hello welcome to getting started with where our job is to make your job easier on this episode we are getting started with writing and audit finding in this video you'll get tips and answers on how you should go about writing an audit finding including what goes into the audit finding the five C's and tips on communicating issues so let's get started so you found an issue and now you need to communicate exactly what has gone wrong how do you do that be sure to use objective language this means writing that avoids emotion exaggeration and bias internal audit is an independent function that provides objective assurance and this must be reflected in the audit finding the audit finding should be concise and clear using plain language and avoiding technical jargon make sure to Define all acronyms to avoid any confusion among your readers start with the most important information don't make your audience wait also writing in an active versus passive voice will make your writing livelier and easier to read here's a pro tip for collaboration and communication before you begin to write your finding ask yourself does the Audi client need to know about this issue proceed if the answer to that is yes they do communicate verbally to the client what you have seen and don't assume your conclusion is correct try to work through the issue before you start writing a finding collaborating with your stakeholders will ultimately result in a better outcome as you can each bring your expertise to solve the issue at hand in getting started with reporting we told you about the five C's let's explore them a bit more including why they are an important part of an audit finding the first two C's typically go together when you're writing up an issue you want to explain the condition which is in simple terms what happened an example could be that system changes were not approved by management the second C criteria will tell us why this is a finding for example the why could be that it is a part of company policy that all system changes must be approved this could be tied back to a larger framework the company has agreed to follow be concise with these statements get to the point and avoid filler phrases like during our review internal audit noted that dot dot the third C is consequence you must describe why your audience should care in our example maybe that system change issue will now be documented on a system and organization controls report also called a sock report going out to customers that could potentially cause some reputational damage which could lead to reduced sales the fort C cause should explain why the condition occurred in the first place in our example maybe the manager role was vacant or the manager was out of office and a backup wasn't identified the Lassie corrective action is typically written up by management Sometimes using recommendations suggested by the auditors here's a bright idea work with stakeholders on identifying root causes and develop a rapport with them the better you know them the better the work output will be internal audit's role is not to be the decision maker on what the final plan is but internal audit can make recommendations based on previous experience and Industry best practices this can make Management's job a little easier with regard to making decisions an auditor with experience on management actions can be a great resource by pointing out ways they've seen the issue successfully remediated in the past here's a useful tool risk ratings audit findings typically include risk ratings such as high medium or low these ratings relate to risks associated with the issue addressed in the finding findings can also include writing terms such as satisfactory ineffective or needs Improvement it is important to Define rating terms so all of your stakeholders have Clarity don't assume everyone knows what you mean when you say something is a medium risk for example your finding will likely go through a drafting process that will vary by organization and even individual reviewers depending on your manager's preferences make sure to keep all relevant stakeholders in the loop during any rewrites or reconsiderations congratulations on completing getting started with writing and audit finding thank you for watching there's so much more to learn on the following screen you'll see links to suggested videos to view next [Music]