Nailed itMacdrifter nailed it: “Everyone gets an opinion but not everyone should get a megaphone.”How very true.
Category: Stream of Consciousness
Commitment to focus
Predator huntingHave you ever seen a predator hunting? It’s truly a sight to see. You may want to check Discovery Channel, just to get a glimpse of the experience.A predator chasing a herd does not, in effect, chase the herd. Rather, after a period of quiet but concentrated observation, it will pounch, going after one … Continue reading Commitment to focus
Future proofing your electronic audit files using plaintext
In shortEvolving software file types sometimes make it impossible to access files or workpapers which were created in file types that are currently no longer readily available. In order to ensure forward compatibility, I'm considering adopting the .txt plaintext format as the go-to format for both verbose file documentation and tabular data in our audit … Continue reading Future proofing your electronic audit files using plaintext
Developing good audit recommendations
In shortRecommendations should never be developed in an ivory tower. Rather, bringing in the auditees during the recommendations phase and challenging them to develop SMART recommendations will enhance the quality of your recommendations. Proper process should counter any issues with objectivity that may arise.Relevant recommendations are hardThis is a no-brainer for most auditors. Concisely describing … Continue reading Developing good audit recommendations
Why work programs work
The short of itAudit work programs work because they require you to think about what you are going to do before you do it. They take away the stress of worrying how you should approach a certain audit issue for 90% of the time, because you have thought about it before your audit team was … Continue reading Why work programs work
Workpapers.com quadruple review, part I – The one week review
The short of itAt BTC, we recently selected workpapers.com as our web-based electronic workpaper solution. I will be writing about our experiences with this tool in four separate blog posts, over a period of about a year. This is the first one, about our the first week using workpaper.com. The solution is a promising one, … Continue reading Workpapers.com quadruple review, part I – The one week review
The external specialization fallacy
You can't oursource your core tasksThere are a couple of essential tasks you cannot outsource: If you're about the execute a coup d'etat, you can't bring in mercenaries in key roles or positions and assume you will remain in control; If you want to rule a market, you cannot have key product development and innovation … Continue reading The external specialization fallacy
New year
A quick note to everyone who has visited this blog in 2011. Thank you for your visit, and I hope to be able to entertain and inform you in 2012 as much as I hope I have in 2011.2011 was a year of curation and integrating several blogs in this new overarching blog. 2012 should … Continue reading New year
The Three Laws of Due Diligence
The emptiness of due diligenceLooking around in current day to day business, I see less and less evidence of due diligence in its core meaning. At least the core meaning I learned but mainly understood based on practical experience. The idea of due diligence has been replaced by a number of elaborate governance frameworks which … Continue reading The Three Laws of Due Diligence
Blogging New Year Resolutions 2012
It's that time of the year to make resolutions. As I have never made New Year's resolutions on blogging in my life, perhaps now is a good moment to start. I've decided to make resolutions on volume, content and quality. Here goes …VolumeI aim to post at least 100 new articles on the "Exploring the … Continue reading Blogging New Year Resolutions 2012
Exploring The Black Box 