, conclusions, and recommendations
• Describe indexing common best practices that will equip government auditors with the tools to ensure documentation is not just organized, but also traceable, transparent, and supports audit integrity
• Identify roles and responsibilities of the audit team, managers, and auditors assigned to prepare and index work papers, and complete referencing assignments
• Recognize the benefits of improving communication between the audit team and referencer during the referencing assignment
• Determine how to write and respond to the referencer’s comments

Program Level: Basic
Field of Study: Auditing (Governmental)
Who Should Attend: Governmental auditors who seek to learn new skills and have responsibility for preparing work papers and completing referencing assignments
Prerequisites: None
Advanced Preparation Required: None
Instructional Method: Webinar (Group Internet Based)
CPE Credit Hours: 4

Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Central

Webinar Leader:

Frank W. Jones, CIA

Frank W. Jones, CIA, has an educational mission to inspire his students to go from being good auditors to great auditors.

Frank has trained thousands of auditors, from new hires to experienced executives. He regularly delivers presentations at the Institute of Internal Auditors, Association of Local Government Auditors, and Association of Government Auditors conferences. Frank thoroughly covers comprehensive aspects of performance auditing, leadership, and effective communication.

His in-person and online training sessions are full of relevant stories, engaging group activities, and interactive exercises that provide best practices for attendees to apply immediately in their audit engagements. The consensus is that Frank’s unique blend of high energy and positive outlook on life leaves class participants motivated, excited, and enthusiastic about their futures in auditing.

Frank began his career in 1989 with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Inspection Service Office of Audit and has been with Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) since its establishment in 1998. During his 36-year tenure, Frank completed complex audits of the IRS Examination, Collection, Criminal Investigation, Electronic Tax Administration, and Customer Service functional offices. He participated in several notable customer service reviews where he and his team conducted anonymous site visits to IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites, and unenrolled commercial tax return preparation companies. The audit review results were instrumental in the IRS establishing the Taxpayer Assistance Blueprint and Paid Preparer Strategy. Both initiatives transformed how the IRS delivered customer service to taxpayers and oversight of the tax preparation profession.

Later in his career, Frank was able to combine his love of auditing with his gift of motivating and inspiring his peers. He inherited this gift from his parents who were both educators. Frank served as one of the primary adjunct auditing instructors for TIGTA and the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) for 16 years prior to his retirement from TIGTA in December 2025.

Awarded annually for his exceptional job performances, Frank received IG and CIGIE awards for innovative customer service performance audits, the inaugural Adjunct Instructor Training Award of Excellence (2016), and the Barry R. Snyder Joint Award of Excellence (2024) for his contribution in redesigning CIGIE’s Introductory Auditor Course.

Always “Speaking Frankly”, he remains committed to the auditing community by serving, not only as an instructor, but also as a coach and mentor to numerous auditors across the country. Frank supports his mentees by helping them to navigate challenges, achieve goals, seek networking opportunities, and foster interpersonal professional connections.

Frank lives in Stone Mountain, GA with his wife Lori. In his free time, he enjoys fantasy football, playing chess online, coaching basketball and telling bad “uncle” jokes to his nieces.

Questions? You can find our FAQ here and our policies here.

To see a breakdown of how many polls and minutes of attendance are required for this webinar, see this page.