Many things occur before the auditor shows up onsite (or on your Zoom meeting). Auditees can influence or control factors that can play a significant role in the audit and its outcome, including the factors listed below.

• Selecting the audit firm and audit team
• Confirming audit scope and plan
• Anticipating evidence auditors useful to auditors
• Reviewing key documents and records, organizing or updating them as appropriate
• Creating operational and logistical procedures for the audit
• Setting expectations for key staff to be interviewed
• Confirming actions taken since prior audits

We help clients meet their challenges, whether for a specific, high-stakes audit, or to address the more chronic, long-term issue of audit fatigue.

• Mock audit: Often called a “walk-through”, conduct a mock audit to instill confidence in auditees.
• Training auditing fundamentals: We go where our clients tell us they have the greatest needs. We’ve facilitated training on audit evidence; interviewing skills; the value of root cause analysis; and escalation.
• Mind the scope: Techniques and tips for maintaining focus on audit scope, avoiding “scope cree” by curious auditors (or careless employees), and retaining intellectual property. And doing it all professionally.

We support clients with an independent perspective during audits. Auditors focus on their checklists and notes. Auditees are answering questions, providing documents, calling people for information, and sweating the potential consequences of an unsuccessful audit. It can be useful - especially in high-stakes, high-profile audits – to have an experienced, objective perspective during the audit.

The results of our oversight have saved our clients substantial time and money, not to mention countless headaches.

If you think the audit is “over” with publication of the final report – you could be setting your company up for more trouble. We help Clients respond to audit recommendations, and look ahead to the future audits. We also help Clients identify and report the value of improved efficiencies and effectiveness to their Management and key stakeholders. If something good comes out of an audit, why keep that to yourself?

Auditors are a detailed, thorough bunch. Auditors are professional, and strive to do the right thing. But many of us have encountered a situation or two during audits when things didn’t quite work out. Auditees can feel disrespected. Audit firms might not send the auditor they promised.

Auditees might feel stuck, and go with the flow – only for the consequences to flare up later.

We think auditees have the right to stand up for themselves. That’s why we developed an “Auditees’ Bill of Rights”. For example, if an auditee thinks that an auditor is asking questions that are way out of scope, s/he should be able to ask the auditor how the question relates to the purpose of the audit.

They’re pretty simple, really. And they help everyone out.