Audit AssistantISA 220 (revised) deals primarily with the engagement partners’ responsibilities in overseeing the quality of the assurance work. It forms part of the suite of Quality Management Standards, dovetailing with PES 3 Quality Management for Firms that Perform Audits or Reviews of Financial Statements or Other Assurance or Related Services Engagements (aka ISQM 1) and […]
Read moreWe’ve talked about risk assessment, professional scepticism, responding to identified risks, and the business model in terms of ISA 315 (revised 2019). But the bulk of the actual requirements of the standard (paragraphs 19-27) relate to, as the heading puts it: ‘Obtaining an Understanding of the Entity and Its Environment, the Applicable Financial Reporting Framework […]
Read moreEver wish you could take your current complex review and documentation processes and put them into one bespoke, secure, elegant online solution without spending hundreds of thousands of dollars? Now you can. Or go next level and become a provider of that content, reselling it to other firms in your industry? This is what ReviewTools […]
Read moreFor those who prepare and audit financial statements for “small” (under $2m expenditure) charities and other not-for-profits, there are some important changes coming up. We have made a summary with some commentary about how we think this will impact the sector. In New Zealand, these smaller entities are very common – there are about 30,000 […]
Read moreKaizen, also known as continuous improvement, is a long-term approach to work that systematically seeks to achieve small, incremental changes in processes in order to improve efficiency and quality. Kaizen can be applied to any kind of work, but it is perhaps best known for being used in lean manufacturing and lean programming. If a […]
Read moreThe concept of understanding an entity’s business model, including how it uses Information Technology (IT) is new in ISA 315 (Revised 2019). Understanding the business model sounds like child’s play, but in the context of exploring inherent risks, it presents a powerful tool to understand the entity. Paragraph 19(a)(i) tells us that: The auditor shall perform […]
Read moreRemember CAATs? This was an acronym for Computer Assisted Audit Tools – a general category for all things computery that helped us work with more efficiency and power. Now that virtually all we do uses a computer, ISA 315 (Revised 2019) does not refer to CAATs but to Automated Tools and Techniques (ATTs). This kind […]
Read moreThere’s a new Act in town. And some people aren’t happy, claiming that this could be an ‘extinction event’ for many small clubs. The 1908 Act was predictably relaxed, out of step with modern regulation and reporting, so an update was needed. So what does the new Incorporated Societies Act entail for these entities, and […]
Read moreDoes your firm administer any family trusts? Then you will no doubt be aware of the increased requirements under the Trusts Act 2019 for ensuring all the data about the Trust is up to date. To help achieve this, we have, in collaboration with a large local Accountancy firm, developed a simple questionnaire to be […]
Read moreThe next concept, expressed in paragraph 8 of ISA 315, is a reminder that our audit work must be framed in terms of responses to risks of material misstatement (RoMM). This is not new, but it is critical to making our audit file “sing”. The first part of paragraph 8 states that “ISA 330 requires […]
Read moreLet’s face it, auditing can be like herding cats. There are so many factors that must be considered simultaneously that it’s really impossible to proceed through anything but the most basic job without new facts emerging, new risks surfacing, and expectations changing. We try to nail this down and not miss anything, with our programmes […]
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