external audit preparation
In our world we take preparation very seriously. We ask for the plan. We develop our own plan to correspond to what the auditor wants to see. We ensure our people are briefed and agree to specific time slots. Then we further develop our road map to ensure our auditor has the right information to do his or her job right and meet their back office compliance review needs. We do go a little extra and prepare anticipated records they will want to see, PDF’ing them ready for review. We also ensure there are fall-back people and data so the audit flows well should any hiccups occur or availability issues arise.
One good thing about our audits is that they have been virtual for the past 6 years, so much of the logistics listed above are not distracting us from the job at hand.
Of course the best way to prepare is to ensure your systems are audit ready 24x7 and so it really doesn’t matter when they come or what they want to see, you will be ready. I just love walking this talk!