audit

say adios to audit fee pressure

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what client goes out for an audit proposal when their auditor provides relevant advice and useful suggestions?  

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

your client likely engaged your firm for an audit because they need an audit. but what is it that they want? they don’t want a stack of paper delivered months after year-end. like anyone else, they focus on “what’s in it for me?” or wiifm.

more: use eight audit exit items to deepen client relationships | exceptional audit client service demands effective communication | deliver more audit value by getting out of the conference room | know your three audit w’s | planning lays the foundation of audit relevance | how do we drive relevance in audit? | before the audit: more than just planning | are you correctly identifying the relevance intersection? | lack of relevance drives audit commoditization | five crucial attributes for successful audit leadership | traditional audits don’t deserve premium billing
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

they want relevant ideas that will help them improve their businesses. they want to learn from you about your experience with others in their industry or in a similar situation. they want a relationship with you to talk about their business in plain english. they want someone who can explain the accounting standards and how they impact how they report their results.

remember our definition of relevance:

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use eight audit exit items to deepen client relationships

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developing a deep understanding of an industry is a surefire way to make your audits more relevant.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

making the audit relevant doesn’t stop when the audit report is signed. to demonstrate your value and stand out from the competition, deepen the relationship with the client.

more: exceptional audit client service demands effective communication | deliver more audit value by getting out of the conference room | six essential elements in audit planning | before the audit: more than just planning | five crucial attributes for successful audit leadership | put the ethics code to work for your clients and your firm | is audit in crisis because of definitions?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

far too often, the exit conference is a wasted opportunity to demonstrate the relevance of the audit. that’s why i recommend that a standard powerpoint presentation be used to discuss the audit. this will include the required communications and ideas for business improvement and will be designed to facilitate open-ended, two-way communication. here’s a basic outline of the information to be covered:

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exceptional audit client service demands effective communication

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drop the devices and go talk with clients.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

most firms have guidelines for turnaround time and response times but stop there when it comes to delivering excellent customer service. does your firm have a definition of what superior client service might mean in an audit?

more: deliver more audit value by getting out of the conference room | know your three audit w’s | planning lays the foundation of audit relevance | are you correctly identifying the relevance intersection? | traditional audits don’t deserve premium billing | turning audit & accounting into assurance & advisory | stop sending the wrong message to audit teams
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

remember that relevance is the intersection of what your client wants, what you think is important and what the stakeholders need. providing superior client service is definitely contained within that intersection.

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know your three audit w’s

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understanding all the nuances of the who, what, and when keeps your audit team on track. 

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

taking the time to lay out a detailed who, what, and when plan for all audit staff assigned to an engagement will help ensure that fieldwork is successfully completed. as firms had to develop remote auditing processes in the covid-19 era, many have already been deploying this.

more: planning lays the foundation of audit relevance | how do we drive relevance in audit? | before the audit: more than just planning | are you correctly identifying the relevance intersection? | lack of relevance drives audit commoditization | five crucial attributes for successful audit leadership | traditional audits don’t deserve premium billing | four basic understandings every auditor must master
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

here are the details for understanding each of the three audit w’s to keep your audit process streamlined:

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five ways to prevent audit bottlenecks

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keep your audit team flowing smoothly. 

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

your team must take a proactive, anticipatory approach to completing an audit in the field. think about the bottlenecks you faced last year with this same client and the bottlenecks that seem to happen with every client.

more: planning lays the foundation of audit relevance | how do we drive relevance in audit? | lack of relevance drives audit commoditization | four basic understandings every auditor must master | wanted: great audit mentors | closing the audit expectations gap
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

sit down with your team and have open-ended conversations about actions to take to reduce or eliminate those bottlenecks. here are some ideas for preventing problems:

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six essential elements in audit planning

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proper planning means your audit can provide much more than a client’s insurance.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

for more than a decade, i’ve been teaching firms around the country how to plan their audits so that relevance, businessmindedness and quality are built in from the beginning, not bolted on at the end. as i mentioned before, many firms rely on standard planning checklists, which result in, at best, a superficial understanding of the client.

more: planning lays the foundation of audit relevance | how do we drive relevance in audit? | lack of relevance drives audit commoditization | four basic understandings every auditor must master | wanted: great audit mentors | closing the audit expectations gap
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

here are the essential elements for adding relevance in the planning stage:

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planning lays the foundation of audit relevance

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if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. 

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

next time you have your planning meeting about an upcoming audit, print out a page or two of what you say on your website. share those pages around, and ask the planning team members, “how are we going to deliver on what we’ve said on our website?”

more: how do we drive relevance in audit? | before the audit: more than just planning | five crucial attributes for successful audit leadership | put the ethics code to work for your clients and your firm | is audit in crisis because of definitions?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

most people think of planning an audit as an exercise in filling out forms. planning an audit is certainly much deeper than that. the ultimate foundation for success in your audits depends on what you do during the planning stage.

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how do we drive relevance in audit?

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the insights you deliver don’t just add value to the client but also result in a better audit. 

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

business owners and organizations typically regard the annual audit as a cost or “a necessary evil” that adds little or no value to the business. in contrast, auditors routinely say that their audit is different and absolutely does add value to the company or organization. to be sure, all audits have a purpose, as they are generally required to maintain financing or to meet regulatory requirements. but is the auditor genuinely adding value?

more: before the audit: more than just planning | are you correctly identifying the relevance intersection? | lack of relevance drives audit commoditization | five crucial attributes for successful audit leadership | traditional audits don’t deserve premium billing | four basic understandings every auditor must master | put the ethics code to work for your clients and your firm | turning audit & accounting into assurance & advisory | wanted: great audit mentors | is audit in crisis because of definitions? | stop sending the wrong message to audit teams | closing the audit expectations gap
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

there are numerous dictionary definitions of “value,” all centering around the concept of something being useful. “adding value” should then mean making something more useful.  when you plan an audit, are you thinking of ways to make the audit more for your client? you will only convince your clients that you deliver value when you back up your words with action.

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