The objective of an auditing is to determine the efficiency and control of an organization, to determine the effectiveness of management practices, to identify areas of risk in the organization, and to verify the accuracy of accounting data. If the plan of an audit is unsatisfactory, then the audit report may provide an explanation and recommendation on how the plan should be improved.
An auditor performs this process independently, or under the authority of an accountant, CPA, and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of accountants (ICCA) or the Society of CPA Supervisors (SCPS). The auditor must be qualified to perform the audit and have years of experience performing this process. The auditor’s responsibilities include reviewing documents and records, conducting interviews, and evaluating financial statements and financial methodologies and other documentation to be used during the audit.
The first step of the process is to evaluate the organization’s purpose for conducting the audit. Is it primarily to detect material misstatements, or would the primary goal be to examine the effectiveness of management? In addition to determining the purpose, the auditor will also need to determine who should be conducting the audit. A qualified accountant or CPA will conduct the audit. However, the auditor’s primary objective must be to produce an accurate and objective report of the financial condition and trends of an entity.
Once the auditor has determined who is conducting the audit, the next step is to assign a person or team to carry out the audit. This person must have enough knowledge and experience in the audit process to make an unbiased evaluation of the financial statements and methods of reporting. This person or team will prepare and conduct the audit to assure the auditor’s report is an accurate and reliable reflection of the entity’s financial health.
An auditor must present the findings of the audit reports to the corporation or entity involved. A company may or can request that the auditor to prepare and deliver the audit reports to them. The auditor’s responsibility is to review the company’s financial statements, financial data, financial methodologies, and other relevant documents, and make recommendations on areas of risk or issues that must be addressed to assure that the company is operating within the accepted accounting guidelines.
When conducting the audit, the auditor will review and analyze documents and records to make sure they are organized, complete, accurate, and comprehensive. The auditor will review other documents and evidence, such as business plans and tax returns to determine the validity of the accounting data used to make the audit reports.
There are a number of things, an auditor cannot do or witness that will negatively affect the effectiveness of the audit. For example, the auditor cannot review any documentation or reports provided by the company cannot be asked to make decisions based on the auditor’s opinions. An auditor cannot testify in front of the company about the information presented in the audit report.
To maintain objectivity and fairness, the auditor is required to be impartial in their review. Although there are some exceptions, the auditor must make his/her opinions about all items they examine based only on what they are qualified to assess.
The auditor must create an original copy of the audit reports. The report must contain both positive and negative findings. This means the auditor must not only state what he/she found but why he/she determined that the results are unfavorable or positive. The auditor should clearly identify each area of concern with numbers and illustrations. This allows the auditor to properly explain the analysis and demonstrate the negative results.
Finally, the report must be delivered in a timely manner. It must be submitted to the appropriate parties within 30 days of receiving the completed audit report.
