It is commonly held wisdom that every staff member in a Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) is responsible for audit quality, and that SAIs should ensure quality at every stage of the audit process through standard operating procedures. This is certainly true, especially for routine audits. However, in the case of audits that are complex...
performance audit
SAI Myanmar Enhances Performance Audit Capacity and Report Writing
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) of Myanmar and Norway includes cooperation to enhance work in performance and compliance audits. In January 2020, SAI Myanmar established a 14-member unit specializing in performance audits, and as part of the MoU...
Performance Audits to Communicate, Incorporate, Better Serve Stakeholders
“You must run to keep in place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that.”—Red Queen theory of evolution. Traditionally, audits, based on accounting standards, have focused on financial statement accuracy and regularity. In the area of public audit, the traditional approach also...
Improving Environmental Performance Audits, Cultivating Sustainability
Since 2005, the Office of the State Audit Office (SAO) of the Kingdom of Thailand, the nation's Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), has been responsible for initiating environmental audits, and the SAO gives precedence to environmental issues involving sustainable development. This article depicts the SAO’s three-phase approach in carrying out environmental performance audits and cultivating...
The Impact of Performance Auditing: A Practice Friendly Review
The International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions and the United Nations (UN) have created high expectations for Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), as evident in several INTOSAI standards and UN resolutions. Additionally, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) expects SAIs to...
The System-Oriented Approach to Performance Auditing: An Underrated Option
Pursuant to International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAI) 300-26, performance auditors generally choose between a result-, problem-, or system-oriented approach (or a combination thereof) to facilitate the soundness of audit design. In this article, the Netherlands Court of Audit (NCA) chronicles its performance audit experience according to...
Environmental Performance Auditing in Australia, Canada, India
Environmental performance auditing in Australia, Canada and India was studied as part of a three-component doctoral research. Other components included a global trend analysis and an investigation of current practices in environmental performance auditing. Following a brief examination of the mandate and institutional arrangements of the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) of Australia, Canada and India and the study methodology, this article provides an overview of results and emerging issues...
Rwanda OAG Receives Best Performance Audit Report Award
At the 13th AFROSAI-E Governing Board meeting held in Abuja, Nigeria, May 2016, the Office of the Auditor General-Rwanda was awarded the 2015 Prize for the best Performance Audit Report in the AFROSAI-E region. AFROSAI-E is the sub-regional Organization for Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in English speaking countries in Africa. This prize was launched in...
SAB Kuwait, NCA Hold Performance Audit Workshop
The State Audit Bureau of Kuwait (SAB) hosted a workshop on "Performance Audit" April 5-6, 2016, within the framework of the cooperation agreement with the Netherlands Court of Audit. A number of participants from SAB staff and trainers from the Netherlands Court of Audit...