1. Notification Letter - With few exceptions, auditees are notified in writing when their area is selected for an audit. Due to the nature of some audit work, we may give little or no advance notice. These letters are sent to the Vice President of the area being audited as well as to the appropriate Dean, Chairperson, or Director. The notification letter states the scope and objectives to be accomplished in the audit.
2. Entrance Conference - Depending on the type of audit and the amount of audit work planned, an entrance conference may be scheduled with the head of the department to discuss the purpose and scope of the audit. This may also be accomplished via telephone if the auditee so desires. We encourage auditees to discuss any concerns or questions they have about the audit. Together, the auditee and the auditors determine the departmental personnel and data needed to conduct the audit.
3. Audit Work - It will often be necessary for the auditors to be in your area to review departmental records and conduct interviews of departmental personnel. The interviews are necessary for the auditor to become familiar with the department's operations and procedures. We realize each person's time is valuable so we attempt to arrange meetings in advance and to work around scheduling conflicts. Written policies and procedures may also be requested to aid the auditor in understanding the operations. The duration of the audit will vary depending upon its scope. Limited scope audits may take only a week or two while broad scope audits may take several months. The level of cooperation received from the auditee also has a bearing on the duration of the audit. Access to personnel and records is important for the prompt completion of our work.
4. Communicating Results – Issues requiring corrective action are documented in Audit Finding Sheets. Audit Finding Sheets will be issued to management, who will generally be given 10 working days to respond to the findings. Management responses should include a corrective action plan, along with timelines for implementation and the position(s) responsible for implementation.
5. Exit Conference - An exit conference will be held to discuss the results of the audit, as well as any audit findings. Those attending usually include the auditors, the Dean, Chairperson, or Director, as well as anyone from the department that the auditee wishes to invite. The exit conference provides an opportunity to resolve any questions or concerns the auditee may have about the findings and to resolve any other issues before the final audit report is released.
6. Final Audit Report - The final audit report will include the findings, recommendations, and management's responses. Copies of the final report are distributed to TSU Board of Regents, the President, applicable Vice Presidents, the head of the audited unit, the State Auditors Office, the Office of the Governor, the Legislative Budget Board, and the Sunset Commission.
7. Follow-up Reviews - There will be occasions when action to resolve a finding will not be accomplished until after the audit work is finished. Our professional standards require that we follow-up on previously reported findings to determine whether corrective action was taken as planned by the auditee. Follow-up reviews are usually conducted six to twelve months from issuance of the final audit report.
