Audit Program (Survey or Fieldwork) - An audit program is the plan for the audit and typically identifies all the activities and tests to be conducted in the audit. Audits will typically have both a survey and a fieldwork audit program.
Auditee - An auditee is the department, process, or individual that is being audited.
Auditor in Charge (AIC) - The auditor in charge is the person responsible for the specific audit in question and can be any level of auditor in the Office of Inspector General.
Conclusion - An audit conclusion is the opinion of the auditor and is based on the audit objectives, the results of audit testing, and the audit findings.
Criteria - Audit criteria are the rules, policies, procedures, or other requirements used as a basis to which we compare when conducting audit testing.
Evidence - Audit evidence includes the documents, information gained through interviews, or any other information that supports audit testing and conclusions. Audit evidence should be relevant, reliable, appropriate, and sufficient to provide a reasonable basis for conclusions or opinions.
Findings/Observations - Audit findings or observations are the results of the audit testing. The term audit findings/observations can refer to audit results that are either “good” or “bad” and are typically thought of by auditors as representing either compliance or noncompliance with the applicable test criteria. However, typically auditors use the term(s) to note instances where audit testing shows noncompliance with the criteria.
Follow-up - Audit follow-up is an assessment of management’s action to address the findings/observations in the audit report.
Independence - Independence is when an auditor is free from conditions (real or perceived) that threaten an auditor’s ability to complete an audit in a unbiased manner.
Internal Controls - Internal controls are the policies, procedures, rules, and practices put in place to ensure management’s objectives and/or goals are accomplished.
Management - From an audit perspective, Management refers to those charged with governance of the department or process being audited.
Objectives - Audit objectives define the purpose of the audit or why the audit is being conducted.
Recommendations - An audit recommendation is the suggestion made by an auditor to address a finding/issue/observation.
Report - An audit report is the document or some other method of communicating the results of the audit. Audit reports communicate the audit’s scope, objectives, methodology, the finding/observations, and the auditor’s conclusions.
Risk - When referred to by auditors, risk is a threat that can prevent a department or process from accomplishing its mission or goals.
Sample - An audit sample is a subset of the items that are being tested.
For example, if an audit was testing purchases made by P-Card, it would not be practical or reasonable to test all P-Card purchases made within the City. The auditor will select a limited number of those purchases (a sample) for testing and make a conclusion about all P-Card purchases from the purchases tested.
Sample items can be selected randomly or judgmentally.
Scope - The audit scope defines what is being audited. Typically, the scope identifies the department or process that is being audited and timeframe that is covered.
Workpapers - Audit workpapers are the documents, records, or other evidence collected during an audit to support the findings/observations and conclusions of the audit.