This hands-on workshop is designed to equip internal auditors with the skills and tools necessary to leverage data analytics in their audit processes. Focusing on intermediate-level techniques, it aims to enhance participants’ ability to analyse complex data, replace manual audit tasks through analytics, and apply an analytics mindset throughout their audits. The session will cover practical methods and widely used tools to test, interpret, and validate data, helping auditors make informed decisions and deliver more effective assurance outcomes.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the workshop, participants will:

• Understand the principles and applications of data analytics in internal audits.
• Be able to work across all phases of an audit, integrating best practices for audit analytics.
• Gain practical experience with SQL for data analytics and Power BI for data visualisation and understand the pros and cons of other tools such as Python, Alteryx and Tableau.
• Improve their ability to assess data quality, interpret analytical results, and extract actionable insights.
• Be equipped to digitise and automate manual processes, enhancing audit efficiency and effectiveness.

Topics Covered:

• Overview of Data Analytics in Internal Auditing
  • The role of data analytics in modern auditing.
  • Benefits of integrating analytics tools in audit processes.
  • Key concepts: data-driven auditing, insights, and control testing using analytics.
• Practical exercises in SQL using credit card expense data:
  • joining different datasets using inner and left joins
  • filtering data to narrow in on the data of interest
  • aggregating data to calculate different statistics
• Practical exercises in Power BI using credit card expense data:
  • Load data into Power BI for different file formats
  • Develop different types of visuals, such as column charts, line charts and donut charts to identify trends and patterns
  • Build an interactive dashboard with different types of filters to tell a story about your data
• Interpreting Results
  • Best practices for interpreting data insights.
  • Identifying patterns, trends, and anomalies relevant to audits.
  • How to validate findings and present data-driven conclusions.
• Case Study and Group Discussion
  • Real-life audit scenario: applying analytics tools to identify potential risks.
  • Group discussion on how to integrate data analytics into existing audit frameworks.

Level: Intermediate

Duration: 4 hours

CPE: 4

This workshop will provide internal auditors with the tools and techniques needed to navigate and excel in the evolving landscape of data analytics, improving their digital literacy and capacity for delivering enhanced audit assurance.

Delivery Format: Facilitator-led training via Zoom (Note: This training program will be delivered virtually over Zoom. Registrations will be strictly limited to 20 participants to allow maximum interaction in the online environment.)