Template Workpaper - Findings and Actions Workshop
 
About this template
It is important, that at the end of each review, a close out meeting is held with the business area and stakeholders to debrief them on the outcomes of the review. A ‘close out’ meeting makes it sound like the end of the review; there are no more opportunities to discuss this. To ensure a more collaborative approach to audit which does not get the business area or key stakeholders offside, we frame it as a Findings and Actions Workshop. We reframe the close out meeting to be a workshop, whereby we revalidate our observations, then work together to craft recommendations which are fit for purpose, achievable, and address the underlying risk / issue.
 
Why use this template
This template provides a quick and easy way to layout:
Where we are in the review;
What we found through the review;
What are some possible recommendations; and
What are the next steps.
 
This template provides a transparent view to the stakeholders, showing them each stage of the review and its outcomes, however it also encourages discussion and collaboration between both audit and the business area.
 
When to use this template
This template should be provided to the business area or key stakeholders prior to the Findings and Actions workshop. By doing this, it will prepare the attendees, allowing everyone to have a more meaningful and in-depth discussion.
 
This workpaper should leverage off the work from the Potential Issues List document which should have been compiled by the audit team throughout the review.
 
Things to be careful about
Everyone deals with feedback in various ways, and therefore, we should be careful in how we deliver our feedback to the various stakeholders. Whilst we need to call out where there are issues and what the risks and implications are, we need to make sure it is done so in a way that has management buy in and encourages a good working relationship between Internal Audit and the business. Failure to deliver this messaging in an appropriate way could see recommendations poorly implemented or business area’s disregarding the work of audit.