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. Topics include:

1. Planning and Risk Assessment – October 30th
2. Designing Audit Procedures – November 6th
3. Performing Tests of Controls and Substantive Tests – November 13th
4. Evaluating and Concluding – November 20th

Designing Audit Procedures focuses on one of the most important transitions in the audit process: translating risk assessment conclusions into a clear, supportable audit response. Effective risk assessment adds value only when it drives a focused plan for what to test and why.

This session emphasizes practical approaches to linking assessed risks to audit procedures, developing a tailored audit approach, avoiding over-auditing, and documenting procedure selection. 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
• Mapping risks and assertions to planned procedures
• Designing the nature, timing, and extent of procedures
• Selecting tests of controls and substantive procedures
• Building a tailored audit program
• Documenting the linkage between risks and planned procedures

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.