Using audit-specific examples, they will learn project planning, scheduling, control, and decision support concepts and methodologies: the basics of project management. The techniques outlined in this program will significantly improve your productivity in planning and managing all audit projects.

By the end of this course delegates will be able to:

• Develop an understanding of project management
• Gain experience using project management tools and techniques
• Apply the concepts of Risk Management to audit engagements
• Develop counter measures to deal with “scope creep”
• Understand how Earned Value Management can track and forecast both performance to schedule and performance to budget

Internal Auditors, Auditors-in-Charge, Financial & Operational Auditors, Finance Personnel, External Auditors, Audit Managers and Supervisors, IT Auditors, Team Leaders and Directors, Operations Managers, Audit Managers

Project Management and Audit

• Defining project management and the project management process
• Major processes in the life of a project
• Major processes in an internal audit
• Project management’s relevance to internal audit
• Expanding audit project leaders’ core competencies

Cornerstones of Project Management

• What is a project?
• The project triangle
• Key project management definitions
• 9 knowledge areas of project management
• Elements of a project plan
• Mapping, scheduling, and controlling the project
• Allocating resources
• Identifying problems early in the process

Applying Project Management Strategies to IA

• Why project management?
• Successful audit/project management: key factors
• The audit/project planning process
• Using project management to plan audits
• Time estimates
• Common workflow planning problems
• Managing resources
• Guidelines and examples of good audit/project management
• Improving time management

Applying Project Management to the Audit Process

• The benefits of adopting a project management focus
• The relationship of planning to control
• Maximizing your investment in planning
• Developing a work breakdown structure
• Developing early warning systems
• Minimizing your investment in fieldwork
• Writing and issuing meaningful reports promptly

Practice Case

• Defining project scope and requirements
• Developing the project work plan
• Defining activity dependencies and creating network diagrams
• Estimating work
• Producing a project plan
• Monitoring and controlling projects
• Closing the project

The Successful Project Manager

• Project manager attributes
• Roles and responsibilities
• Focus areas: communication, motivation, and problem-solving
• 7 ways to succeed
• 7 ways to fail
• Directing and managing others
• Conducting meetings and interviews
• Rational and creative problem-solving techniques

Meeting Today’s Audit Challenges with Project Management Techniques

• How the project manager’s role differs in compliance and operational reviews
• Multi-tasking: an essential competency for managing operational audits
• How to avoid bottlenecks
• How to differentiate workflows for assurance and consulting reviews
• How to manage your project when you don’t know the final product at the onset
• Sarbanes-Oxley compliance
• Enterprise-wide risk assessment
• Special projects