Audits aren't just about ticking boxes—a lot of different skills are needed to conduct them properly. One of the biggest skill sets you need are soft skills which can help make your audit results stronger
Doing what you are told is the easy part; being willing to understand the reason behind it and the consequences of your actions takes a bit more effort and courage.
Beyond the requirements of external standards, regulations and legislation, knowing what to include in your annual internal audit schedule can be frustrating!
With internal audit now becoming a requirement, businesses sometimes find they are hiring audit staff purely to be able to tick that box, with no further idea what to do with them.
One thing we often see in internal auditing is each department is working within a silo, staying in their own little working bubble oblivious to what else is happening around them in the business.
Over the years, I became very used to family and friends telling me they had no idea what I do for a living. When I applied for audit roles at accounting firms, they also didn't know where I fit!
We trust our systems to hold valuable data such as our intellectual property, and sensitive information such as contact details and payment records. But how do we know we can trust these system?
Too many of us are so concerned about the big picture that we forget if the details are lost then the big picture starts to get a bit fuzzy.
Business decisions shouldn’t be made on assumptions, the way you perceive something to be is not always the case. These decisions are too important to make without knowing the facts.