Quality Assurance, Research and IT Audit
Quality assurance monitors and assures the Office that in conducting audits, approved methodology and processes have been adhered to thereby ensuring that the desired quality is achieved. International Standards on Auditing require quality control to be documented and integrated into the audit process. Quality is therefore the business of every auditor.
The unit is also responsible for researching ongoing changes in accounting and auditing standards and where appropriate translating and giving guidance to auditors in the application of these standards. Research materials include web sites and publications for IFAC, ECSAFA, IASB, INTOSAI, IDI, ICAEW, ACCA, CIMA and various other publications from research institutions around the world in accountancy and auditing.
The IT Audit section assures both the financial auditors and auditee managements that the security of their data management systems are functioning as intended and that the integrity of output can be relied upon. This is of utmost importance considering that the entire data processing is done within the computer and the average auditor does not possess the relevant skills and tools to carry out this assurance function. In this case the IT Audit section renders a support function to the audit function.
Information systems auditing is the process of collecting and evaluating evidence to determine whether a computer system safeguards assets, maintains data integrity, allows organizational goals to be achieved effectively, and uses resources efficiently.
Currently the IS audit at OAG is limited to evaluating general and application controls of IS systems within government entities. As the Office builds capacity, the scope of this audit will broaden to include IS systems audit. The objective of introducing this type of audit is necessitated by the ever growing computerization of government processes and offices. The essence of IS audit is to assure the auditors that the system generating the information to be subjected to the financial and performance audit is reliable. Additionally, IS audit verifies that financial information within the entity is released on a need to know basis so that confidentiality is not breached.
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