Audit Documentation ISA 230 and Quality Working Papers ... · audit, to understand: – The nature,...

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Audit Documentation – ISA 230

and Quality Working Papers

Amer Ali, FCCA

June 2012


ISA 230 - Audit documentation is…

• …the record of audit procedures performed , relevant audit evidence obtained, and conclusions the auditor reached.

• terms such as ‗working papers‘ or ‗work papers‘ are sometimes used and may vary within different firms.


Why is documentation important to support

conclusions?

• required by ISA – 230

• required by firms policies and procedures to comply with ISA

• required by applicable legal and regulatory requirements


Why is documentation important to support

conclusions?

• internal reviews (manager, partner, practice reviews)

• professional bodies review

• regulators reviews like PCOAB in US


Audit documentation meeting ISA

requirements provides…

• evidence of the auditor‘s basis for a conclusion about the achievement of the overall objectives of the auditor; and

• evidence that the audit was planned and performed in accordance with ISAs and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.


Audit documentation additional purposes

• assisting the engagement team to plan and perform the audit

• assisting members of the engagement team responsible for supervision to direct and supervise the audit work, and to discharge their review responsibilities

• enabling the engagement team to be accountable for its work

• retaining a record of matters of continuing significance to future audits


Objective of Audit documentation

• a sufficient and appropriate record of the basis for the auditor‘s report; and

• evidence that the audit was planned and performed in accordance with ISAs and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.


Content of Audit documentation

• The auditor should prepare the audit documentation in order to enable an experienced auditor, having no previous connection with the audit, to understand:

– The nature, timing, and extent of the audit procedures performed to

comply with the ISAs and applicable legal and regulatory

requirements.

– The results of the audit procedures and audit evidence obtained.

– Significant matters arising during the audit and conclusions reached

thereon.

Working papers should be sufficiently completed and detailed.


Significant matters

• Significant matters are matters that are judged through objective analysis of the facts and circumstances to be significant to our audit and include, among others:

– Significant risks (pervasive or specific risks).

– Results of audit procedures indicating:• Material misstatement.• Revision of our assessment of risk.

– Significant difficulty in performing necessary audit procedures.

– Findings that could modify our audit report.


Documentation – Key messages

Sufficient evidence to allow an experienced auditor with no previous connection to the audit engagement to understand:

– What was done.

– The evidence obtained.

– Significant matters arising during the audit.

– The conclusion reached.

– Who performed the work and when.

Work NOT Documented is

Work NOT Done!


What to document?• The audit procedures applied

• Objective, procedures, results, conclusion.

• Details of the tests performed

• Describe in detail the work performed.

• Identify the person who performed the work and those who reviewed it, including

the date when these were performed.

• Identify significant matters arising during the audit.

• State conclusions reached and the basis for them.

• Show the source of the amounts and other information.

• Properly index and cross reference.

• Audit procedures performed according to instructions in the audit

program

– Ensure all procedures in the audit program are addressed in our audit working

papers.


What to document?

• Only the work we have actually performed!

• Only what is relevant to the audit:

Contains analyses, opinion, conclusions.

Supports the overall audit opinion.


Form, content and extent of audit

documentation depends on factors such as:

• size and complexity of the entity.

• nature of the audit procedures to be performed.

• identified risks of material misstatement.

• significance of the audit evidence obtained.

• nature and extent of exceptions identified.

• need to document a conclusion or the basis for a conclusion not readily determinable from the documentation of the work performed or audit evidence obtained.

• audit methodology and tools used.


Nature of audit documentation

• Can be electronic, manual, or other media.

• Examples include:

– Audit programs.

– Emails with the client.

– Analyses.

– Evidence of test of details on samples of items.

– Letters of confirmation and representation.

– Abstracts or copies of the entity‘s records (e.g., significant and

specific contracts and agreements).

– Substantive analytical procedures, including development of

expectations and investigation of differences.


What is not audit documentation

• Entity records (e.g., invoices looked at in testing).

• Superseded working papers/drafts.

• Notes that reflect incomplete or preliminary thinking.

• Duplicate documents.

• Review points (raised as part of our internal review processes).


Audit documentation retention policy

• ISQC 1 requires firms to establish policies and procedures for the timely completion of the assembly of audit files.

• An appropriate time limit within which to complete the assembly of the final audit file is ordinarily not more than 60 days after the date of the auditor‘s report.

• retention period for audit engagements vary based on legal requirements (not shorter than 5 years)

• statutory and group reporting issues


Electronic work papers control

• Regulations require that we ensure electronic working papers are adequately maintained and controlled.

• In practice this means:

– Regular back-ups.

– Computers and manual files are locked if unattended.

– Extra care taken with the control of confidential information (e.g.,

payroll, bonus schedules).

– Use of passwords to protect confidential information.


Documentation for stages of an audit

• Perform pre-engagement activities

• Planning stage

• Perform the audit plan

• Conclude and report

• Asses and manage risk – continuous process


Stages of an audit - perform pre-engagement

activities

• Client acceptance procedures (evaluate

compliance with ethical requirements, including

independence)/assess engagement risk

• Establish terms of engagement


Stages of an audit - Planning stage

• Strategic audit planning

• Understand the entity and its environment

• Understand internal control/accounting process

• Perform preliminary analytical review

• Develop planning materiality

• Asses risk at account balance

• Plan to test operating effectiveness of controls vs.

substantive procedures


Stages of an audit - Perform the audit plan

• Perform tests of operating effectiveness of controls

• Perform substantive procedures (test of details

and/or substantive analytical procedures)

• Perform financial statements review


Stages of an audit - conclude and report

• Perform subsequent event review

• Obtain management representation letter

• Audit summary memorandum

• Report


Specific Audit Documentation Requirements

in Other ISAs• ISA 210, ―Agreeing the Terms of Audit

Engagements‖ – paragraphs 10-12

• ISA 220, ―Quality Control for an Audit of Financial

Statements‖ – paragraphs 24-25

• ISA 240, ―The Auditor‘s Responsibilities Relating to

Fraud in an Audit of Financial Statements‖ –

paragraphs 44-47

• ISA 250, ―Consideration of Laws and Regulations

in an Audit of Financial Statements‖ – paragraph

29



in Other ISAs (continued)• ISA 260, ―Communication with Those Charged with

Governance‖ – paragraph 23

• ISA 300, ―Planning an Audit of Financial

Statements‖ – paragraph 12

• ISA 315, ―Identifying and Assessing the Risks of

Material Misstatement through Understanding the

Entity and Its Environment‖ – paragraph 32

• ISA 320, ―Materiality in Planning and Performing

an Audit‖ – paragraph 14

• ISA 330, ―The Auditor‘s Responses to Assessed

Risks‖ – paragraphs 28-30



in Other ISAs (continued)• ISA 450, ―Evaluation of Misstatements Identified

During the Audit‖ – paragraph 15

• ISA 540, ―Auditing Accounting Estimates, Including

Fair Value Accounting Estimates, and Related

Disclosures‖ – paragraph 23

• ISA 550, ―Related Parties‖ – paragraph 28

• ISA 600, ―Special Considerations—Audits of Group

Financial Statements (Including the Work of

Component Auditors)‖ – paragraph 50

• ISA 610, ―Using the Work of Internal Auditors‖ –

paragraph 13

Audit Documentation ISA 230 and Quality Working Papers ... · audit, to understand: – The nature,...

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