IA3 - Audit Report Writing Skills

Course Objectives

In today's environment the audit department is frequently judged on the quality of its primary output, the Audit Report and this can affect the perception of the professionalism of the whole department.

In many cases the effectiveness of the audit itself can be affected by the non-acceptability of the Audit Report.

As such, it is critical that the report is perceived to be professional and communicate the desired message in a clear, concise and unambiguous way.

This two-day module is designed to provide the participants with an in-depth knowledge and experience of:

• The dynamics of written communication
• Barriers to effective written communication and how to overcome them
• The writing act
• Development of a complete finding
• Evaluating the audience
• Structuring the Audit Report for impact
• Drafting the report
• Editing the report
• Production of the final report
• Gaining acceptance of the report

Module Content

The module will cover the following areas:

• Elements of written communication
• Barriers to written communication
• Constructs of written communication
• The writing act
• Audit findings and their presentation
• Structuring an audit report
• Differing types of report
• Analyzing the prospective audience
• Writing the draft
• Evaluation of the draft
• Production of the final version
• Selling the report

Who should attend

The seminar is aimed at all audit professionals since much of the auditor's work is involved in negotiating audits, findings and recommendations.