Chambers on Internal Audit

August 2, 2012

Drive-by Auditing: Don’t Be Guilty of “Hit and Run”

I have written extensively over the years of the need to improve the timeliness of internal audit results. Nothing undermines the value of an internal audit more […]
July 24, 2012

”We Are Here to Help You”: Managing Relationships With Skeptical Clients

​“We are here to help you!” This phrase seems so innocent, but at The IIA’s recent International Conference in Boston, I once again heard those six little […]
July 17, 2012

Internal Audit as a Pipeline of Talent

The concept of rotational internal audit staffing is not new. General Electric’s internal audit function, for example, has employed a purely rotational model and served as […]
July 2, 2012

Credibility: The Secret Weapon of Internal Audit Effectiveness

As a young auditor, nothing was more frustrating to me than presenting a great audit recommendation or new idea to an audit client (or “auditee” as […]
June 20, 2012

Five Classic Myths About Internal Auditing

Myths can tell us a lot about ourselves — or at the least, about how others see the world. But at times it seems that the […]
June 12, 2012

Internal Auditing: Is It a Career or a Career “Stepping-stone”?

When I joined the internal audit profession in the 1970s, it was widely understood that internal auditing was a career path. Young professionals, like I was […]
May 24, 2012

Are Enthusiastic IPO Investors Missing an Elephant in the Room?

The past few weeks have witnessed extensive media coverage of two subjects for which investors should have taken extensive note: 1) There are an increasing number […]
May 17, 2012

A Strong Ethical Compass: An Essential Trait for Internal Auditors

Internal auditors are ethical — right? After all, we think of ourselves as the “beacon of ethical light” in every organization. If you can’t trust the […]
May 10, 2012

Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

I admit that I am biased. As one who spent the majority of my audit career in the public sector, I strongly believe that government internal […]
April 16, 2012

Six Common Mistakes That Will Derail an Internal Audit

Over time, internal auditors tend to hear about a lot of things that went wrong. Unfortunately, it’s not just our clients who make mistakes — I […]