How to Write Effective Audit Observations: The Principles for Bullet Proofing your Audit Findings

This webinar teaches the basics of writing effective audit observations, which are crucial for management to accept findings and agree with recommendations. Effective communication is key to demonstrating the value added to the company and enhancing promotions and salary increases.
  • Tuesday
  • June
  • 03
  • 2025
10:00 AM PDT | 01:00 PM EDT
Duration: 90 Minutes
IMG Jonnie Keith
Webinar Id: 61239
Live
Session
$119.00
Single Attendee
$249.00
Group Attendees
Recorded
Session
$159.00
Single Attendee
$359.00
Group Attendees
Combo
Live+Recorded
$249.00
Single Attendee
$549.00
Group Attendees

Overview:

This webinar will provide the basic principles for writing effective audit observations. The audit observations represent the result of weeks of reviews, analyses, interviews, and discussions. It is used to provide important information to management on the area you reviewed. And, more importantly, it provides details to management on significant issues that needs to be addressed. How well you communicate that information is critical to getting management’s acceptance of your findings and their agreement with your recommendations. And ultimately, this demonstrates the value you add to the company and enhances your chances for promotions and greater salary increases.

Why should you Attend:

The audit observation is the most important part of an audit report. It is used to bring significant issues to the attention of management. How well you communicate that information is critical to influencing the readers and getting the results you are seeking.  A well written audit observation will capture the readers’ attention and focus them on the important issues in the report that needs to be addressed.  

A well written audit observation adds value to your clients by providing:

  • Concise, understandable, and persuasive observations
  • Actionable recommendations

Areas Covered in the Session:

Review of the following recommended observation standards in detail:

  • Criteria (Standard used for comparison of area under review)
  • Condition (Current status used in the comparison)
  • Cause (Reason that the Condition does not meet the Criteria)
  • Consequence (Risk if not corrected)
  • Corrective Actions (Action needed to manage the risk)

Examples for each component

Who Will Benefit:

  • Chief Audit Executives
  • Audit Directors
  • Audit Supervisors
  • Audit Managers
  • Staff Auditors
  • Government Auditors
  • Compliance Auditors
  • Internal Control Specialists
  • Public Accountants
  • Accounting Analysts
  • Business Analysts
  • Quality Control Specialists

Speaker Profile

Jonnie Keith Jonnie Keith has been in auditing for over 50 years. He retired in 2012 as the Assistant General Manager (AGM) of Internal Audit with the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) in Atlanta, Ga. He served in that capacity for over 10 years and was responsible for administering the overall audit activities. At this position, he was also responsible for the review and approval of all internal audit correspondence including audit reports, executive summaries, internal and external correspondence, etc.

Prior to that, he worked at MARTA as the Operational Audit Manager and Senior Contract Compliance Auditor. He also worked at Norfolk Southern Railway (formerly Southern Railway) as a senior operational auditor and started his career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta as a bank examiner.

Jonnie Keith received a BA degree in Economics from Clark Atlanta University (formerly Clark College). His certifications include:

  • Certified Internal Auditor (CIA)
  • Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
  • Certified Government Auditing Professional (CGAP)
  • Certified Internal Control Auditor (CICA)

He has been a volunteer seminar instructor for the National Office of the Institute of Internal Auditors for several years.