Best Practices for Effective & Efficient Auditing: Designing Audit Procedures  

Best Practices for Effective & Efficient Auditing is a four-part series developed to help experienced auditors strengthen engagement quality while improving efficiency. Each session may be taken independently or as part of the full series.

Designing Audit Procedures centers on one of the most important transitions in the audit process: moving from risk assessment conclusions to a clear, supportable audit response. Risk assessment only adds value when it drives a focused plan for what you will test, why you will test it, and how you will document the linkage.

This session focuses on building a direct and defensible connection between assessed risks and the audit procedures performed. Participants will explore how to translate planning outcomes into a tailored audit approach, avoid over-auditing, and document the rationale behind procedure selection in a way that holds up in review. The session aligns with current auditing standards, including SAS Nos. 134-149.

Major topics covered in this session include:

• Translating assessed risks into a planned audit response that is clear and defensible
• Mapping assessed risks and assertions to specific planned procedures
• Designing the nature, timing, and extent of procedures based on the audit strategy
• Selecting an appropriate mix of tests of controls and substantive procedures based on the planned response
• Building a customized audit program that reflects the engagement’s facts and circumstances
• Documenting the linkage between risk assessment conclusions and planned procedures to support supervision and review

Who should attend: Senior audit professionals responsible for translating risk assessment conclusions into a tailored audit program, including planning the nature, timing, and extent of audit procedures.

Instructor: Christopher K. Martin, CPA
Instructor assignments are fluid and subject to change.