GEORGE NEWS - The George Municipality was selected by the Western Cape Provincial Treasury to pilot the implementation of agile auditing* in local municipalities.
The project will entail appointing a service provider to conduct awareness and coaching workshops with the internal audit activity, executive management and the audit committee on the concepts of agile auditing, and test its application at George Municipality.
This will ensure that the stakeholders are provided with adequate tools, techniques and support to fully implement agile auditing methodologies that can be used in the strategic planning, engagement planning, fieldwork and reporting phases of internal auditing.
The internal audit profession is evolving, accelerating the pace to provide real-time assurance.
The George Municipality in partnership with Provincial Treasury supports the continuous improvement of municipal internal audit activities and is therefore exploring the practicalities of applying agile auditing in small internal audit activities, as in the municipal environment.
With the roll-out of the agile auditing project the municipality envisages an improved efficiency of the internal audit functions, real-time assurance provided to all stakeholders, team effectiveness and an overall close interaction between internal audit functions and management.
Chief audit executive JP Rossouw said he is very excited about the pilot project. If it is implemented successfully, George will be one of the first local municipalities to implement an agile auditing approach.
This is an innovative and forward-thinking auditing process, to ensure that the Internal Audit Department adds value and meet the expectations of its stakeholders.
Agile auditing is an approach that enables internal audit teams to develop an audit plan that is able to respond to change. This delivers better alignment and provides real-time assurance rather than retrospective assurance. Sources: www.wolterskluwer.com; www.pwc.co.uk
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