Engagement audit planning process has to address the four phases of an audit engagement: the initial planning, the preliminary survey, the fieldwork, the report. The main steps in the planning process are the same whether the internal auditor is undertaking an assurance or consulting mission.
The internal auditor and the auditee should agree on the terms of the engagement before commencement. The agreed terms would need to be recorded in an engagement letter.
Audit team reports frequently adhere to the rule of the “Five C's” of data sharing and communication, and a thorough summary in a report will include each of these elements. The “Five C's” are criteria, condition, cause, consequence, and corrective action.
8 Effective Steps to Perform an Internal Audit Successfully Identify the Processes to be Audited. Decide on the Frequency of the Audits. Plan and Schedule the Audits. Notify the People Involved. Prepare the Audit Checklist and Execute Audit. Record and Analyze Audit Findings. Investigate to Develop and Implement Action Plans.
Internal auditors exercise a unique function in the company. Their status, their mission and their impact are reminded in the session entitled “The 5 P's of Internal Audit”. The 5 Ps are : Plan, Perform, People, Profile and Product.
Your designated audit firm will prepare the specific terms of engagement using the appropriate AICPA-issued engagement letter template. It should be noted that there are many terms for audit engagements that are deemed required by the AICPA and therefore unable to be negotiated.
During engagement planning, internal auditors typically gather information regarding the audit client's policies and procedures and seek to understand any IT systems used by the area under review, along with sources, types, and reliability of information used in the process and those that will be evaluated as evidence.
The content of an engagement letter often includes important details such as the scope of services to be provided, fees or billing arrangements, confidentiality clauses, dispute resolution mechanisms, and any other relevant terms agreed upon by both parties.
What Does an Audit Engagement Letter Typically Include? Introduction and Purpose. Scope of the Audit. Auditor's Responsibilities. Client's Responsibilities. Audit Limitations. Applicable Standards. Fees and Payment Terms. Confidentiality and Data Security.