Audit Programme Template
A structured audit engagement programme template aligned with the IIA Standards.
Programme sections
- Engagement objective — what assurance is being provided
- Scope — what is included and explicitly excluded
- Audit criteria — standards, policies or benchmarks against which we test
- Risk to the engagement — threats to independence, objectivity or delivery
- Resources and timing
- Audit steps — for each objective:
- Step description
- Test approach (inquiry, observation, inspection, reperformance, analytics)
- Sample / population
- Evidence to obtain
- Workpaper reference
- Reporting plan — format, recipients and timing
Design principles
- Tie every step to an objective and criterion
- Design steps to answer the assurance question, not to fill time
- Build in analytics where population data is available
- Review the programme before fieldwork begins
A good programme makes the assurance conclusion defensible.