Active Auditing A Practical Guide To Lean And Agile Auditing

Lean, Agile, and the Toyota Production System are transforming everything... how cars are made, software is designed, health care is delivered, even how utilities provide service. Waste and inefficiency are being driven from every aspect of business... except internal auditing. Until now! Mashing up principles from all three, Active Auditing teaches you how to... A) Get more internal audit work done in less time, B) Build closer relationships with your audit clients, C) Anticipate obstacles and install countermeasures before they derail your engagements, D) Avoid conflicts and celebrate successes, E) Create shared purpose with your audit clients and act as a single combined team. Created and tested in the real world, Active Auditing combines visual management tools, iterative audit execution, and energetic collaboration to create a whole new way to manage internal audits. Regardless of your organization or environment, you can use these tools to do internal audit work in a better, more rewarding, and more efficient way.

"How can you argue with the core principles of Lean, that you focus on what provides value to your customer and eliminate work that is not necessary (muda)? Internal auditors need to understand not only who their primary customers are, but what is valuable to them - which in most cases is assurance that the risks that matter to the achievement of objectives are properly managed. We need to communicate what they need to know and not what we want to say. This incessant focus on the customer and the efficient production of a valued product should extend to every internal audit team. How else can we ensure that we optimize the use of our limited resources to address the dynamic business and risk environment within which our organizations operate?" Norman Marks, GRC Thought Leader Using lean techniques to enhance value add and reduce waste in internal auditing Lean Auditing is a practical guide to maximising value and efficiency in internal audit through the application of lean techniques. It is an ideal book for anyone interested in understanding what progressive, value adding audit can be like. It is also ideal for anyone wondering whether audit activities can be streamlined or better co-ordinated with other activities. The book contains practical advise from the author's experience as CAE of AstraZeneca PLC; from his work as a consultant specializing in this field; as well as insights from leading CAEs in the UK, US and elsewhere. In addition, there are important insights from thought leaders such as Richard Chambers (IIA US) and Norman Marks (GRC thought leader) and Chris Baker (Technical Manager of the IIA UK). Increasing pressure on resources is driving a need for greater efficiency in all areas of business, and Internal Audit is no exception. Lean techniques can help streamline the workflow, but having only recently been applied to IA, lack the guidance available for other techniques. Lean Auditing fills this need by combining expert instruction and actionable advice that helps Internal Auditors: Benchmark their efficiency against lean ways of working Understand warning signs of waste and lower added value Understanding practical ways of working that improve added value and reduce waste Gain confidence about progressive ways of working in internal audit Understand how improved ways of working in audit can positively impact the culture of the wider organization One of the keys to the lean audit is finding out exactly what the stakeholder wants, and eliminating everything else. Scaling back certain operations can delineate audit from advisory, and in the process, dramatically improve crucial outcomes. To this end, Lean Auditing is the key to IA efficiency.

Master new, disruptive technologies in the field of auditing Agile Auditing: Fundamentals and Applications introduces readers to the applications and techniques unlocked by tested and proven agile project management principles. This book educates readers on an approach to auditing that emphasizes risk-based auditing, collaboration, and speedy delivery of meaningful assurance assessments while ensuring quality results and a focus on the areas that pose the greatest material risks to the business under audit. The discipline of auditing has been forever changed via the introduction of new technologies, including: Machine learning Virtual Conferencing Process automation Data analytics Hugely popular in software development, the agile approach is just making its way into the field of audit. This book provides concrete examples and practical solutions for auditors who seek to implement agile techniques and methods. Agile Auditing is perfect for educators, practitioners, and students in the auditing field who are looking for ways to introduce greater levels of efficiency and effectiveness to their discipline.

This guide provides an overview of Agile for auditors, reviewers and project teams This guide covers: - Agile project management audit objectives and risks; - What controls to expect and how these can be audited; - Case studies illustrating Agile project initiation and high-level requirements; and - Hints and tips for performing an audit review.

Data analytics and emerging technology tools continue to evolve the business world, and employers expect new skillsets from graduates. Prepare your students to meet the rapidly changing demands of the workforce and become the future auditors and accounting professionals of tomorrow with Auditing: A Practical Approach with Data Analytics, 2nd Edition. In order to develop job-ready skills, students need to have a thorough understanding of auditing applications and procedures. Auditing, 2nd Edition helps students learn core auditing concepts efficiently and spark effective learning through integrated assessment learning that builds students' confidence and strengthens their ability to make connections between topics and real-world application. Throughout the course, students work through a practical, case-based approach with a decision-making focus, all within a real-world context with the Cloud 9 continuing case, Audit Decision Cases, and Audit Decision-Making Examples. These cases and resources help students learn to think critically within the auditing context and refine the professional judgement and communication skills needed to make real business decisions auditors face every day. With Auditing: A Practical Approach with Data Analytics you will be able to help students develop a deeper understanding of auditing procedures and learn how to perform a real-world audit, stay up-to-date on the latest audit standards technology tools, and develop the key skills to become the auditors of tomorrow.

Auditing at the speed of risk requires internal auditors to rethink the way we work. Agile auditing provides a path forward that blends the best elements from agile project management and internal audit best practices. Leaders in internal audit are ready to incorporate an agile audit mindset in their departments, but most of the available resources provide theoretical ideas. Even when outside consultants lead an agile transition, the consultants primarily focus on adding agile ceremonies without addressing the fundamental mindset change required for an agile audit transformation. This book provides a practical guide for audit leaders to follow as a playbook for implementing agile across their department, impacting every facet of the audit lifecycle, and addressing the mental shift required for making a lasting change. Every chapter includes discussion questions to facilitate discourse or just to help you analyze your own department. Next, we look at a typical internal audit department as they attempt the transition from a traditional audit methodology to agile auditing so we can learn from their missteps and successes. The guidance in Agile Audit Transformation and Beyond includes the basics of agile auditing, practical directions for shifting each phase of the audit life cycle, common hurdles faced during the transition, and forward-looking thought leadership on expanding beyond internal audit into agile assurance.

A clear, accessible guide to the roles and responsibilities of today's internal auditor At a time when companies are seeking to reevaluate their practices and add value to their audit processes, The Internal Auditor at Work represents an invaluable, user-friendly, and up-to-date guidebook for the internal auditing professional to refine and rethink both day-to-day methods and the underlying significance of the job. Each chapter of this in-depth, functional analysis contains numerous resources to guide the reader toward greater understanding and performance. Discussion questions promote dialogue among auditing professionals on the various topics covered. Top ten considerations lists recap the important points of each chapter. And end-of-chapter exercises are especially valuable to new internal auditors in that they facilitate self-development and application of principles covered. Written in partnership with the Institute of Internal Auditors with special attention to its revised standards and guidelines, The Internal Auditor at Work includes chapters on: The audit context The strategic dimension Quality and audit competence The audit process The audit proposition And more In a business environment currently undergoing major reevaluation, The Internal Auditor at Work provides an invaluable tool for internal auditing professionals and all others with an interest in adding value to their organizational processes.

Auditors from any industry must "learn the language of upper management" if they truly want to effect positive change throughout their environments. If quality auditors want to remain relevant and keep from becoming marginalized, they need to add new skills and credentials, and even more importantly, move beyond conformance monitoring to determine how their work might impact the corporate bottom line. The purpose of this book is to accept that challenge in presenting two ways that auditors can "learn [to speak] the language of upper management"-either by helping to drive continuous improvement or by helping to manage risk. This book has essential information that will help guide an organization's efforts to glean more value from their audit process. It helps grow the audit function beyond verification audits. It provides insight for using the audit function to improve organizations using lean principles. It also discusses how the audit function can contribute to and be formally integrated into the ongoing risk management program. This book is about advancing the profession of auditing, as well as the skills of individual auditors. "Buy. Read. Reread. It will kick start your risk-based thinking journey. Then, buy the book for each member of your auditing team." center Greg Hutchins, PE Director, Certified Enterprise Risk Manager Academy "While there is a constant influx of books on auditing entering the market today, Advanced Quality Auditing: An Auditors Review of Risk Management, Lean Improvement and Data Analysis stands out among them as Lance excels at demonstrating to readers how they can embrace the methodologies for continual improvement as they apply to the audit program and audit professionals. By combining the use of the audit checklist development matrix tool (ACDM) and various lean tools that are traditionally applied to processes other than auditing, auditors can ensure they not only audit for compliance but also add value to the audits, demonstrating the value of audit program, and in turn, themselves. The clarity of explanation and illustrative charts and diagrams of the Kano model makes it easy for the beginning auditor to understand and implement, while providing deeper insights to experienced auditors in how to leverage the model in the continual improvement of the audit program. Lance clearly makes the case that as audit professionals we should all embrace the use of the Kano model and apply it to our own audit programs to ensure we are always positioned to delight our customers." Nancy Boudreau ASQ Audit Division Chair (2014-2015) Lance Coleman has taken a traditional topic on auditing and written a professional synopsis of key concepts in terms so clear as to make them understandable and useful to the reader. A great book to use and have as reference. Well done! Dr. Erik Myhrberg IRCA Certified QMS Lead Auditor Co-author, A Practical Field Guide for ISO 13485:2003

Auditing: a Practical Approach is a new textbook written for students studying auditing at an undergraduate and postgraduate level. The text reflects how an audit is conducted in practice and the issues that are of greatest concern to auditors. Written by authors from academic and professional practice backgrounds the text has a practical orientation and presents essential audit topics supported with constructive pedagogy. In order to communicate the key elements of the audit process a hypothetical case study, Cloud 9, underpins the audit process and methodology whilst providing a constant example of how general audit principles are applied in practice. With the educational trend to teach auditing with an industry and practical focus, the text will effectively develop a student's understanding of the various stages of an audit and how an audit is conducted in practice.

Beyond Agile Auditing shows auditors and organizational leaders how to revolutionize the audit experience. For decades, auditors have unintentionally struck fear in their clients. They are rarely welcomed into an area with open arms and are often viewed as one more obstacle to delivering value. But internal audit serves a vital function in reducing risk and ensuring success for all organizations. In Beyond Agile Auditing, experienced audit and risk management leader Clarissa Lucas shows organizations how to go beyond collaboration and build a partnership between auditors and clients. By leveraging this partnership, organizations can experience more value-added audit work, faster time to results (and resolution), greater engagement and satisfaction from all parties involved, and gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace, By building upon the work of the DevOps community, which reinvented the relationship between two groups that historically saw each other as adversaries and obstacles, Lucas applies new and better ways of working to the audit process. In this reimagined world, auditors (as well as other assurance providers) work closely with their clients to become strategic differentiators instead of obstacles, providing stakeholders value they never imagined. Come join us in this brave new world of audit.