Mobile Audit Procedures: How to Monitor Processes on The Go

Posted on July 8, 2021 by Jonathan Kidd

There are many reasons why you would want to monitor your audit procedures on the go. Maybe you need to make sure that your staff is following protocol, or maybe you’re going away and don’t want to miss anything important. Whatever the case may be, a practice management with mobile audit can help!

In this blog post, we will discuss how these apps work as well as what features they offer so that you can decide if it’s right for your business.

Why Audit Firms Need to Apply Mobile Audit Procedures?

Audit firms have a lot of responsibilities that can be easily overlooked when you’re not in the office. This is where mobile audit practices come into play!

These apps allow for easy access to your business’s records, allowing managers and staff members alike to always stay on top of things even if they are away from their desk.

Audit firms have strict protocols that need to be followed in order for audits to go smoothly. An app in your mobile device can help make sure this happens when staff are on the move – either following protocol or away from their desk and unable to stay up with what’s happening at the office!

In the case where audit team is out of the office they may be unable to access online resources, creating problems with their work. This audit practice allows you to stay up-to-date on all your client’s information and keep records organised even when working remotely!

With this type of auditing practices, it is easier than ever for staff members in different locations or remote areas of the world to collaborate.

So, now you might be wondering how your organisations can leverage these management systems. Here are step-by-step instructions to help your auditing team to keep track of their work on the go.

Step 1: Develop Strong Audit Procedures

Organisations have to be able to define their processes and procedures in a clear way, so mobile audit practices can run smoothly.

There are always going to be some challenges when it comes to monitoring certain areas of an organisation with remote audits; however, this doesn’t mean that you have failed as long as your team has been following the proper set of instructions.

Procedures are the backbone of your service operations, whether you are doing internal audit or external, you need to establish clear audit processes. 

Set up strong audit procedures with this standard operating procedures (SOPs) template:

Download SOP Template

Part of having good mobile audit practices is making sure that you have clear, step-by-step procedures for teams to follow and also being able to track their progress in real time. It’s important to know where audits stand at any point of time. 

Sometimes auditors might not need detailed reports, just a high level report of how the work is going on. This can be done through audit practice management apps, which help create smart auditing procedures for process monitoring and tracking.

This is a part of internal control, which is an important part of auditing.

Mobile audit practices are the best way to stay on top of your operations and make sure they’re being done properly, and maintain compliance, no matter where you go or what device you use. 

Smart apps for audits help create step-by-step procedures so team members know exactly what needs to be done

Step 2: Create Mobile Audit Checklists

You might be wondering if checklist is the right choice for your mobile audits?

It depends on some factors, and how you want to use it. Here are a few things to consider: 

-What type of information do I need from my staff when they complete their work?

-Do you need a checklist that is easy to follow and quick for your staff to complete? 

-Do you need a list of tasks with no detail, or do you want detailed inputs on each task? 

-Is it important that the information be communicated electronically so everyone can see progress at anytime and anywhere they are connected online?

You need to set a system that is aligned for your expectations for your employees. Sticking to a checklist when auditing is the easiest way for your staff members to know what they need and where they are in the process.

It’s important that you create as few checklists, but cover all of your needs. If you have too many pages with tasks, it becomes difficult for them to keep up with their progress.

There are other tools that you can use in your mobile audit practice management app to simplify the auditing process:

Risk Assessment Scoring 

Risk scoring and evaluation tools that are used for the different types of risks you may find on a physical audit. A risk based approach helps auditors create action plans that are aligned for regulatory compliance.

The risk scoring tool allows you to create scenarios and set scores based on the different types of risks in an external audit. 

Process Checklists

Elaborate subtask so that procedures are clearer and more specific for auditors. Sub tasks allows you to delegate the right tasks to your team members by creating smart filters that automatically assign them based on their skillsets, qualifications, certifications or years of experience in a certain industry.

This is especially useful when you have many tasks going on simultaneously so that they are all managed efficiently. 

Upload Audit Findings and Reports

Audit reports are the most important tool that you should have in your mobile audit process management app.

The reports are created by auditors and give key information about a company’s operations, which can be used as evidence to back up claims of fraud or inappropriate behaviour. 

In addition to this, a mobile app can provide storage and management of the company’s documentation such as policies, procedures, checklists and other documents that are not needed on a day-to-day basis but should be handy when you need to recall them or refer back to them.

Step 3: Digitise Your Auditing Process

Once you have set your audit checklist and procedures, it’s time to embed them in a management system. Organisations are now able to digitise their audit process with a practice management mobile app. 

Practice management systems have been used for a number of years to manage the day-to-day running of practices, but now they are also being employed by organisations such as financial organisations to control service quality management. 

Boombirds practice management systems empowers your team of auditors work collaboratively on the go, enabling your team to audit more efficiently and accurately.

We have amazing features such as audit checklists process checklists, which you can set up to enable your team of auditors to streamline the process.

Boombirds also offers features such as templates for a variety of audits and reports that are easily accessible on mobile devices. 

With Boombirds it’s easy to upload photos or documents from within an organisation with just one click. 

Step 4: Ensure Your Auditors are Comfortable with Their Devices

The last part is to take a look at the devices your auditors are using to ensure they’re comfortable with them. 

It’s important that you make sure each team member knows how to use their device and has been trained on it before sending them out for an audit. 

What do we mean by education? Senior management needs to ensure that their employees are comfortable with this new way of operations. The employee should have access to continuing education and training as needed.

It’s been shown that auditors who are more confident in using their devices were less likely to give up in embracing new technology. 

We all know the importance of staying on top your practices, but it can be hard to stay on top of that when you’re constantly moving around.

Boombirds mobile application is designed to help you monitor your audit processes from anywhere at any time by providing an easy way for you to track what needs reviewing, what has been completed, and how much progress you have left in each area.