REMOTE AUDITING—HOW CAN INTERNAL AUDITOR REMAIN EFFECTIVE IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES

In today’s ever-changing global environment, internal audit departments need to remain flexible to the needs of their stakeholders. While audit plans and timing may change, management still needs to rely on the independent testing of internal audit. Remoting auditing has become increasingly popular in order to save on travel costs, time and increase the speed in which internal audit can react to requests for reviews. Audit management should consider the following when implementing a remote audit model:

1. Audit Scoping—Audits should be able to achieve the audit objectives via a remote review. Audits that are good for this type of review may include accounting, technology and some operational areas. Audits that require a high amount of physical observation such as some compliance audits may be more difficult to perform.
2. Audit Planning—Ensure that the planning process details how the review will be performed including WebEx, screenshare, webcam, etc. A listing of individuals that need to be interviewed, and a detailed list of the items needed and topics to be discussed will need to be compiled.
3. Staffing—Staff conducting the audit should be comfortable with operating in a remote environment, be able to engage others remotely through the technology and have strong communication skills.
4. Communication—Remote auditing requires increased communications through the use of virtual meetings and regular status updates. These touch points may need to be more formalized. A formal online kickoff and ongoing touch points will help ensure the expectations of the team is clear.

If you are considering implementing remote auditing, UHYs resources are here to help. Feel free to contact us at: riskadvisoryservices@uhy-us.com.