Quality Assessment of Audit Activity

Focus & Features

Building a Sustainable Quality Program

An internal audit activity demonstrates its commitment to quality by meeting the expectations of its stakeholders while continuing to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its operations. A successful quality assurance and improvement program (QAIP) is crucial to achieving this goal.

Building an effective QAIP is similar to establishing a total quality management program, where products and services are analyzed to verify they meet stakeholder expectations, operations are evaluated to determine their efficiency and effectiveness, and practices are assessed to confirm their conformance to standards. Once the QAIP has been established, sustaining it requires leaders who are responsible for setting the proper tone in support of quality.

If you are preparing for an external quality assessment, this course will help you learn how to build and maintain an effective QAIP, leading to a successful external assessment.

The quality assessment process flow model and related tools from the recently published Quality Manual provide the basis for class discussion and activities. Guided by knowledgeable facilitators with extensive experience in quality assessments, participants will:

• Learn how to apply The IIA's International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) quality standards to establish an effective QAIP within their internal audit practice.
• Gain experience with the quality assessment process model and related tools contained in the new Quality Manual to identify areas of focus for their own QAIPs.
• Practice building the two key components of an effective QAIP: ongoing and periodic assessments.
• Experience developing metrics and designing reports of results of their internal audit's QAIP.
• Assess the readiness of their internal audit activity for an external quality assessment.

Performing an Effective Quality Assessment



As an organization grows and its internal processes change and evolve, its quality monitoring process must keep pace. To ensure consistent quality in this dynamic environment, an ongoing commitment to growth and improvement is essential.

The required elements of a Quality Assurance and Improvement Program (QAIP) include periodic internal assessments and external assessments to demonstrate conformance with The IIA's International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing. In addition, a quality QAIP can provide evidence to the audit committee and management that the internal audit activity is efficient, effective, and adding value. It can also build stakeholder confidence and document a commitment to quality, leading practices, and the internal auditors' mindset for professionalism.

This course is designed to help you learn how to perform an effective external assessment and/or periodic internal assessment of an internal audit activity. If your primary interest is periodic internal assessment, you can determine which external assessment option (full external assessment or self-assessment with independent external validation) will work best for you and help you prepare for an external assessment. If your primary interest is external assessment, you can use this course to satisfy part of the requirements for external assessor qualifications. ("Successful completion of The IIA's quality assessment training course," PA 1312, no. 7.)

Guided by knowledgeable facilitators with extensive experience in quality assessment activities, participants will:

• Examine the process flow and tools in the new IIA Quality Assessment (QA) Manual and discuss how it can be used to conform with the Standards, while identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Practice using the QA Manual tools to plan, perform, and evaluate the results of an external quality assessment case study.
• Design an efficient and effective periodic internal assessment program for their internal audit activity.
• Evaluate the external quality assessment options and determine which option will work best for their internal audit activity

What You Will Learn

Building a Sustainable Quality Program

Quality Standards and Recommended Guidance

• Interpret both mandatory and recommended guidance in the IPPF regarding establishing a quality assurance and improvement program (QAIP).
• Discuss key concepts of Standard 1300.
• Clarify key elements of the Practice Guide "Quality Assurance and Improvement Program."

Quality Assurance Process Model

• Explain the quality assessment process model and use its related tools as described in the Quality Assessment Manual published by The IIA to identify areas of focus for a quality assurance and improvement program (QAIP).
• Clarify the purpose of the quality assessment process model's four segments: Internal Audit Governance, Internal Audit Staff, Internal Audit Management, and Internal Audit Process
• Contrast the purpose and use of the quality assessment process tools — planning guides, surveys, interview guides, and programs.
• Identify any possible areas of focus for a quality assurance and improvement program QAIP.
• Highlight key areas of focus for a QAIP, based on survey responses.

Quality Assurance – Internal Audit Process

• Design an ongoing quality assessment of internal audit process.
• Interpret IPPF guidance related to quality assurance of internal audit processes.
• Apply the planning guide to identify and prioritize any gaps related to quality assurance of internal audit processes by performing a self-assessment involving the relevant IPPF guidance.
• Clarify the relevant criteria for assessing conformance to the IPPF guidance related to quality assurance of internal audit processes.
• Developing the key elements of an ongoing monitoring review process that you can implement in your internal audit activity.

Quality Assurance – Internal Audit Staff

• Design a periodic quality assessment related to internal audit staffing.
• Interpret IPPF guidance related to quality assurance of internal audit staffing.
• Applying the planning guide to identify and highlight any gaps related to quality assurance of internal audit staffing by performing a self-assessment involving applicable IPPF guidance.
• Clarify the relevant criteria for assessing conformance to the IPPF guidance related to quality assurance of internal audit staffing.
• Develop the key elements of a periodic self-assessment of internal audit staffing.

Quality Assurance – Internal Audit Management

• Design a periodic quality assessment related to management of the internal audit activity.
• Apply the planning guide to identify and highlight any gaps related to quality assurance of managing the internal audit activity by performing a self-assessment involving the applicable IPPF guidance.
• Clarify the relevant criteria for assessing conformance to IPPF guidance related to quality assurance of managing the internal audit activity.
• Develop the key elements of a periodic self-assessment of managing the internal audit activity.

Quality Assurance – Internal Audit Governance

• Design a periodic quality assessment related to Internal Audit Governance.
• Interpret IPPF guidance related to quality assurance for governance of the internal audit activity.
• Apply the planning guide to identify and highlight any gaps related to quality assurance for governance of the internal audit activity by performing a self-assessment involving the applicable IPPF guidance.
• Clarify relevant criteria for assessing conformance to IPPF guidance related to quality assurance for governance of the internal audit activity.
• Develop the key elements of a periodic self-assessment for governance of the internal audit activity.

Building the Periodic Internal Assessment

• Design a comprehensive periodic internal assessment including key assessment activities, timing of their performance, and resource requirements to complete them.
• Assess the readiness of the internal audit activity for an external quality assessment.

Developing Metrics and Reporting for the QAIP

• Develop metrics and design reports of results of your internal audit QAIP.
• Interpret key concepts from practice guide "Measuring Internal Audit Efficiency and Effectiveness"
• Identify metrics to measure performance of the QAIP.
• Clarify reporting requirements for QAIP contained in the IPPF
• Design reporting options to communicate results of the QAIP.

Performing an Effective Quality Assessment

Quality Assessment Manual and Process Overview

• Examine The IIA's Framework for Quality Assessment to identify how the process can be used on external and internal quality assessments.
• Answer common quality assessment questions using The IIA's International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) resources.
• Describe the Quality Assessment Manual process flow and its tools.
• Contrast the three types of internal audit quality assessment.

Planning the Quality Assessment

• Plan an external quality assessment by implementing the QA Manual tools.
• Describe key features of planning guides.
• Apply the planning tools to a quality assessment.
• Describe key features of surveys.
• Analyze survey results.

Performing the Quality Assessment

• Perform an external quality assessment by implementing the QA Manual tools.
• Describe the key features of interview guides.
• Analyze interview results.
• Describe key features of QA programs.
• Analyze QA program results.

Evaluating QA Results

• Evaluate an external quality assessment by implementing the QA Manual tools.
• Apply evaluation criteria on common QA scenarios that require a high-level of professional judgment.
• Determine final ratings (evaluation results).
• Describe key features of the QA evaluation framework and tools.
• Develop value-added solutions for common QA issues and opportunities.

Periodic Internal Quality Assessment Approaches

• Develop, or validate, an efficient and effective periodic internal assessment approach for your internal audit activity.
• Discuss implications of periodic internal QA based on IPPF guidance.
• Discuss common periodic assessment challenges and possible solutions.
• Identify the factors needed for an efficient and effective periodic internal QA program.

External Quality Assessment Options

• Determine, or validate, the external quality assurance option that will work best for your internal audit activity.
• Determine the pros and cons and other considerations of the external QA options.
• Describe rationale for selecting the best external QA option.
• Identify opportunities for applying the option selection concepts to your internal audit activity.
• Discuss successful practices used by internal audit activities to get ready for an external assessment

Who Should Attend

The seminar is ideal for Chief Audit Executives and Audit Heads with at least three (3) years managerial experience in Internal Auditing.

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