Richard Chambers recently published an excellent article on the rotational audit staffing model. I wanted to add my perspective as the CAE of a small audit department, active in an inherently complex sector, development aid. The reality of a small audit department The size of the audit department is most often a function of the … Continue reading The rotational audit staffing model – a small audit department’s perspective
Tag: internal audit
Where to put your internal auditors?
Imagine the following theoretical scenario: you have an organization which has a significant number of different activities. It looks a lot like a typical Japanese supercompany, with diverse activities across the entire activity spectrum, not necessarily related to one another. You have one audit committee you need to report to. Where do you put your … Continue reading Where to put your internal auditors?
Not at the table, but perched on the radiator
HeadlineA number of recent publications have extoled the virtues of internal audit having a seat at the management table. I don’t agree. I think that a seat at the table for the Chief Audit Executive would probably be the worst place to be. We need to be in the room, but probably sitting on top … Continue reading Not at the table, but perched on the radiator
Weaponizing internal audit – part II
I missed an important element when writing the short post in weaponizing internal audit. This post was inspired by a sentence written by Mike Monteiro in his new book, “Design is a Job”. When we talk about using internal audit as a defensive asset whose presence should ensure higher compliance, it also requires internal audit … Continue reading Weaponizing internal audit – part II
My audit reporting workflow on a Mac
This is a post about my current audit reporting workflow. It's based on working with an Apple computer. Why Apple? Simple, the software becomes ubiquitous. In the many years I used Windows, I never felt the software was not there. With Apple, I have this all the time. It saves me hours each week because … Continue reading My audit reporting workflow on a Mac
The challenges of establishing a centralized internal audit service in the Belgian federal administrations
Please note this is an opinion piece. There are some strongly held convictions which I voice here. My involvement in trying to establish internal audit in the Belgian federal governmentRecently, rumors have been building up again about a centralized internal audit service for the Belgian federal government. I think it would be a very bad … Continue reading The challenges of establishing a centralized internal audit service in the Belgian federal administrations
Risk analysis in long term audit planning and audit preparation – part II
You can find part I of this article here. Phase 2 - Analysis at the level of the area of responsibility (auditable area)Internal audit’s responsibility for the proper application of risk based analysis in the preparation of its audit activities does not end with the multi-year audit planning or its actualisation. Each area of responsibility … Continue reading Risk analysis in long term audit planning and audit preparation – part II
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
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
The opposite of a bad system – an internal auditor’s perspective
The opposite of a bad systemI recently read this statement, and I can't remember where I read it. It goes "The opposite of a bad system isn't chaos. It's a good system." The statement got me thinking about the fallacy inherent in the current thinking about the crisis and lessons learned from the internal audit … Continue reading The opposite of a bad system – an internal auditor’s perspective
Exploring The Black Box 