Course Benefit

An internal audit activity demonstrates its commitment to quality by meeting the expectations of its stakeholders while continuing to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its operations.

A successful quality assurance and improvement program (QAIP) is crucial to achieving this goal. Building an effective QAIP is similar to establishing a total quality management program, where products and services are analyzed to verify, they meet stakeholder expectations, operations are evaluated to determine their efficiency and effectiveness, and practices are assessed to confirm their conformance to standards. Once the QAIP has been established, sustaining it requires leaders who are responsible for setting the proper tone in support of quality.

This course will cover the aspects of building a sustainable Quality Assurance and Improvement Program for an Internal Audit, and then assist in understanding, preparing for and performing and independent external quality assurance review for those who are interested in delivering such services.

Course Content

Day 1

• Learn how to apply The IIA’s International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) quality standards to establish an effective QAIP within their internal audit practice
• Gain experience with the quality assessment process model and related tools contained in the new Quality Manual to identify areas of focus for their own QAIPs
• building the two key components of an effective QAIP: ongoing and periodic assessments
• developing metrics and designing reports of results of their internal audit’s QAIP
• Assessing the readiness of their internal audit activity for an external quality assessment

Day 3

Planning the Quality Assessment

• Plan an external quality assessment by implementing the QA Manual tools.
• Describe key features of planning guides.
• Apply the planning tools to a quality assessment.
• Describe key features of surveys.
• Analyze survey results. Performing the Quality Assessment

Day 2

Building the Periodic Internal Assessment

• Design a comprehensive periodic internal assessment including key assessment activities, timing of their performance, and resource requirements to complete them
• Assess the readiness of the internal audit activity for an external quality assessment Developing Metrics and Reporting for the QAIP Developing Metrics and Reporting for the QAIP
• Develop metrics and design reports of results of your internal audit QAIP
• Interpret key concepts from practice guide “Measuring Internal Audit Efficiency and Effectiveness
• Identify metrics to measure performance of the QAIP
• Clarify reporting requirements for QAIP contained in the IPPF
• Design reporting options to communicate results of the QAIP

• Perform an external quality assessment by implementing the QA Manual tools.
• Describe the key features of interview guides.
• Analyze interview results.
• Describe key features of QA programs.
• Analyze QA program results.

Day 4

Evaluating QA Results

• Evaluate an external quality assessment by implementing the QA Manual tools.
• Apply evaluation criteria on common QA scenarios that require a high-level of professional judgment.
• Determine final ratings (evaluation results).
• Describe key features of the QA evaluation framework and tools.
• Develop value-added solutions for common QA issues and opportunities.

Periodic Internal Quality Assessment Approaches

• Discuss implications of periodic internal QA based on IPPF guidance.
• Discuss common periodic assessment challenges and possible solutions.
• Identify the factors needed for an efficient and effective periodic internal QA program.

Day 5

External Quality Assessment Options

• Determine, or validate, the external quality assurance option that will work best for your internal audit activity.
• Determine the pros and cons and other considerations of the external QA options.
• Describe rationale for selecting the best external QA option.
• Identify opportunities for applying the option selection concepts to your internal audit activity.
• Discuss successful practices used by internal audit activities to get ready for an external assessment

WRITE THE QUALITY ASSURANCE REVIEWER EXAMINATION

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Benefit

An internal audit activity demonstrates its commitment to quality by meeting the expectations of its stakeholders while continuing to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its operations.

A successful quality assurance and improvement program (QAIP) is crucial to achieving this goal. Building an effective QAIP is similar to establishing a total quality management program, where products and services are analyzed to verify, they meet stakeholder expectations, operations are evaluated to determine their efficiency and effectiveness, and practices are assessed to confirm their conformance to standards. Once the QAIP has been established, sustaining it requires leaders who are responsible for setting the proper tone in support of quality.

This course will cover the aspects of building a sustainable Quality Assurance and Improvement Program for an Internal Audit, and then assist in understanding, preparing for and performing and independent external quality assurance review for those who are interested in delivering such services.

Course Content

Day 1

• Learn how to apply The IIA’s International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) quality standards to establish an effective QAIP within their internal audit practice
• Gain experience with the quality assessment process model and related tools contained in the new Quality Manual to identify areas of focus for their own QAIPs
• building the two key components of an effective QAIP: ongoing and periodic assessments
• developing metrics and designing reports of results of their internal audit’s QAIP
• Assessing the readiness of their internal audit activity for an external quality assessment

Day 3

Planning the Quality Assessment

• Plan an external quality assessment by implementing the QA Manual tools.
• Describe key features of planning guides.
• Apply the planning tools to a quality assessment.
• Describe key features of surveys.
• Analyze survey results. Performing the Quality Assessment

Day 2

Building the Periodic Internal Assessment

• Design a comprehensive periodic internal assessment including key assessment activities, timing of their performance, and resource requirements to complete them
• Assess the readiness of the internal audit activity for an external quality assessment Developing Metrics and Reporting for the QAIP Developing Metrics and Reporting for the QAIP
• Develop metrics and design reports of results of your internal audit QAIP
• Interpret key concepts from practice guide “Measuring Internal Audit Efficiency and Effectiveness
• Identify metrics to measure performance of the QAIP
• Clarify reporting requirements for QAIP contained in the IPPF
• Design reporting options to communicate results of the QAIP

• Perform an external quality assessment by implementing the QA Manual tools.
• Describe the key features of interview guides.
• Analyze interview results.
• Describe key features of QA programs.
• Analyze QA program results.

Day 4

Evaluating QA Results

• Evaluate an external quality assessment by implementing the QA Manual tools.
• Apply evaluation criteria on common QA scenarios that require a high-level of professional judgment.
• Determine final ratings (evaluation results).
• Describe key features of the QA evaluation framework and tools.
• Develop value-added solutions for common QA issues and opportunities.

Periodic Internal Quality Assessment Approaches

• Discuss implications of periodic internal QA based on IPPF guidance.
• Discuss common periodic assessment challenges and possible solutions.
• Identify the factors needed for an efficient and effective periodic internal QA program.

Day 5

External Quality Assessment Options

• Determine, or validate, the external quality assurance option that will work best for your internal audit activity.
• Determine the pros and cons and other considerations of the external QA options.
• Describe rationale for selecting the best external QA option.
• Identify opportunities for applying the option selection concepts to your internal audit activity.
• Discuss successful practices used by internal audit activities to get ready for an external assessment

WRITE THE QUALITY ASSURANCE REVIEWER EXAMINATION

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Content

Introduction

• The purpose of internal auditing.
• The definition of internal auditing.
• The internal auditor's roles and responsibility.
• Code of Ethics.
• Management expectations.
• General audit objectives.
• Types of internal audits.
• Building relationships.
• The role in selling the internal audit.

The COSO objectives

• Using COSO objectives to identify key points of focus for a given audit assignment.
• The difference between “hard” and “soft” controls.
• Practical ways to evaluate “soft” controls.
• Risk based auditing under COSO.
• How CSA workshops can support achievement of COSO objectives.
• How COSO objectives can be utilized to formulate audit objectives and audit work programs.
• Exercise: Developing audit objectives.

Planning

• The audit charter as starting point for proper planning.
• Covering of the audit universe during planning.
• Essential elements of a strategic, annual and assignment planning document.
• Plan the audit – the preliminary survey, audit objectives, scope and audit program.
• Difference between planning for assurance and consulting assignments.
• Compare and discuss audit tools during planning for documenting control systems including narratives, ICQ ’s, flowcharts and risk/control matrics.
• Exercise: flowcharting.

Risk Assessment

• Risk assessment and risk based internal auditing.
• Difference between risk based auditing and control based auditing.
• Using of risk registers for audit purposes.
• How to assess the effectiveness and adequacy of the risk assessment process.
• Internal audit's role in the risk assessment process. Do’s and Don’ts.

Fieldwork – Gathering Audit Evidence

• Attributes of persuasive audit evidence.
• Types of engagement information.
• Sources of engagement evidence.
• Identifying engagement information.
• Role of analytical audit procedures in gathering engagement information.
• Making use of CAATS to gather engagement information.
• Documenting engagement information into working papers.
• Why do we need working papers?
• What should be on a working paper?
• Control over working papers during and after audit assignments.
• Exercise : audit evidence

Reviewing

• Importance of effective reviewing.
• When should reviewing occur and by whom should it be conducted?
• Essential elements to look for during the reviewing process.

Reporting

• Source of audit findings.
• Elements of audit findings.
• Assessing the condition.
• Establishing the impact/risk.
• Determining the root cause/contributing factors and not only the symptoms.
• Developing cost effective audit recommendations.
• Importance of including management comments in audit reports.
• Importance of discussing the draft report before issuing the final report.
• Agreeing on corrective actions and resolving disagreements.
• Developing the audit report (structure for impact).
• Characteristics of an effective report.
• Avoid the pitfalls.
• Exercise : how to avoid the pitfalls
• Exercise : writing audit findings

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Content:

Value Add audits will demonstrate how the internal audit activity have applied high-quality judgement to assess the evidence they have obtained. Such evidence should be both corroborative and contradictory. A robustly executed risk-based audit will apply an appropriate variety of audit tools to provide an effective audit approach.

The focus of this course is on the various challenges and opportunities that CAE’s, team managers and team leaders face and shows how audit leaders can make a contribution to the entity, clearly adding value and also how to enhance productivity in the audit process.

This course will provide a clear, practical and interactive approach to help participants improve their awareness and skills and help them become a better internal audit leader who delivers impactful and insightful internal audit work that can make a strategic difference to their organization.

Learning Objectives:

• Communicate with senior leaders with greater confidence.
• Understand what it really takes to be an effective internal audit leader.

• Define how to make effective and valuable contributions towards overall business success.
• Define key stakeholders and apply practical methods to manage key relationships.
• Add value through efficient and effective internal audit good practices
• Identify and define key priorities for the internal audit departments to help maximize their value-add to their organization.

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Content:

This course will provide the information to transform your internal audit department into a more agile environment.

This course will benefit internal audit directors and managers who want to better understand the value of Agile auditing.

The course also is a great tool for training staff of internal audit departments that are making the transition to Agile auditing using scrum.

Agile auditing' is a buzzword that has been thrown around a lot over the last two decades, but what does it actually mean and what are the benefits of being agile as an internal auditor?

Learning Objectives:

• Defining Agile Auditing
• Benefits of agile auditing
• Agile Auditing Examples

• How to get started

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Content:

This course will provide the information to transform your internal audit department into a more agile environment.

This course will benefit internal audit directors and managers who want to better understand the value of Agile auditing.

The course also is a great tool for training staff of internal audit departments that are making the transition to Agile auditing using scrum.

Agile auditing' is a buzzword that has been thrown around a lot over the last two decades, but what does it actually mean and what are the benefits of being agile as an internal auditor?

Learning Objectives:

• Defining Agile Auditing
• Benefits of agile auditing
• Agile Auditing Examples
• How to get started

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

More and more organisations are teaching their key people to think strategically. This makes for more efficient planning, smoother transitions in the time of change and fewer insoluble problems. This course will show you the techniques and set you on the road to efficient and clever strategic thinking.

How will this course benefit you?

After completion you will be able to:

• Understand the techniques required to think strategically
• Think your way through to innovative solutions
• Work with your own preferred mind pattern
• Thinking out of the box
• Bust out of date thinking
• Find the way forward in even the trickiest situation
• Apply the concept of strategic intent and evaluate its appropriateness in your department
• Prepare a competitive analysis of your department with recommendations for strategic development, based on an industry analysis and an understanding of the company’s current operations
• Evaluate your own organisation and your department in terms of its core competencies
• Build a strategic plan for your section or department.

   

  Course Content

   

• Understand yourself and your thought processes
  • The upper level thinking skills. We do not all use our brains in the same way. Nor are our brains wired up exactly like our colleagues. This is what adds value and additional dimensions to the thought processes
  • Your personal thinking capacities
  • Establish your strategic perspective
• The five criteria for strategic thinking. You must get these right if

• you are to think strategically
• oorganisation
• oobservation
• oviews
• driving forces
• ideal position

• Down board thinking. Life can be like a game of chess: those who can think ahead to understand the consequences of our every move
  • oone move ahead is not enough
  • envision the future – how to be a futurist
  • discover opportunities behind obstacles – explore patterns of behaviour
• Creative and critical thinking. Most of us do not break away from what we feel comfortable with. If it’s not broken, it’s tempting to leave it alone until it breaks, but that might be too late
  • how to think outside any box you know
  • techniques to reveal your creative mind
• Checklist for creating a strategy. You’ve done your thinking now you need to make sure the strategy works and is a winner. Perhaps more importantly that your colleagues agree

• Objectives
• SWOT
• Scenarios, targets and allies

Who should attend?

Heads of internal audit, senior internal audit managers, risk managers and anyone who has to think strategically for the benefit of the organisation or their department. Non internal auditors are also welcome.

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

More and more organisations are teaching their key people to think strategically. This makes for more efficient planning, smoother transitions in the time of change and fewer insoluble problems. This course will show you the techniques and set you on the road to efficient and clever strategic thinking.

How will this course benefit you?

After completion you will be able to:

• Understand the techniques required to think strategically
• Think your way through to innovative solutions
• Work with your own preferred mind pattern
• Thinking out of the box
• Bust out of date thinking
• Find the way forward in even the trickiest situation
• Apply the concept of strategic intent and evaluate its appropriateness in your department
• Prepare a competitive analysis of your department with recommendations for strategic development, based on an industry analysis and an understanding of the company’s current operations
• Evaluate your own organisation and your department in terms of its core competencies
• Build a strategic plan for your section or department.

Course Content

• Understand yourself and your thought processes
  • The upper level thinking skills. We do not all use our brains in the same way. Nor are our brains wired up exactly like our colleagues. This is what adds value and additional dimensions to the thought processes
  • Your personal thinking capacities
  • Establish your strategic perspective
• The five criteria for strategic thinking. You must get these right if
  • you are to think strategically
  • oorganisation
  • oobservation
  • oviews
  • driving forces
  • ideal position

• Down board thinking. Life can be like a game of chess: those who can think ahead to understand the consequences of our every move
  • oone move ahead is not enough
  • envision the future – how to be a futurist
  • discover opportunities behind obstacles – explore patterns of behaviour
• Creative and critical thinking. Most of us do not break away from what we feel comfortable with. If it’s not broken, it’s tempting to leave it alone until it breaks, but that might be too late
  • how to think outside any box you know
  • techniques to reveal your creative mind
• Checklist for creating a strategy. You’ve done your thinking now you need to make sure the strategy works and is a winner. Perhaps more importantly that your colleagues agree
  • Objectives
  • SWOT
  • Scenarios, targets and allies

Examples of strategic plans for Internal Audit

Practical case studies and role play

Who should attend?

Heads of internal audit, senior internal audit managers, risk managers and anyone who has to think strategically for the benefit of the organisation or their department. Non internal auditors are also welcome.

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Outline / Objectives

Cybercrime is now commonplace and presents new challenges in the prevention and detection of crime. Drawing on a broad introduction to the history, functions and technologies of the Internet this course addresses issues of prevention and regulation and also describes the evolution of criminal activities involving computers. Illustrative topics will include hacker myths and realities, computer forensics, ID Theft, spam, malware, phishing, fraud, crime ware tool kits, protecting personal privacy, passwords and crime groups in cyberspace. Students will gain an understanding of common forms of cybercriminal activity and the technological and 'social engineering' methods used to undertake such crimes.

• Cybercrime in brief
• Cybercrime trends
• Cybercrime prevention
• What cyber security/information security is
• The threat landscape
• Legal, regulatory and contractual obligations
• Threat intelligence
• Malware
• Humans and social engineering
• Phishing
• Web application security
• Social media security
• Remote working – covering travel and home working
• An introduction to risk management

• Security standards and frameworks
• Security in the Cloud (ISO 27018)
• Incident response
• Business continuity

Benefits of attending

Upon successful completion, attendees will have the knowledge and skills to:

• Have a general understanding of cybercrime, the impacts that it can have, and being aware of potential risks and risk areas.
• identify the main characteristics, activities, actors and forms of cybercrime,
• analyse the impact of computer crime on government, businesses and individuals and discuss the impact of cybercrime on society.

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

If you are preparing for an external quality assessment, this course will help you learn how to build and maintain an effective QAIP, leading to a successful external assessment. The QAR Manual is not provided at this course. It is recommended that you first attend this course and then the "Performing an Effective Quality Assessment" where the QAR Manual will be provided.

An internal audit activity demonstrates its commitment to quality by meeting the expectations of its stakeholders while continuing to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its operations. A successful quality assurance and improvement program (QAIP) is crucial to achieving this goal.

Building an effective QAIP is similar to establishing a total quality management program, where products and services are analyzed to verify they meet stakeholder expectations, operations are evaluated to determine their efficiency and effectiveness, and practices are assessed to confirm their conformance to standards. Once the QAIP has been established, sustaining it requires leaders who are responsible for setting the proper tone in support of quality.

If you are preparing for an external quality assessment, this course will help you learn how to build and maintain an effective QAIP, leading to a successful external assessment.

The quality assessment process flow model and related tools from the recently published Quality Manual provide the basis for class discussion and activities. Guided by knowledgeable facilitators with extensive experience in quality assessments, participants will:

• Learn how to apply The IIA’s International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) quality standards to establish an effective QAIP within their internal audit practice
• Gain experience with the quality assessment process model and related tools contained in the new Quality Manual to identify areas of focus for their own QAIPs
• Practice building the two key components of an effective QAIP:

  ongoing and periodic assessments

• Experience developing metrics and designing reports of results of their internal audit’s QAIP
• Apply the planning guide to identify and prioritize any gaps related to quality assurance of internal audit processes by performing a self-assessment involving the relevant IPPF guidance
• Clarify the relevant criteria for assessing conformance to the IPPF guidance related to quality assurance of internal audit processes
• Developing the key elements of an ongoing monitoring review process that you can implement in your internal audit activity
• Quality Assurance – Internal Audit Staff
• Design a periodic quality assessment related to internal audit staffing
• Interpret IPPF guidance related to quality assurance of internal audit staffing
• Applying the planning guide to identify and highlight any gaps related to quality assurance of internal audit staffing by performing a self-assessment involving applicable IPPF guidance
• Clarify the relevant criteria for assessing conformance to the IPPF guidance related to quality assurance of internal audit staffing
• Develop the key elements of a periodic self-assessment of internal audit staffing Quality Assurance – Internal Audit Management
• Design a periodic quality assessment related to management of the internal audit activity
• Apply the planning guide to identify and highlight any gaps related to quality assurance of managing the internal audit activity by performing a self-assessment involving the applicable IPPF guidance
• Clarify the relevant criteria for assessing conformance to IPPF guidance related to quality assurance of managing the internal audit activity
• Develop the key elements of a periodic self-assessment of managing the internal audit activity Quality Assurance – Internal Audit Governance
• Design a periodic quality assessment related to Internal Audit Governance
• Interpret IPPF guidance related to quality assurance for governance of the internal audit activity

• Assess the readiness of their internal audit activity for an external quality assessment

   

  Course Outline:

  Quality Standards and Recommended Guidance

• Interpret both mandatory and recommended guidance in the IPPF regarding establishing a quality assurance and improvement program (QAIP)
• Discuss key concepts of Standard 1300
• Clarify key elements of the Practice Guide

  Quality Assurance and Improvement Program

• Quality Assurance Process Model
• Explain the quality assessment process model and use its related tools as described in the Quality Assessment Manual published by The IIA to identify areas of focus for a quality assurance and improvement program (QAIP)
• Clarify the purpose of the quality assessment process model’s four segments: Internal Audit Governance, Internal Audit Staff, Internal Audit Management, and Internal Audit Process
• Contrast the purpose and use of the quality assessment process tools — planning guides, surveys, interview guides, and programs
• Identify any possible areas of focus for a quality assurance and improvement program QAIP
• Highlight key areas of focus for a QAIP, based on survey responses Quality Assurance – Internal Audit Process
• Design an ongoing quality assessment of internal audit process
• Interpret IPPF guidance related to quality assurance of internal audit processes
• Apply the planning guide to identify and highlight any gaps related to quality assurance for governance of the internal audit activity by performing a self-assessment involving the applicable IPPF guidance
• Clarify relevant criteria for assessing conformance to IPPF guidance related to quality assurance for governance of the internal audit activity

Building the Periodic Internal Assessment

• Design a comprehensive periodic internal assessment including key assessment activities, timing of their performance, and resource requirements to complete them
• Assess the readiness of the internal audit activity for an external quality assessment

Developing Metrics and Reporting for the QAIP

• Develop metrics and design reports of results of your internal audit QAIP
• Interpret key concepts from practice guide “Measuring Internal Audit Efficiency and Effectiveness
• Identify metrics to measure performance of the QAIP
• Clarify reporting requirements for QAIP contained in the IPPF
• Design reporting options to communicate results of the QAIP

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Building an effective QAIP is similar to establishing a total quality management program, where products and services are analyzed to verify they meet stakeholder expectations, operations are evaluated to determine their efficiency and effectiveness, and practices are assessed to confirm their conformance to standards.

Once the QAIP has been established, sustaining it requires leaders who are responsible for setting the proper tone in support of quality.

The quality assessment process flow model and related tools from the recently published Quality Manual provide the basis for class discussion and activities. Guided by knowledgeable facilitators with extensive experience in quality assessments, participants will:

• Learn how to apply The IIA’s International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) quality standards to establish an effective QAIP within their internal audit practice
• Gain experience with the quality assessment process model and related tools contained in the new Quality Manual to identify areas of focus for their own QAIPs
• Practice building the two key components of an effective QAIP: ongoing and periodic assessments
• Experience developing metrics and designing reports of results of their internal audit’s QAIP
• Assess the readiness of their internal audit activity for an external quality assessment

Course Content

Pre-assessment of QAIP principles

Quality Standards and Recommended Guidance

• Interpret both mandatory and recommended guidance in the IPPF regarding establishing a quality assurance and improvement program (QAIP)
• Discuss key concepts of Standard 1300
• Clarify key elements of the Practice Guide “Quality Assurance and Improvement Program

   

  Quality Assurance Process Model

• Explain the quality assessment process model and use its related tools as described in the Quality Assessment Manual published by The IIA to identify areas of focus for a quality assurance and improvement program (QAIP)
• Clarify the purpose of the quality assessment process model’s four segments: Internal Audit Governance, Internal Audit Staff, Internal Audit Management, and Internal Audit Process
• Contrast the purpose and use of the quality assessment process tools — planning guides, surveys, interview guides, and programs
• Identify any possible areas of focus for a quality assurance and improvement program QAIP
• Highlight key areas of focus for a QAIP, based on survey responses

   

  Quality Assurance – Internal Audit Process

• Design an ongoing quality assessment of internal audit process
• Interpret IPPF guidance related to quality assurance of internal audit processes
• Apply the planning guide to identify and prioritize any gaps related to quality assurance of internal audit processes by performing a self-assessment involving the relevant IPPF guidance
• Clarify the relevant criteria for assessing conformance to the IPPF guidance related to quality assurance of internal audit processes
• Developing the key elements of an ongoing monitoring review process that you can implement in your internal audit activity

Quality Assurance – Internal Audit Staff

• Design a periodic quality assessment related to internal audit staffing
• Interpret IPPF guidance related to quality assurance of internal audit staffing
• Applying the planning guide to identify and highlight any gaps related to quality assurance of internal audit staffing by performing a self-assessment involving applicable IPPF guidance
• Clarify the relevant criteria for assessing conformance to the IPPF guidance related to quality assurance of internal audit staffing
• Develop the key elements of a periodic self-assessment of internal audit staffing

   

  Quality Assurance – Internal Audit Governance

• Design a periodic quality assessment related to Internal Audit Governance Interpret IPPF guidance related to quality assurance for governance of the internal audit activity
• Apply the planning guide to identify and highlight any gaps related to quality assurance for governance of the internal audit activity by performing a self-assessment involving the applicable IPPF guidance
• Clarify relevant criteria for assessing conformance to IPPF guidance related to quality assurance for governance of the internal audit activity

   

  Building the Periodic Internal Assessment

• Design a comprehensive periodic internal assessment including key assessment activities, timing of their performance, and resource requirements to complete them
• Assess the readiness of the internal audit activity for an external quality assessment

   

  Developing Metrics and Reporting for the QAIP

• Develop metrics and design reports of results of your internal audit QAIP
• Interpret key concepts from practice guide “Measuring Internal Audit Efficiency and Effectiveness
• Identify metrics to measure performance of the QAIP
• Clarify reporting requirements for QAIP contained in the IPPF
• Design reporting options to communicate results of the QAIP

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Objectives

To create an awareness and understanding of the concept of root cause identification to enable participants to get to the actual root causes, when performing audits. Identifying and addressing the real rootcause(s) will result in value-add recommendations.

Course Content

• Introduction and Setting of Objectives
• Background re Importance of Root Cause Identification for the Internal Auditor
• Your Expectations and Challenges Identifying Root Causes
• Contextualising Internal Audit’s Role
• Group Discussion on Identifying Root Causes - Challenges when Identifying and Reporting Root Causes

• Four different scenarios for group discussions

• Root Cause & Root Cause Analysis (“RCA”)

• Defining Root Cause(s)

• Why do we need to determine Root Cause(s)?

• Three Types of Root Cause(s)

• Advantages of Root Cause Analysis

• 5 Phases of Root Cause Investigation [these 5 phases are discussed in detail]

• Data Collection

• Different Audit Steps to gather information

• Assessment

• Practical Approach to Identifying Root Causes (specifically for Internal Auditors)

• Problem [Control Break down / gap] Definition

• Develop an Ishikawa (aka ‘Fishbone’ or Cause and Effect Diagram)

• 8 different problems are analysed in the groups and feedback provided
• Implementing the Ishikawa
• The Root Cause Model

• Defining the Model

• Understanding and Implementing the Model (5 Key Categories with 45 sub-categories, definitions and classifications)

• 5 Key case studies to practise using the model

• Corrective Actions and Follow-up

• 10 key questions to ask to determine whether the problem has been effectively addressed

• Inform (Reporting)

• How to report on the root cause during the audit (working papers) and when developing the audit report

Case Studies (Piper Alpha Oil Rig Disaster)

• Comprehensive 24 minute DVD case study in identifying risks; key breakdowns and root causes. Analyses of various problem definitions, as well as current newspaper articles (to identify the problems and root causes)

Group discussion on key breakdowns and possible root causes

• 5 Different News Paper Clippings used with different problem definitions and root causes

• 15 Key questions relating to Root Cause Identification for Group Discussions

Conclusion - Achievement of Objectives - What have we learned?

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Background

Are you struggling to stay abreast of the fast-changing business environment and the ever-evolving role of Internal Audit?

Then join us for the Refresher Training for Experienced Internal Auditors Course, which is the best way to keep up-to-date with current internal audit practices and build on your level of knowledge, skills, and other competencies needed to demonstrate value to your stakeholders.

This intense interactive 3-day course covers a wide range of topics considered essential for internal auditors, in both the public and private sectors, to remain on top their game.

How will this course benefit you?

Assisting the internal auditor at a more senior level to stay abreast of changes within the Internal Audit arena by re-enforcing existing knowledge, sharing changes that occurred in the previous 2 – 3 years (depending on recency of attendee’s knowledge) and share know-how, practical experience, and application of principles between attendees.

Reinforce prior knowledge

• Strengthen understanding of key principles relating to internal audit in practice
• Stay abreast of the changes to the profession
• Be in a better position to demonstrate the required level of competence in your workplace

Course Content

Topic 1: The fundamentals of Internal Auditing

• Overview of the profession and how it has evolved

• IA career path at high level
• Systematically unpacking the elements of The International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF), with a focus on the attribute Standards at this stage, including practical case studies to demonstrate key principles.
• Self-assessment on the extent of leveraging available resources to increase efficiency and effectiveness of IA a. Organisational and IT governance
• Changes to the competency framework.
• Focus on the attribute Standards to include the proposed changes to the Standards.
• Demonstration of the relevance of the current implementation guidance going forward.

Topic 2: Internal audits' role in Governance and Risk Management

Principals of governance and risk management with reference to the most recent internationally recognised Frameworks, including:

• Organisational and IT governance
• Ethics management and culture
• Principals of fraud and the role of internal auditors in relation to fraud
• Enterprise risk management fundamentals and practical implementation
• Case study on the scope of governance in today’s environment
• Discussion of expected changes in the internal auditor’s role based on the proposed changes to the standards.

Topic 3: The internal audit process in practice - Part 1: Audit Planning

An in-depth examination of the various phases of the internal audit process using practical examples to demonstrate application of concepts relevant to both the private and public sectors. This section will cover:

• Principles of management as they relate to IA
• Comprehensively unpacking and understanding the internal audit planning process, both at strategic and engagement level, including:
  • Strategic audit planning, incl combined assurance
  • How to differentiate between assurance and consulting activities and what that really means
• Engagement planning tools and techniques
• Discussion of expected changes in the internal auditor’s role based on the proposed changes to the standards.

Topic 4: Demystifying internal controls and data analysis in practice

(Reminder: Participants must bring or have access to own device with MS office® installed)

• Principles and characteristics of sound control activities, including IT controls against relevant frameworks (COSO® and COBIT®)
• Nature, classification and types of controls and what it takes to audit such
• Practical data analysis case study using MS Excel®. Data files will be delivered to participants to facilitate practical application of:
  • Importing and cleaning of data
  • Working with dates
  • If statements
  • V-lookups and
  • Measures & dimensions using Pivot tables
• Updated with new and time saving features in Excel:
  • X-lookup replaces V-lookup and H-lookup.
  • New functions.
  • Moving between sheets.
  • Moving between filled and blank fields on a sheet.
  • Copying and inserting sheets into new or existing workbooks.

Topic 5: The internal audit process in practice - Part 2: Execution and effective communication

Unpacking the internal audit engagement process against good practice principles.

Using relevant process examples, this section will cover:

• Systematically unpacking the elements of:
  • Performing an engagement
  • Reporting / effectively communicating results
  • Monitoring progress tools and techniques
• Demonstrating the interrelationship of objectives, risks and controls, including terminology.
• Interactive case studies to demonstrate proficiency.
• Discussion of expected changes in the internal auditor’s role based on the proposed changes to the standards.

Method of Evaluation

Interactive case studies

Wrap-up and closure

Candidates are required to bring a laptop/device with Microsoft Excel® installed to the course.

Who should attend?

This course is suitable for internal auditors who have had at least 3 years current experience in internal auditing and wish to update and refresh their knowledge on the fundamental principles of the profession, the Standards and various tools and techniques used to build on the proficiency of internal auditors in the services they provide.

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

This course covers everything you need to know as an Internal Auditor, regarding the most effective audit practices or those who need to know about the most up to date practices in the profession.

If you are new to internal auditing and looking for a solid foundation as you enter the profession, this course is the perfect first step for you to become proficient in your new role. Think of it as your roadmap to understanding the fundamental concepts and knowledge you need to succeed in the world of internal audit.

During this course, you will learn about the professional standards, frameworks, and competencies you need to become competent in the profession, as well as the various career paths available to you as an internal auditor.

Are you trying to figure out the differences between an internal audit and other types of inspections?

Do you want to learn the basics of Internal Audit?

Do you want to identify the skills needed to become an effective auditor?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, this course is for you. It is time to figure out what you’re in for and what entails this rewarding career choice you’ve made. This course will teach you the basics and foundations of internal audit and introduce you to the skills necessary to be an effective internal auditor.

There has probably never been a more important or challenging time for Internal Audit. The ever-increasing pace of change has required the function to change significantly to become a business partner and process challenger.

Internal audit should be seen as vibrant and challenging, adding real value to the organization and being recognized as a catalyst for change and a business enabler.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Define internal audit, its scope, and function within the company
• List the internal audit standards constituting the framework of the internal audit activity
• Distinguish the types of internal audit assignments related to operational, compliance or internal financial audit
• Describe the internal audit fieldwork guidelines and apply techniques for risk identification, controls identification and controls testing
• Select the appropriate internal audit test tools and list the advantages and disadvantages of each
• Identify best sampling techniques in an internal audit assignment regarding sample size or sample selection
• Recognize fraud and express internal auditor’s responsibility for fraud detection

Course includes:

Session 1 – The Profession of Internal Auditing

• Definitions and trends including changing Internal audit roles and responsibilities
• Why IA is not ‘The Checker.’ - Is IA the police, an assurance provider or a consultant?
• Why the modern IA role focuses on opportunities for improvement and workable solutions
• Frequently asked questions about the IA role and clearing up misconceptions about the role
• What it means to be an internal auditor and explaining the role to others
• Corporate governance and the IA role is not permitted to undertake
• The Audit Committee

Session 2 – Internal Audit Standards

• Professional guidance
• Internal Audit role and responsibilities
• Key elements – Integrity – Objectivity – Competence – Strategic alignment
• The 3 E’s
• Assurance and insight
• Promoting positive change
• Definition and characteristics of fraud and Internal auditor’s role in a fraud case

Session 3 – Risk and IA

• Definition of risk and types of risk in an organization
• Functions of management: planning, organizing, implementing and controlling
• Internal audit as a function of corporate governance
• The scope of internal auditing: the internal audit charter
• Reviewing the effectiveness of the risk management process adopted
• Determining which risks should be concentrated on in the audit

Session 4 – Types of Internal Auditing

Session 5 – Preparing for an Audit

• Control framework
• Audit planning
• Completing the assignment
• The audit file
• Steps in preparing for an audit
• How to deal with experts in the field
• The need for confidence

Session 6 – The importance of communication with the client

• New IIA guidance on delivering Internal audit assignments
• The pre-meeting
• Preparation and confidence
• The need to treat your customers with respect
• Techniques to put management at ease
• IIA guidance on influencing skills
• Securing management input
• Functional and audit objectives
• Developing terms of reference for the assignment
• Determining sources of information

Session 7 – Understanding Controls

• Business process analysis techniques
• Process objectives and risk
• The need to understand the business objectives
• Developing a programme to reflect these objectives
• Assessing the business objectives
• Determining process components
• The link between goals and risk
• The relationship between risks and controls
• Process and business system controls
• The connection between inputs and outputs
• Trigger events
• Types of control
• Preventative, corrective and detective controls
• Getting to the causes of control failure
• The opportunity cost of poor internal control
• Questions to ask
• How to gather and evaluate information
• Documenting controls

Session 8 – Executing the engagement.

• Information gathered by internal auditors
• Types of engagement procedures
• Interviewing skills: how to run a successful interview
• Roleplay: internal auditor in action
• Verification and confirmations
• Internal audit working papers
• Retention policies
• Legal considerations for communicating results
• Four attributes of observation or guidance
• Disseminating results and exit meetings

Session 9 – The Audit File

• The audit file structure
• The peer review notes
• Ensure all areas are covered
• Ensuring all working papers and checklists are completed
• Identification of key review points
• Tips for electronic working papers

Session 10 – Writing the Report

• Writing with impact to achieve what management expects.
• The report as your shop window
• The common problems with audit reports
• Avoiding the pitfalls
• Keeping the report as simple as possible and understanding what to write
• Being sure of the facts
• How to assess a report
• The executive summary – Dos and don’ts
• Words and phrases to avoid
• The psychological dilemma with reports
• Why audit reports are taken as a criticism of management
• The main report – Best practice ideas

• Presenting results and how to get of your recommendations actioned

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

This course includes the QAR Manual

An external quality assessment is and will continue to be an evaluation of conformance to the Standards. Evidence suggests that conformance with the Standards is indicative of adherence with the Core Principles. As Implementation Guides are released, they will collectively address internal auditing’s approach, methodologies, and consideration in applying the Standards.

All CAEs are required to develop a QAIP that includes both internal and external assessments. Internal assessments will include both ongoing monitoring and periodic self-assessment. External assessments may be either a full external assessment or a self-assessment with independent validation.

Course Outline:

Quality Assessment Manual and Process Overview

• Examine the IIA’s Framework for Quality Assessment to identify how the process can be used on external and internal quality assessments.
• Answer common quality assessment questions using The IIA’s International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) resources.
• Describe the Quality Assessment Manual process flow and its tools.
• Contrast the three types of internal audit quality assessment.

   

  Planning the Quality Assessment

• Plan an external quality assessment by implementing the QA Manual tools.
• Describe key features of planning guides.
• Apply the planning tools to a quality assessment.
• Describe key features of surveys.
• Analyze survey results.

Practical Case Study

Performing the Quality Assessment

• Perform an external quality assessment by implementing the QA Manual tools.
• Describe the key features of interview guides.
• Analyze interview results.
• Describe key features of QA programs.
• Analyze QA program results. Evaluating QA Results
• Evaluate an external quality assessment by implementing the QA Manual tools.
• Apply evaluation criteria on common QA scenarios that require a high-level of professional judgment.
• Determine final ratings (evaluation results).
• Describe key features of the QA evaluation framework and tools.
• Develop value-added solutions for common QA issues and opportunities.

Practical Case Study

Periodic Internal Quality Assessment Approaches

• Develop, or validate, an efficient and effective periodic internal assessment approach for your internal audit activity.
• Discuss implications of periodic internal QA based on IPPF guidance.
• Discuss common periodic assessment challenges and possible solutions.
• Identify the factors needed for an efficient and effective periodic internal QA program.

  Practical Case Study

   

  External Quality Assessment Options

• Determine, or validate, the external quality assurance option that will work best for your internal audit activity.
• Determine the pros and cons and other considerations of the external QA options.
• Describe rationale for selecting the best external QA option.
• Identify opportunities for applying the option selection concepts to your internal audit activity.
• Discuss successful practices used by internal audit activities to get ready for an external assessment.

Assessment: Formal Final Examination with pass rate of 75%

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

This course includes the QAR Manual

Course Outline:

Quality Assessment Manual and Process Overview

• Examine The IIA’s Framework for Quality Assessment to identify how the process can be used on external and internal quality assessments.
• Answer common quality assessment questions using The IIA’s International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) resources.
• Describe the Quality Assessment Manual process flow and its tools.
• Contrast the three types of internal audit quality assessment.

Planning the Quality Assessment

• Plan an external quality assessment by implementing the QA Manual tools.
• Describe key features of planning guides.
• Apply the planning tools to a quality assessment.
• Describe key features of surveys.
• Analyze survey results.

Performing the Quality Assessment

• Perform an external quality assessment by implementing the QA Manual tools.
• Describe the key features of interview guides.
• Analyze interview results.
• Describe key features of QA programs.
• Analyze QA program results.

Evaluating QA Results

• Evaluate an external quality assessment by implementing the QA Manual tools.
• Apply evaluation criteria on common QA scenarios that require a high-level of professional judgment.
• Determine final ratings (evaluation results).
  • Describe key features of the QA evaluation framework and tools.
  • Develop value-added solutions for common QA issues and opportunities.

Periodic Internal Quality Assessment Approaches

• Develop, or validate, an efficient and effective periodic internal assessment approach for your internal audit activity.

• Discuss implications of periodic internal QA based on IPPF guidance.
• Discuss common periodic assessment challenges and possible solutions.
• Identify the factors needed for an efficient and effective periodic internal QA program.

External Quality Assessment Options

• Determine, or validate, the external quality assurance option that will work best for your internal audit activity.
• Determine the pros and cons and other considerations of the external QA options.
• Describe rationale for selecting the best external QA option.
• Identify opportunities for applying the option selection concepts to your internal audit activity.
• Discuss successful practices used by internal audit activities to get ready for an external assessment.

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

How will this course benefit you?

The aim of this course is to enable participants to effectively present the results of their internal audit engagement.

Course Content

After completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify and develop constructive audit findings
• Discuss audit findings with clients
• Obtain agreement with management to take corrective actions
• State the objectives and methods of reporting
• Develop an audit report outline
• Compile an effective report and
• Provide guidance and constructive feedback on a report
• Introduction and Setting of Objectives
• The IIA Standards – audit and reporting process
• The Audit and Reporting Process (as per the Standards)
• Sources of audit findings
• Elements of audit findings
• Determining the audit objective
• Assessing the condition
• Establishing the impact
• Determining the cause / contributing factors
• Developing the audit finding and recommendation
• Audit communication (including interviewing, reporting and presenting to management – discussion with management and incorporating their comments)

• Overcoming resistance to change through effective communication
• Agreeing action and resolving disagreements

• Developing the audit report (structure for impact)
• Following up on reports
• Effectiveness of reporting (characteristics of an effective report)

• (New section included): English Writing Tips (high level pointers (1 hour session)
• Case studies: Please refer to “Method of Evaluation” below
• Conclusion – What have we learned?

Method of evaluation

• Participants will be required to develop and write numerous findings and to construct a report using the best practice principles learned during the course. The nature of this course is highly interactive and practical – numerous case studies will be presented. The presenter will review the final products for the adequacy and effectiveness thereof.

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

More than just an introduction to Corporate Governance and Risk Management, this course approaches the risks related to corporate governance from a practical perspective, giving participants the chance to apply what they know and have learned through a case study approach. The approach is a comprehensive analysis of a company covering all aspects in terms of good corporate governance practices as outlined in King IV. Steinhoff, VBS, Eskom – what more is there to be said of corporate failures which demonstrates the real need for effective corporate governance practices.

This course will highlight:

• Defining Governance and Risk Management
• Understanding what a governance is audit.
• Techniques for assessing governance risks.
• Methods for analysing governance controls
• The 15 key governance board risks to be reviewed
• How to audit IT governance

Course Outline:

• The Key Aspects of Corporate Governance
  • What is Corporate Governance?
  • 6 Core Principles of Governance
  • The Governance Warning Signs
  • Corporate Governance Insights Paper
• Governance Assessment Techniques
  • COSO Advisory Paper – Improving organizational performance and Governance
  • Governance and Strategy
  • Governance Models
  • Codes of Governance Requirements
• The Business Environment
  • The Standards, Processes, and Structures
  • The Tone at the Top Regarding the Importance of Internal Control
• Analysing and Assessing the Effectiveness of Governance Controls

• The Need to Understand the Business Objectives
• The Link between Objectives and Risk
• The Link between Risks and Controls

• Scoping a Governance Audit
  • Governance Structure
• The Need for Governance Audit of the Board
  • The Key Role of the Board in Governance
  • The Need to Assess the Risks at this Level
  • Determining the Key Risks and Causes
  • The Audit Approach in this Sensitive Area
• The 15 Key Governance Board Risks to be Reviewed
• Auditing the Overall Risk Management Process
• Evaluating Risk Appetite
• Auditing the Audit Committee Process
• Auditing Reputation
• Corporate Social Responsibility
  • The Increasing Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
• Auditing IT Governance
  • Global Technology Audit Guides (GTAG’s)
  • The Need to Determine the Boundaries
  • Defining the IT Audit Universe
• Reviewing Key Controls Over Technology
• Assessing Management Information Governance

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Content:

This course will provide the information to transform your internal audit department into a more agile environment.

This course will benefit internal audit directors and managers who want to better understand the value of Agile auditing.

The course also is a great tool for training staff of internal audit departments that are making the transition to Agile auditing using scrum.

Agile auditing' is a buzzword that has been thrown around a lot over the last two decades, but what does it actually mean and what are the benefits of being agile as an internal auditor?

Learning Objectives:

• Defining Agile Auditing
• Benefits of agile auditing
• Agile Auditing Examples

• How to get started

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Objectives:

• To Explain the various schemes used by employees, managers, directors & organised criminals to defraud organisations
• To quantify the losses from these schemes and scams.
• To illustrate the human factors in fraud.
• To equip auditors and accountants with proven techniques in fraud prevention and detection so that they will be able to better manage these challenges in everyday business.

Course Content:

An overview of Fraud

• The nature of Fraud
• Why fraud happens
• Who is involved in fraud
• How occupational fraud affects your business
• Profile of a fraudster and criminology theories
• Fraud responsibilities according to the IIA Standards

   

  Corruption

• Conflicts of interest
• Bribery (Kickbacks and bid rigging)
• Illegal gratuities
• Economic Extortion
• Controls to prevent corruption

Asset Misappropriation (includes case studies)

• Cash Theft Schemes
• Billing Schemes
• Payroll Schemes
• Expense Reimbursement Schemes
• Document Fraud
• Procurement fraud
• Debtors fraud
• Controls to prevent asset misappropriation

   

   

  Fraudulent Statements

• Asset/revenue over-statements & understatements
• Some major financial statement fraud case studies
• How auditors can assess the risk of fraud in financial reporting
• The fraud risk register

Computer Fraud

• Phishing & social engineering (responsible for 80% of all data breaches)
• BEC (Business Email Compromise)
• Five stages of computer fraud classification
• How to train employees to prevent and detect computer frauds

  Local examples of BEC emails and spoofed web pages will be examined for red flags.

  The 8-step Fraud Auditing Process as per ISA 240

  Reducing Your Fraud Risk – based on the ACFE’s Fraud Prevention Check-up

• Fraud Prevention & Detection - the 10 building blocks:

❖ Internal controls, Fraud risk assessments, Achieving accountability, Ethics programs, Awareness programs, Background checks, Fraud related policies, Data analysis, Fraud hotlines and Tone at the top.

❖ Attendees can evaluate their own organisation’s 10 building blocks via a high-level gap analysis – this is the key take-away that provides a foundation from which to audit the fraud risks of their respective organisations.

❖ If we have public sector representatives in the audience we relate the 10 building blocks to what is recommended by National Treasury, namely the Fraud Prevention Plan - Fraud Prevention Policy and Fraud Prevention Strategy.

Group case study that summarises what was learnt over the past 2 days. Class will break into groups and answer 16 questions.

The good, the bad and the ugly – 3 short case studies (global and local) to summarise the course content.

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Seminar Objective

Welcome to this 3-day course on how to effectively and efficiently audit the performance information cycle of public sector organisations.The course has been designed to ensure that you are adequately equipped and capacitated with the knowledge and skills required to perform your work as effectively, efficiently and economically as possible in your quest to add value to your clients.

Internal Audit is one of nine Public Financial Management (PFM) disciplines that the Capacity Building Chief Directorate in the National Treasury is responsible for in terms of building capacity. In its endeavours to build a capable and competent state, and to professionalise the Public Sector, this short course has been designed specifically to simulate the workplace and bring a practice-orientated approach to learning.

Purpose

Performance information has become an increasingly important focus area in the public sector environment. This course aims to give practical guidance on how internal auditors in the public sector can positively influence the usefulness and reliability of performance information throughout the performance information cycle.

This course is designed to address the needs highlighted in South Africa’s National Development Plan – Vision 2030 with specific reference to the three main priorities of the Plan being:

• Improving the quality of education, skills development and innovation; and
• Building the capacity of the state to play a developmental, transformative role.
• The National Treasury Capacity Development Strategy’s (CDS) which is aligned to the NDP 2030, has been designed to address capacity and competency challenges and strives to achieve four key strategic objectives, being to:
• Support the development of an enabling environment;
• Enhance organisational capacity;
• Develop and empower a corps of competent and committed high-performance employees; and
• Create an environment that enables and sustains mutually beneficial stakeholder relationships.

Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, each participant should be able to demonstrate practically, through consulting and assurance work, how to:

• Evaluate whether compliance with the relevant legislation, frameworks and policies has been achieved in the development of the:
  • Strategic Plan (SP)/ Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and
  • Annual Performance Plan (APP)/ Service Delivery Budget Implementation Plan (SDBIP).
  • Analysis and interpretation of the requirements related to the SP/ IDP and APP/ SDBIP of a public institution.
• Determine if there is consistency/alignment between the:
  • mandate of the institution;
  • strategic objectives as indicated in the SP/ IDP
  • performance indicators (PI’s);
  • APP/ SDBIP
  • quarterly performance reports (QPR’s);
  • annual performance reports (APR); and

• Ensure that controls around the development, maintenance and reporting of the SP and APP are appropriately designed and effectively implemented.
• Identify priority areas for audit, through inspection of amongst others the:
  • budget;
  • risk identification process; and
  • Mandate of the institution.
• Develop an adequate audit programme to address the identified risks.
• Effectively audit the performance information in terms of:
  • Usefulness/”SMART” criteria; and
  • Reliability criteria (validity; accuracy and completeness).

Requirements

The following is required from delegates attending this course:

• Basic knowledge on the frameworks for performance information
• Pre-reading on the following:
  • Framework for managing programme performance information
  • Framework for Strategic plans and annual performance plans
  • Internal Audit Guidance manual: AoPI at National & Provincial Departments (NT 1st edition 2016)
• Competent in use of Microsoft Products:
  • Word
  • Excel
• Laptops/notebooks are required
• Assessments will be completed for this course:
  • Self-Pre-Assessment
  • Overall Self-assessment (with post assessment debrief

Who should attend?

This course is aimed at all public sector internal auditors at junior management to senior management levels for National Departments, Provincial Departments and Municipalities

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Objectives:

• To Explain the various schemes used by employees, managers, directors & organised criminals to defraud organisations
• To quantify the losses from these schemes and scams.
• To illustrate the human factors in fraud.
• To equip auditors and accountants with proven techniques in fraud prevention and detection so that they will be able to better manage these challenges in everyday business.

Course Content:

An overview of Fraud

• The nature of Fraud
• Why fraud happens
• Who is involved in fraud
• How occupational fraud affects your business
• Profile of a fraudster and criminology theories
• Fraud responsibilities according to the IIA Standards
• Money Laundering

   

  Corruption

• Conflicts of interest
• Bribery (Kickbacks and bid rigging)
• Illegal gratuities
• Economic Extortion

Asset Misappropriation (includes case studies)

• Cash Theft Schemes
• Fraudulent disbursements
• Inventory theft
• Computer & Internet Crimes

   

  Fraudulent Statements

• Asset/revenue over-statements & understatements
• Some major Financial statement fraud case studies
• How auditors can assess the risk of fraud in financial reporting

  Computer Fraud

• Current scam methods being used by criminals to defraud
• Computer fraud classification
• The importance of security awareness training

How to audit fraud: The 8-step Fraud Auditing Process as per ISA24, starting with professional scepticism and including triangulation, the fraud triangle and the fraud exposure rectangle.

Reducing your Organisations Fraud Risk: the 10 building blocks based on the ACFE’s Fraud Prevention Check-up:

• Tone at the top
• Ethics programs
• Accountability
• Fraud hotlines
• Recruitment/background checks
• Fraud related policies
• Training & Awareness programs
• Internal controls
• Data analytics/using technology, and
• Fraud / Ethics risk assessment

Group Case Study:

The good, the bad and the ugly – 3 short case studies (global and local) to summarise the course content

Who should attend?

Internal auditors on level 1, 2 & 3, accountants, compliance officers, risk managers, and any employee who may be involved in preventing and / or detecting fraud

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Seminar Objective

Welcome to this 3-day course on how to effectively and efficiently audit the performance information cycle of public sector organisations.The course has been designed to ensure that you are adequately equipped and capacitated with the knowledge and skills required to perform your work as effectively, efficiently and economically as possible in your quest to add value to your clients.

Internal Audit is one of nine Public Financial Management (PFM) disciplines that the Capacity Building Chief Directorate in the National Treasury is responsible for in terms of building capacity. In its endeavours to build a capable and competent state, and to professionalise the Public Sector, this short course has been designed specifically to simulate the workplace and bring a practice-orientated approach to learning.

Purpose

Performance information has become an increasingly important focus area in the public sector environment. This course aims to give practical guidance on how internal auditors in the public sector can positively influence the usefulness and reliability of performance information throughout the performance information cycle.

This course is designed to address the needs highlighted in South Africa’s National Development Plan – Vision 2030 with specific reference to the three main priorities of the Plan being:

• Improving the quality of education, skills development and innovation; and
• Building the capacity of the state to play a developmental, transformative role.
• The National Treasury Capacity Development Strategy’s (CDS) which is aligned to the NDP 2030, has been designed to address capacity and competency challenges and strives to achieve four key strategic objectives, being to:
• Support the development of an enabling environment;
• Enhance organisational capacity;
• Develop and empower a corps of competent and committed high-performance employees; and
• Create an environment that enables and sustains mutually beneficial stakeholder relationships.

Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, each participant should be able to demonstrate practically, through consulting and assurance work, how to:

• Evaluate whether compliance with the relevant legislation, frameworks and policies has been achieved in the development of the:
  • Strategic Plan (SP)/ Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and
  • Annual Performance Plan (APP)/ Service Delivery Budget Implementation Plan (SDBIP).
  • Analysis and interpretation of the requirements related to the SP/ IDP and APP/ SDBIP of a public institution.
• Determine if there is consistency/alignment between the:
  • mandate of the institution;
  • strategic objectives as indicated in the SP/ IDP
  • performance indicators (PI’s);
  • APP/ SDBIP
  • quarterly performance reports (QPR’s);
  • annual performance reports (APR); and

• Ensure that controls around the development, maintenance and reporting of the SP and APP are appropriately designed and effectively implemented.
• Identify priority areas for audit, through inspection of amongst others the:
  • budget;
  • risk identification process; and
  • Mandate of the institution.
• Develop an adequate audit programme to address the identified risks.
• Effectively audit the performance information in terms of:
  • Usefulness/”SMART” criteria; and
  • Reliability criteria (validity; accuracy and completeness).

Requirements

The following is required from delegates attending this course:

• Basic knowledge on the frameworks for performance information
• Pre-reading on the following:
  • Framework for managing programme performance information
  • Framework for Strategic plans and annual performance plans
  • Internal Audit Guidance manual: AoPI at National & Provincial Departments (NT 1st edition 2016)
• Competent in use of Microsoft Products:
  • Word
  • Excel
• Laptops/notebooks are required
• Assessments will be completed for this course:
  • Self-Pre-Assessment
  • Overall Self-assessment (with post assessment debrief

Who should attend?

This course is aimed at all public sector internal auditors at junior management to senior management levels for National Departments, Provincial Departments and Municipalities

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

How will this course benefit you?

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify and develop constructive audit findings
• Discuss audit findings with clients
• Obtain agreement with management to take corrective action
• State the objectives and methods of reporting
• Develop an audit report outline
• Compile an effective report
• Provide guidance and constructive feedback on a report

Course Content

Review of Accounting Principles

• Debits and credits
• GAAP / IFRS / GRAP

Information Flow from Business Process to Financial Statement

• Procurement to financial statement
• Revenue
• Fixed assets
• Payroll and production cost
• Sales and marketing
• Financial reporting

Financial Statements

• Balance sheet
• Income statement
• Annual reports
• Analyzing financial statements

Common Recipes for Cooking the Books

• The big ones -- Enron, WorldCom, etc.
• SA Specific:Steinhoff
• Common manipulations
• Motivations

IT Applications

• Basics of application audits

Financial auditing process

• Identifying objectives
• Risk assessment
• Identifying controls
• Testing procedures

Emerging Trends

• Sarbanes-Oxley update
• Audit roles
• Keeping current

Delegates are provided with template work papers and audit programs

Post-assessment an actual case study to determine knowledge transfer

Who should attend?

Internal auditors who want to understand and expand their roles related to financial reporting. Internal auditors who need a “refresher” course on financial accounting concepts. Managers who want to expand their knowledge of financial reporting and controls.

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

How will this course benefit you?

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify and develop constructive audit findings
• Discuss audit findings with clients
• Obtain agreement with management to take corrective action
• State the objectives and methods of reporting
• Develop an audit report outline
• Compile an effective report
• Provide guidance and constructive feedback on a report

Course Content

Review of Accounting Principles

• Debits and credits
• GAAP / IFRS / GRAP

Information Flow from Business Process to Financial Statement

• Procurement to financial statement
• Revenue
• Fixed assets
• Payroll and production cost
• Sales and marketing
• Financial reporting

Financial Statements

• Balance sheet
• Income statement
• Annual reports
• Analyzing financial statements

Common Recipes for Cooking the Books

• The big ones -- Enron, WorldCom, etc.
• SA Specific:Steinhoff
• Common manipulations
• Motivations

IT Applications

• Basics of application audits

Financial auditing process

• Identifying objectives
• Risk assessment
• Identifying controls
• Testing procedures

Emerging Trends

• Sarbanes-Oxley update
• Audit roles
• Keeping current

Delegates are provided with template work papers and audit programs

Post-assessment an actual case study to determine knowledge transfer

Who should attend?

Internal auditors who want to understand and expand their roles related to financial reporting. Internal auditors who need a “refresher” course on financial accounting concepts. Managers who want to expand their knowledge of financial reporting and controls.

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Objective

Internal Auditors need to understand their own and other patterns of behaviour to enable effective relationship-building with their clients and colleagues. The key objective of this course is to provide delegates with the necessary tools to improve on their behavioural patterns and communication skills. This encompasses effective relationship building, communication, presentation skills, interviewing, marketing/ selling and conflict management tools and techniques.

Course Content

1. Introduction – Creating the Context of Human Behaviour (the “Ice Cream” model) Building the case for Self-development – understanding myself; understanding others’ behaviour; and appreciating how I can influence others in a positive / destructive manner.
2. Interpersonal Skills needed by Internal Auditors during the entire Audit Process
   1. Obtaining / Gathering Information from all levels of management and staff
      • Understanding and dealing with different types of personalities
      • Rapport-building
      • Verbal and non-verbal communication (Unwritten Rules)
      • Effective Presentation Skills
      • Body language (various video clips case studies)
      • Dress code
      • Interview and listening skills
      • Interview Techniques
      • Listening Blocks (practical case study hand-outs)
      • Preparing and Planning for the Interview
      • Conducting the Interview and De-briefing
      • Real and Fake Listening
      • Listening Skills
      • Techniques to Improve your Listening Skills
      • Various practical case studies: “The Prisoner’s Dilemma” (dealing with issues of listening skills; ethics; assumptions; and diversity management) and other Internal Audit case studies (role plays, planning and conducting the interviews)
   2. Discussion of Audit Findings and Reports with all levels of management and staff
      • All of the above sessions refer
      • Selling/marketing audit findings (selling/marketing principles)
      • Conflict Management (Dealing with bullies and cry-babies (short video, “Everybody Loves Raymond)).
      • Five Different conflict management styles – identified and analysed – understanding your own style and the style of others
   3. Discussion of Audit Findings and Reports with all levels of management and staff
      • All of the above sessions refer
      • Selling/marketing audit findings (selling/marketing principles)
      • Conflict Management (Dealing with bullies and cry-babies (short video, “Everybody Loves Raymond)).

• Five Different conflict management styles – identified and analysed – understanding your own style and the style of others
• Negotiation Skills (How to convince management of the significance of your audit findings and how to approach and convince different types of personalities)
• Practical Case Studies: Client-specific Environment

The above modules take two days to complete. Workshop participants will be provided with a Workshop Booklet. Case studies will be tailored for the client’s specific environment.

The course addresses the following key areas:

• The Case for Self-development (Self-assessment of interpersonal skills)
• The Context of Human Behaviour
• Understanding and dealing with different personalities (Type A/B); Self-assessments
• Behavioural Patterns (understanding your own and others’)
• Verbal and non-verbal communication (Unwritten Rules including short video)
• Rapport-building
• Body language (short video)
• Interview and listening skills
• Interview Techniques
• Listening Skills (including practical exercises)
• Listening Blocks (practical case study hand-outs)
• Case study: “The Prisoner’s Dilemma” (dealing with issues of listening skills; ethics; assumptions; and diversity management)
• Selling/marketing audit findings (selling/marketing video)
• Conflict Management (Dealing with bullies and cry-babies (short video, “Everybody Loves Raymond))
• Negotiation Skills (How to convince management of the significance of your audit findings and how to approach and convince different types of personalities)
• Practical Case Studies: Client-specific Environment
• Conclusion – what have we learned?

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Synopsis

Many attempts to use Data analysis as a means to accelerate audits and increase audit coverage seem to fail and this is due to lack of understanding of DATA per se. i.e. How is it structured, how is integrated, where and how to get it and finally what tools to use to manipulate the data to achieve Audit objectives.

In short, if you do not understand the data, you cannot be sure of its authenticity and thus your results from data analysis could be counter-productive or worse, provide inaccurate conclusions. Technology continues to rapidly transform the Audit Activity and it is vitally important that the IA profession keep abreast with these changes. Whether you are an Auditor currently wading in technology back-waters or you are currently utilizing Computer assisted tools to undertake audits it is crucial to understand how the source data is originated, structured, manipulated, stored, safe-guarded and utilized to produce meaningful information. To this end it is necessary for Internal Audit to understand how Application systems are designed and structured as this will form the basis for appreciating and using Data Analytics in auditing. In addition to other benefits such as improving sales, production, resource development etc., Data Analytics can be Risk-focused adding additional insights into effectiveness of Internal Control, Fraud and Compliance while enabling greater audit depth and coverage instead of restricting audit activity to sample auditing due to resource and budget limitations. Given the above, it is extremely important for Internal Audit to leverage DA in Internal Audit activity, demonstrating enhanced and visible IA value-add to the organization.

Expected Outcome

• Understanding the theory and practice of Application Systems design to enable embedded auditing and continuous auditing and audit analysis of data.
• A greater depth of understanding of data definitions, structures and relationship-the basis on which Data Analytics is undertaken.
• Understanding Data Analytics
• The enablers of Data Analytics and,
• The challenges in acquiring and using Data Analytics
• Approach and Implementation Plan

  Course Content

• Overview of Application Systems Design & Data Analytics

• Introduction, Definitions and Concepts of Data & Databases & Interrelated/Integrated Databases & Data-warehousing.
• Importance & Benefits to Internal Audit

• Designing an Application System
  • Overview understanding of Database concepts
  • Understanding Database Relationships
  • Understanding the Application Systems design process

  [Practical Session 1 – Design a database for a given Application Scenario]

• Programming Considerations for the Database
  • Understanding Automated Formatting and Edit Checks
  • Understanding Embedded Audit Routines

  [Practical Session 2 – Consider Format & Edit Checks & embedded audit routines for your database created in Session 1]

• Data Gathering Process for Data Analytics Activity
  • Data collection from single and integrated databases
  • Data collection (Data mining) from data-warehouse
• Understanding Data Analytics
  • Overview of Data Analytics & Data Analytics Process
  • Data Analytic Tools
  • Resource Requirements and Challenges
  • Internal Audit use
• Using Excel and Excel Add-Ins for Data Analytics (Theory)
  • Overview of Basic Excel tools for analytics
  • Overview of Advanced Excel Tools
• Approach to Implementing Data Analytics for Auditing
  • How to get started – Overcome resource constraints
  • How to Plan for the use of Data Analytics.

     

  Evaluation Method

• Assess Group-Work Outputs & Practical Sessions

Who should attend?

A must for Internal Audit, IT Audit, Risk & Fraud Risk management as well as Business

Unit Managers who seek to leverage Business Improvement from Data Analytics.

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Synopsis

Many attempts to use Data analysis as a means to accelerate audits and increase audit coverage seem to fail and this is due to lack of understanding of DATA per se. i.e. How is it structured, how is integrated, where and how to get it and finally what tools to use to manipulate the data to achieve Audit objectives.

In short, if you do not understand the data, you cannot be sure of its authenticity and thus your results from data analysis could be counter-productive or worse, provide inaccurate conclusions. Technology continues to rapidly transform the Audit Activity and it is vitally important that the IA profession keep abreast with these changes. Whether you are an Auditor currently wading in technology back-waters or you are currently utilizing Computer assisted tools to undertake audits it is crucial to understand how the source data is originated, structured, manipulated, stored, safe-guarded and utilized to produce meaningful information. To this end it is necessary for Internal Audit to understand how Application systems are designed and structured as this will form the basis for appreciating and using Data Analytics in auditing. In addition to other benefits such as improving sales, production, resource development etc., Data Analytics can be Risk-focused adding additional insights into effectiveness of Internal Control, Fraud and Compliance while enabling greater audit depth and coverage instead of restricting audit activity to sample auditing due to resource and budget limitations. Given the above, it is extremely important for Internal Audit to leverage DA in Internal Audit activity, demonstrating enhanced and visible IA value-add to the organization.

Expected Outcome

• Understanding the theory and practice of Application Systems design to enable embedded auditing and continuous auditing and audit analysis of data.
• A greater depth of understanding of data definitions, structures and relationship-the basis on which Data Analytics is undertaken.
• Understanding Data Analytics
• The enablers of Data Analytics and,
• The challenges in acquiring and using Data Analytics
• Approach and Implementation Plan

  Course Content

• Overview of Application Systems Design & Data Analytics

• Introduction, Definitions and Concepts of Data & Databases & Interrelated/Integrated Databases & Data-warehousing.
• Importance & Benefits to Internal Audit

• Designing an Application System
  • Overview understanding of Database concepts
  • Understanding Database Relationships
  • Understanding the Application Systems design process

  [Practical Session 1 – Design a database for a given Application Scenario]

• Programming Considerations for the Database
  • Understanding Automated Formatting and Edit Checks
  • Understanding Embedded Audit Routines

  [Practical Session 2 – Consider Format & Edit Checks & embedded audit routines for your database created in Session 1]

• Data Gathering Process for Data Analytics Activity
  • Data collection from single and integrated databases
  • Data collection (Data mining) from data-warehouse
• Understanding Data Analytics
  • Overview of Data Analytics & Data Analytics Process
  • Data Analytic Tools
  • Resource Requirements and Challenges
  • Internal Audit use
• Using Excel and Excel Add-Ins for Data Analytics (Theory)
  • Overview of Basic Excel tools for analytics
  • Overview of Advanced Excel Tools
• Approach to Implementing Data Analytics for Auditing
  • How to get started – Overcome resource constraints
  • How to Plan for the use of Data Analytics.

     

  Evaluation Method

• Assess Group-Work Outputs & Practical Sessions

Who should attend?

A must for Internal Audit, IT Audit, Risk & Fraud Risk management as well as Business

Unit Managers who seek to leverage Business Improvement from Data Analytics.

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Content:

To determine whether control systems are adequate to minimise/manage the risks.

Identifying and analysing the relevant risks and the accompanying controls to validate whether the controls linked to the risks are adequate in order to manage the risks. This step is performed during the planning phase and provides guidance as to whether the audit should continue as an assurance engagement or whether the assignment should be redesigned as a consulting engagement.

Participants will be provided with the essential tips on how to evaluate the adequacy of controls during the planning phase of the audit.

Working through case studies, within a group format.

Learning Objectives:

• Course Content using available technological resources.
• Determine the extent and types of controls being used by the client.
• Determine which of the key controls the auditor intends evaluate further.

• Based on the first two steps, determine which audit procedures should be expanded or reduced.
• Providing workable solutions to audit clients

All participants will be provided with a case study and templates for the evaluations.

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Objective

Internal Auditors need to understand their own and other patterns of behaviour to enable effective relationship-building with their clients and colleagues. The key objective of this course is to provide delegates with the necessary tools to improve on their behavioural patterns and communication skills. This encompasses effective relationship building, communication, presentation skills, interviewing, marketing/ selling and conflict management tools and techniques.

Course Content

1. Introduction – Creating the Context of Human Behaviour (the “Ice Cream” model) Building the case for Self-development – understanding myself; understanding others’ behaviour; and appreciating how I can influence others in a positive / destructive manner.
2. Interpersonal Skills needed by Internal Auditors during the entire Audit Process
   1. Obtaining / Gathering Information from all levels of management and staff
      • Understanding and dealing with different types of personalities
      • Rapport-building
      • Verbal and non-verbal communication (Unwritten Rules)
      • Effective Presentation Skills
      • Body language (various video clips case studies)
      • Dress code
      • Interview and listening skills
      • Interview Techniques
      • Listening Blocks (practical case study hand-outs)
      • Preparing and Planning for the Interview
      • Conducting the Interview and De-briefing
      • Real and Fake Listening
      • Listening Skills
      • Techniques to Improve your Listening Skills
      • Various practical case studies: “The Prisoner’s Dilemma” (dealing with issues of listening skills; ethics; assumptions; and diversity management) and other Internal Audit case studies (role plays, planning and conducting the interviews)
   2. Discussion of Audit Findings and Reports with all levels of management and staff
      • All of the above sessions refer
      • Selling/marketing audit findings (selling/marketing principles)
      • Conflict Management (Dealing with bullies and cry-babies (short video, “Everybody Loves Raymond)).
      • Five Different conflict management styles – identified and analysed – understanding your own style and the style of others
      • Negotiation Skills (How to convince management of the significance of your audit findings and how to approach and convince different types of personalities)
      • Practical Case Studies: Client-specific Environment

The above modules take two days to complete. Workshop participants will be provided with a Workshop Booklet. Case studies will be tailored for the client’s specific environment.

The course addresses the following key areas:

• The Case for Self-development (Self-assessment of interpersonal skills)
• The Context of Human Behaviour
• Understanding and dealing with different personalities (Type A/B); Self-assessments
• Behavioural Patterns (understanding your own and others’)
• Verbal and non-verbal communication (Unwritten Rules including short video)
• Rapport-building
• Body language (short video)
• Interview and listening skills
• Interview Techniques
• Listening Skills (including practical exercises)
• Listening Blocks (practical case study hand-outs)
• Case study: “The Prisoner’s Dilemma” (dealing with issues of listening skills; ethics; assumptions; and diversity management)
• Selling/marketing audit findings (selling/marketing video)
• Conflict Management (Dealing with bullies and cry-babies (short video, “Everybody Loves Raymond))
• Negotiation Skills (How to convince management of the significance of your audit findings and how to approach and convince different types of personalities)
• Practical Case Studies: Client-specific Environment
• Conclusion – what have we learned?

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Synopsis:

Unsuccessful changes to Application Systems can be very costly to organisations. How can IA contribute to successful application systems changes made and implemented?

Most Internal Auditors have probably learnt to audit the major steps of an application that has been through changes. This was sufficient to understand whether certain protocols were followed at high level but not good enough to provide assurance at a detail level.

This course covers a number of areas within an application change management process that can go wrong and will provide ways to mitigate these.

On completion you will have gained the following:

• Understand more details of controls within the Change Management Process
• Governance, Management and IT responsibilities over Application Change Management
• Understand how to audit the cost & benefit of the Application Changes.
• Make recommendations for the timing of a post-audit undertaking and provide sufficient supporting information to management.

Course Content:

• The Change Management Process (CMP)
  • The stages of the CMP
  • The Controls within the CMP
  • The audit of controls within the CMP

• The Responsibilities of CMP
  • Governance Responsibilities
  • Management Responsibilities
• CMP Post-audit Recommendations
• Summary & Close
  • Summary of the course
  • How will you take this knowledge forward into your organisations?
  • What are you additional training needs in the areas covered?

Evaluation Method

Internal audit all levels, IT Auditors, Risk management and staff

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Course Synopsis

Unsuccessful changes to Application Systems can be very costly to organisations. How can IA contribute to successful application systems changes made and implemented?

Most Internal Auditors have probably learnt to audit the major steps of an application that has been through changes. This was sufficient to understand whether certain protocols were followed at high level but not good enough to provide assurance at a detail level.

This course covers a number of areas within an application change management process that can go wrong and will provide ways to mitigate these.

ON COMPLETION YOU WILL HAVE GAINED THE FOLLOWING:

• Understand more details of controls within the Change Management Process
• Governance, Management and IT responsibilities over Application Change Management
• Understand how to audit the cost & benefit of the Application Changes.

• Make recommendations for the timing of a post-audit undertaking and provide sufficient supporting information to management.

Course Content

1. The Change Management Process (CMP)

• The stages of the CMP
• The Controls within the CMP
• The audit of controls within the CMP

2. The Responsibilities of CMP

• Governance Responsibilities
• Management Responsibilities

3. CMP Post-audit Recommendations

4. Summary & Close

• Summary of the course

• How will you take this knowledge forward into your organisations?
• What are you additional training needs in the areas covered?

EVALUATION METHOD

Internal audit all levels, IT Auditors, Risk management and staff

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

More than just an introduction to Corporate Governance and Risk Management, this course approaches the risks related to corporate governance from a practical perspective, giving participants the chance to apply what they know and have learned through a case study approach. The approach is a comprehensive analysis of a company covering all aspects in terms of good corporate governance practices as outlined in King IV. Steinhoff, VBS, Eskom – what more is there to be said of corporate failures which demonstrates the real need for effective corporate governance practices.

This course will highlight:

• Defining Governance and Risk Management
• Understanding what a governance is audit.
• Techniques for assessing governance risks.
• Methods for analysing governance controls
• The 15 key governance board risks to be reviewed
• How to audit IT governance

Course Outline:

• The Key Aspects of Corporate Governance
  • What is Corporate Governance?
  • 6 Core Principles of Governance
  • The Governance Warning Signs
  • Corporate Governance Insights Paper
• Governance Assessment Techniques
  • COSO Advisory Paper – Improving organizational performance and Governance
  • Governance and Strategy
  • Governance Models
  • Codes of Governance Requirements
• The Business Environment
  • The Standards, Processes, and Structures
  • The Tone at the Top Regarding the Importance of Internal Control
• Analysing and Assessing the Effectiveness of Governance Controls

• The Need to Understand the Business Objectives
• The Link between Objectives and Risk
• The Link between Risks and Controls

• Scoping a Governance Audit
  • Governance Structure
• The Need for Governance Audit of the Board
  • The Key Role of the Board in Governance
  • The Need to Assess the Risks at this Level
  • Determining the Key Risks and Causes
  • The Audit Approach in this Sensitive Area
• The 15 Key Governance Board Risks to be Reviewed
• Auditing the Overall Risk Management Process
• Evaluating Risk Appetite
• Auditing the Audit Committee Process
• Auditing Reputation
• Corporate Social Responsibility
  • The Increasing Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
• Auditing IT Governance
  • Global Technology Audit Guides (GTAG’s)
  • The Need to Determine the Boundaries
  • Defining the IT Audit Universe
• Reviewing Key Controls Over Technology
• Assessing Management Information Governance

Who should attend?

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Seminar Objective

Welcome to this 3-day, Audit Plan Development for the Public Service course that is aimed at building the capacity and competencies of public sector internal auditors. This training course enables you to build the necessary knowledge, skills and values that will enable you to improve your own levels and standards of service excellence.

Internal Audit is one of nine Public Financial Management (PFM) disciplines that the Capacity Building Chief Directorate in the National Treasury is responsible for in terms of building capacity. In its endeavours to build a capable and competent state, and to professionalise the Public Sector, this short course has been designed specifically to simulate the workplace and bring a practice-orientated approach to learning.

Purpose

The learning programme is aimed to capacitate internal auditors to effectively develop risk-based audit plans that will assist the organisation to achieve its goals and objectives effectively.

This course is designed to address the needs highlighted in South Africa’s National Development Plan – Vision 2030 with specific reference to the following main priorities of the Plan being:

• Improving the quality of education, skills development and innovation; and
• Building the capacity of the state to play a developmental, transformative role.

The National Treasury Capacity Development Strategy’s (CDS) which is aligned to the NDP 2030, has been designed to address capacity and competency challenges and strives to achieve four key strategic objectives, being to:

• Support the development of an enabling environment;
• Enhance organisational capacity;
• Develop and empower a corps of competent and committed high-performance employees; and
• Create an environment that enables and sustains mutually beneficial stakeholder relationships.

Outcomes

The programme will ensure that, at minimum, the following course outcomes be achieved:

• Understand how to develop a three (3) year risk-based rolling plan and an annual risk-based audit plan;
• Demonstrate practically how to develop a three (3) year risk based rolling plan and an annual risk-based audit plan;
• Demonstrate practically how to reference the three (3) year risk-based rolling plan and the annual risk-based audit plan to the organisational objectives and strategic risks;
• Demonstrate practically how to review annually the annual risk-based audit plans in line with the three (3) year risk based rolling plan, based on changing dynamics of the organisation;

• Demonstrate practically how to manage, review and re-prioritise audits based on the on-going changes in risks, or management ad hoc requests or for any other reason;

Demonstrate practically how to rank and prioritise audits; vii. Demonstrate ability to utilise and manage available resources (i.e. financial, human, etc.) in line with the three (3) year risk-based rolling plan and the annual risk-based audit plan.

Requirements

The following is required from delegates attending this course:

• Basic knowledge of the Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing of the Institute of Internal Auditors
• Basic knowledge of risk management principles
• Basic knowledge of Engagement Planning both at strategic and operational level
• Basic knowledge of Objectives and coals of Organizations
• Competent in use of Microsoft Products:
  • Word
  • Excel
• Laptops/notebooks are required
• Assessments will be completed for this course:
  • Self-Pre-Assessment
  • Overall Self-assessment (with post assessment debrief)

Who should attend?

The short learning programme will be targeted at middle managers and senior managers in the public sector (National Departments, Provincial Departments and Municipalities) with the aim to capacitate them in developing adequate three (3) year risk-based rolling plans and annual risk-based audit plans, which is linked to the objectives of the organisation.

Please be advised of the event terms and conditions.
Delegates are also requested to review the content and the levels of the courses presented before booking, to ensure they are attending the right course.

Seminar Objective

Welcome to this 3-day, Audit Plan Development for the Public Service course that is aimed at building the capacity and competencies of public sector internal auditors. This training course enables you to build the necessary knowledge, skills and values that will enable you to improve your own levels and standards of service excellence.

Internal Audit is one of nine Public Financial Management (PFM) disciplines that the Capacity Building Chief Directorate in the National Treasury is responsible for in terms of building capacity. In its endeavours to build a capable and competent state, and to professionalise the Public Sector, this short course has been designed specifically to simulate the workplace and bring a practice-orientated approach to learning.

Purpose

The learning programme is aimed to capacitate internal auditors to effectively develop risk-based audit plans that will assist the organisation to achieve its goals and objectives effectively.

This course is designed to address the needs highlighted in South Africa’s National Development Plan – Vision 2030 with specific reference to the following main priorities of the Plan being:

• Improving the quality of education, skills development and innovation; and
• Building the capacity of the state to play a developmental, transformative role.

The National Treasury Capacity Development Strategy’s (CDS) which is aligned to the NDP 2030, has been designed to address capacity and competency challenges and strives to achieve four key strategic objectives, being to:

• Support the development of an enabling environment;
• Enhance organisational capacity;
• Develop and empower a corps of competent and committed high-performance employees; and
• Create an environment that enables and sustains mutually beneficial stakeholder relationships.

Outcomes

Pre-assessment on Internal Audit Planning Process

The programme will ensure that, at minimum, the following course outcomes be achieved:

• Understand how to develop a three (3) year risk-based rolling plan and an annual risk-based audit plan;
• Demonstrate practically how to develop a three (3) year risk based rolling plan and an annual risk-based audit plan;
• Demonstrate practically how to reference the three (3) year risk-based rolling plan and the annual risk-based audit plan to the organisational objectives and strategic risks;
• Demonstrate practically how to review annually the annual risk-based audit plans in line with the three (3) year risk based rolling plan, based on changing dynamics of the organisation;

• Demonstrate practically how to manage, review and re-prioritise audits based on the on-going changes in risks, or management ad hoc requests or for any other reason;
• Demonstrate practically how to rank and prioritise audits;
• Demonstrate ability to utilise and manage available resources (i.e. financial, human, etc.) in line with the three (3) year risk-based rolling plan and the annual risk-based audit plan.

This course has a 70% practical content. Delegates across all spheres of government are provided with:

• Audit work programs
• Template audit work papers
• Formal case studies based on real examples
• Audit techniques

Formative assessment on actual case study

Post-assessment to determine knowledge transfer

Requirements

The following is required from delegates attending this course:

• Basic knowledge of the Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing of the Institute of Internal Auditors
• Basic knowledge of risk management principles
• Basic knowledge of Engagement Planning both at strategic and operational level
• Basic knowledge of Objectives and coals of Organizations
• Competent in use of Microsoft Products:
  • Word
  • Excel
• Laptops/notebooks are required
• Assessments will be completed for this course:
  • Self-Pre-Assessment
  • Overall Self-assessment (with post assessment debrief)

Who should attend?

The short learning programme will be targeted at middle managers and senior managers in the public sector (National Departments, Provincial Departments and Municipalities) with the aim to capacitate them in developing adequate three (3) year risk-based rolling plans and annual risk-based audit plans, which is linked to the objectives of the organisation.