Best Practices for Writing Effective Audit Reports

A great audit report is digestible, clear, and motivates stakeholders to act. Want to make sure your reports are effective? This reporting resources package is packed with tried-and-true techniques, helpful tips, and an Audit Reporting Checklist to take your next audit report to the next level. A great audit report is one that clearly communicates the objectives, scope, and findings of an audit engagement, motivating its audience to take internal audit’s recommended actions as a result. The IIA Standard 2410 – Criteria for Communications, outlines what a report must contain (scope, objectives, results, recommendations and action plans, and applicable conclusions) and what it should contain (the internal auditors’ opinion, when appropriate), but there are additional steps you can take to ensure your message is heard. After all, Standard 2410 was written about communicating, not reporting.