Project Management Techniques

• Develop an understanding of Project Management Knowledge Areas.
• Gain experience using Project Management Tools and Techniques.
• Apply Project Risk Management methods to audit engagements.
• Create counter measures to manage “scope creep.”
• Understand how Earned Value can track and forecast engagement performance, enabling timely implementation of corrective action.
• Review application of the IIA’s recent Practice Guide – “Measuring Internal Audit Effectiveness and Efficiency,” (December 2010).

• Audit managers interested in assessing tools and techniques that could enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their existing engagement management processes.
• Auditors-in-Charge who want to investigate the possibility utilizing project management tools and techniques in leading audit engagements.
• Senior Auditors who want to develop their engagement leadership skills.

Prerequisites: None
Advanced Preparation: None
Delivery Method: Group-Live

Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques that enable a project team to balance demands of scope, time, cost, quality, resources and risk to produce a product, service, or result that meets stakeholder needs, expectations, and specifications. Audit leaders face similar challenges from competing demands while delivering value to their organizations in the planning and performance of their assurance engagements. The IPPF Practice Guide – “Measuring Internal Audit Effectiveness and Efficiency” offers suggestions for evaluating the performance of an internal activity.

The purpose of this seminar is to examine project management tools and techniques for possible application in the management of audit engagements. Group discussion, practical team exercises, and individual activities, will enable participants to assess the value of applying project management tools and techniques within their own engagement management processes. Successful completion of this course should enable participants to begin integrating project management techniques into their audit engagement activities.

Note: This seminar does not replicate course content from the “Auditor-in-Charge Tools and Techniques” seminar offered by The IIA.

Project Management Overview

• Project Management Overview
• Project Management Knowledge Areas
• Project Management Process Groups
• Audit Engagement Overview
• Adding Value – Achieving Audit Engagement Success
• Deliverables and Milestones

Planning: Scope Management, Time Management, and Cost Management

• Project Planning
• Audit Engagement Planning
• Scope Management
• Time Management
• Cost Management

Planning: Quality, Human Resources, Communications, Risk Management

• Plan Quality
• Human Resource Planning
• Communications
• Risk Management

Execute

• Project Execution
• How to Work Together as a Team
• Leading Project Teams
• Team Dynamics

Monitor and Control

• Scope Management
• Change Management
• Time and Cost Management - Earned Value
• Monitoring Performance
• Monitoring Risk
• Project Closeout

Wrap-up and Next Steps

• Putting it all Together
• Next steps in Implementation