Today’s chief audit executives, their deputies and internal audit managers need to work closely with business leaders, boards, audit committees, peers and their own audit teams. Now more than ever, leadership, stakeholder relations and influencing skills are becoming as important as managing a team, planning and delivering insightful internal audit assurance and consulting engagements.
This course focuses on the various challenges and opportunities internal audit leaders face and shows how audit leaders can make a contribution at a strategic level, clearly adding value and also enhancing productivity in the audit process.
This clear, practical and interactive course will help participants improve their awareness and skills and help them become a better internal audit leader who delivers impactful and insightful internal audit work that can make a strategic difference to their organization.
Course Methodology
A blend of theoretical, technical, discursive and practical approaches. It will include facilitator-led input sessions, and numerous team exercises based around practical internal audit situations, case studies, group presentations, discussions and debates.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
Demonstrate greater confidence in dealing with senior leaders
Appraise what it really takes to be an effective internal audit leader
Explain how to make effective and valuable contributions at a strategic level and towards overall business success
Apply practical methods to manage key relationships with the audit committee, senior management and peers
Add value through efficient and effective internal audit good practices
Explain key priorities for them and their departments to help maximize their contribution to their organization
Target Audience
Chief audit executives, deputy heads of audit, internal audit managers and senior internal auditors who deal with business leaders and/or lead or manage members of the internal audit team. This course is equally valuable for both in-house and outsourced internal audit teams.
Target Competencies
Internal audit management
Improvement and innovation
Internal audit delivery
Persuasion and collaboration
Governance, risk and control enhancement
Course Outline
Internal Audit Leadership
Effective leadership
The importance of steady management
Qualities of an effective internal audit leader
A reminder of leadership and management theory
The inspirational internal audit leader
Large versus small internal audit teams
The mission statement and definition of internal auditing
Relevant attribute and performance standards
Challenges all internal audit leaders face
Resolving common challenges
Effective Internal Audit Planning
Determining risk maturity
Designing the risk-based assurance universe
Developing an effective internal audit strategy
How you develop your universe and strategy
Coordination with other assurance providers
Advantages and disadvantages of working with other assurance providers
Determining the annual or six-monthly internal audit plan
Delivering the plan and working in an agile way
Discussion: Good practice planning
Internal audit delivery today and building team capability for tomorrow
Getting Maximum Impact from our Internal Audit Resources
Securing the necessary internal audit resources
Managing internal audit resources
Dealing with the dispersed team
Ensuring an effective internal audit engagement process
Maximizing efficiency
Managing co-sourcing and contractors
In-house versus outsourced contractors
Risk management in the internal audit function
Risk identification and management for internal audit