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Practical Audit Skills

Key Benefits of attending this course :

• Gain a thorough understanding of Internal Audit and the skills required
• Learn what is expected from a modern auditor
• Understand the most up to date audit techniques
• Appreciate the wider concepts and practices of modern auditing
• Receive a step by step guide on how to plan and complete audit assignments
• Get the do's and don'ts of managing an audit team on an assignment
• Build a better understanding of management requirements.
• Develop successful audit programmes
• Enhance critical leadership skills

Attend this new seminar which has been and learn all you need to know to add significant value to your organisation with audit expert Phil Griffiths

Who Should Attend

• This course is designed for auditors with more than 12 months experience in an audit role and will be particularly beneficial for delegates who have previously attended the Essentials of Internal Audit seminar
• It is also a must for :-
  • Auditors responsible for planning and leading audit assignments
  • Internal auditors who have been or are about to be appointed to a senior auditor role
  • Any auditors responsible for managing people
  • Personnel in other assurance functions eg Compliance, Health and Safety, Environmental Audit who need to enhance their

Dear Internal Audit Practitioner

Internal Audit in the GCC has changed dramatically in the past few years from the basic compliance and checking function it once was.

Undertaking an audit assignment therefore has become a much more demanding role. Involvement in investigations and the opportunity to provide internal consultancy demonstrates the wide variety and dimension of the profession.

Practitioners have now to expand their role as facilitators and advisors at the same time demonstrating that they are adding measurable added value.

Recognising the additional challenges posed, this seminar has been specifically designed to help auditors to enhance their skills to be able to take on these new challenges.

Strong communication skills are particularly essential in this highly challenging environment, whether with your team, or negotiating your ideas with management or following up actions agreed

Phil Griffiths, a renowned guru in the Internal Audit field, will facilitate this highly practical and interactive 5-day seminar. Phil has extensive experience throughout the Gulf region and will ensure that you benefit from his wide experience and knowledge.

The seminar features a series of case studies and practical exercises covering all aspects of the modern audit role: -

• What it means to be an effective Auditor

• How to plan and complete a successful effective audit

• How to audit the things that really matter

• How to decide the most appropriate methods of testing

• How to determine the level of testing required

• How to communicate effectively with your team

• How to deal effectively with management

• How to persuade management to accept your recommendations

The Modern Auditor Role 

• Worldwide trends in the profession
• The role of the internal audit function
  • The policing role
  • The risk assessor role
  • The consulting role
• Can all three roles be provided?
• What should the balance between the roles be?
• How much time should be given to each?
• How can a better understanding of the role by gained?
• How can the profile be enhanced?
• Exercise 1 - The role of the auditor in 2009 and beyond
• The multi-faceted role of the auditor
• Qualities required by a successful auditor
  • Negotiating
  • Planning
  • Questioning
  • Listening
  • Establishing rapport
  • Investigative skills
  • Building trust
  • People management
• Leadership styles
• Delegation and tips for success
• Exercise 2 - performing a self-analysis
• The different requirements and challenges of auditing in major sectors in the Gulf region
• Results of October 2008 Survey of Chief Executives
• Why Internal Audit needs to take the pulse of the organisation
• What is best practice?
• Exercise 3 - the key audit challenges
• Preliminary planning
• The importance of planning
• Constraints to effective planning
• Pre-meeting with management
• Exercise 4 - Building Success - an exercise in negotiation

Planning the audit assignment

• Strategic Audit planning
• Determining audits priorities
• Determining the audit universe
• Building Risk-based audit plans
• Tapping into risk assessments carried out by management
• Determining the level of Assurance required
• Getting management input
• Exercise 5 Audit planning using a proven model - an electronic version will be given to all delegates
• The key issues in assignment planning
• Discussion - the main challenges in assignment planning
• The need to apply project planning techniques
• Developing a planning memo for the assignment
• Determining an effective time budget
• Strategies for improving time management
• Exercise 6 - how to complete more audits on time
• Determining sources of information
• Getting management input
• Deciding on the audit team
• Allocating the roles
• Team work and the challenges faced
• How to hold an effective team meeting to plan the assignment
• Getting the most out of the team
• Exercise 7 - Team work
• The link between control, risk and objectives
• Deciding who you will need to interview
• Determining the audit objectives
• Risk based planning
• Determining the objectives of the function to be audited
• How to deal with your audit customers
• Exercise 8 - planning a difficult assignment

 Managing the audit

• Building an understanding of the audit process
• Establishing audit objectives
• The Audit manual
• Discussion - how to improve the audit manual
• Developing effective audit programmes
  • What makes a good programme?
  • Mistakes to avoid
  • The dangers of re-inventing the wheel
  • Assigning tasks
  • Staffing factors
  • The need for regular updates for standard programmes
• Exercise 9 - audit programme development
• Supervising and controlling audits – tips for success
• Fieldwork Techniques
  • Types of fieldwork
  • Who to decide what techniques to use
  • How to decide the depth of testing required
  • Problem solving
• Use of Computer assisted audit techniques
• Working paper review
  • The need to motivate not criticise staff
  • The need for peer review during the audit
  • How to ensure all areas are covered
  • Identification of key review points
  • How to write value-added review notes
  • Tips for electronic working papers
  • Quality control mechanisms
• Exercise 10 - working papers
• Consultancy assignments
  • The difference in approach
  • How to document these assignments
  • Audit by workshop
  • Facilitation - do's and don'ts
• Exercise 11 - Pipelinex - consultancy case study
• Investigations - the major differences between standard audits
• Appraising auditor performance
  • Use of metrics
  • Productivity tools
  • Tips to improve efficiency
    • Exercise 12 - Performance measures

Relationships with Management  

• The need to meet and hopefully exceed management expectations
• How to deal with the audit- phobe (those who dislike audit)
• The need to focus on benefits rather than problems
• Marketing
• Explaining the audit approach to staff of the function being audited
• Example presentation to use
• Marketing yourselves
• Internal Audit at your service
• Exercise 13 - Marketing the function
• Relationships with management
• Expressing yourself effectively
• The need to have a positive relationship with management
• The need to drive action
• How to add value to your business
• Creating rapport with your customers - tips and techniques
• Management styles
• Personal drivers
• Exercise 14 Management styles - working in small groups delegates are asked to determine and compare individual management styles and personal drivers
• Convincing management
• Language and impact
• The need for simplicity in persuading others
• How to get on the same wavelength as your customer
• The techniques for getting action
• Meetings and how to manage them - the 5 P's
  • Active Listening
• Exercise 15 -listening and recall
• Exit meetings - the lead auditor role
• Tips for successful exit meetings
• Wrapping up the audit
• Follow- up
• Exercise 16 - exit meeting discussion

Presentation skills 

• Exercise 17 - Delegates prepare and deliver a 2 minute presentation on a subject of their choosing
• Discussion of presentations and impact
• Determining the audience and preparing an appropriate approach
• The need for impact
• Deciding the form of presentation
• Use of visual aids
• How many notes should you use
• Use of humour - is this a good idea?
• Education or decision seeking - the different techniques
• How to deliver a successful presentation
• How to combat nerves
• Keeping in control
• How to deal with questions
• Keeping the flow
• The need not to over prepare
• Use of simple language
• How to keep the audience's interest
• Use of props
• Anticipating the questions
• Considering what the audience will expect
• Assessing the results
• Getting feedback
• Exercise 18 Delegates work in pairs and prepare a 5 minute presentation on a current business issue then present while being video-taped
• Evaluation and feedback from the group
• Learning points discussed
• Development of personal action plans
• Course Summary

Course Outlines

Course Diary

Booking Information

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