A Guide to Auditing Top Management and the Internal Audit Checklist
Organizations must audit the processes associated with top management as part of an effective internal audit program. These processes include those relating to strategic planning, the establishment of policies and objectives, ensuring effective communication and ensuring the availability of resources. Auditing management or directors is often seen as a sensitive issue but by considering each management activity as a normal organizational process, it becomes much easier to focus on determining whether the outputs of their activities are effective. How to Audit Top Management By using a formal risk-based approach to internal audit planning, as required by ISO 9001, auditors have a great opportunity to engage top management in the audit process. By making management part of the planning process and by giving them ownership of the areas to be audited, the internal audit becomes a valuable mechanism for development. A good starting point is to copy, into the audit checklist, all r...