Once you have completed this training you will be in a great position to move ahead with confidence on this topic by taking one of the more in-depth trainings on the application of root cause analysis.
As a complement to the various 1-day training events on this important topic, we have completed a series of videos on root cause analysis for internal audit. The series includes 5 videos totalling just under 4 hours:
Video 1: 44m — The Fundamentals
- Explores the critical importance of fact finding
- Distinguishes between immediate, contributing, and root causes
- Highlights areas where global internal audit standards require root cause analysis
- Covers four powerful techniques:
- Issue tree methodology
- Various «Five Whys» approaches (including two-legs and three-way)
- Bow tie diagram
- Concludes with verification methods and the essential 80/20 Pareto principle
Video 2: 59m — Advanced Frameworks
- Deep dive into the fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram
- Explores traditional root cause categories through COSO framework
- Presents eight best practice root cause categories including:
- Clear roles, responsibilities, and authorities
- Appropriate design considerations
- «Human factors» analysis
- Resource adequacy and prioritization
- Introduces systems thinking principles and cause relationships
- Demonstrates how RCA sheds light on the control environment and risk culture
Video 3: 58m — Practical Applications
- Hands-on implementation of key techniques:
- 5 Whys and variants
- BowTie methodology
- Issue tree approach
- Fishbone diagram
- Systems thinking
- Features diverse examples across multiple industries and contexts
Video 4A: 25m — Integration with Audit Methodology
- Why RCA should be a fundamental component of audit methodology
- Application in scoping, data analytics, and work programmes
- Creating more concise reporting
- Aligning root cause categories with IIA Topical Requirements
- Reporting against maturity frameworks and presenting themes to key stakeholders (what and why)
Video 4B: 30m — Continuous Improvement
- Using RCA to enhance internal audit team performance
- Prompting essential questions about:
- Consequence calculation (current vs. future)
- Rating methodologies
- Action plan development and follow-up
- Leveraging RCA as a catalyst for organization-wide improvement
- Supporting first- and second-line function enhancement
Total time: 216m — 4 CPE’s
Once you have completed this training you will be in a great position to move ahead with confidence on this topic by taking one of the more in-depth trainings on the application of root cause analysis.
CPE
You will earn 4 CPE’s for CIA, CRMA and Diplomert internrevisor for attending this course
Instructor
James C. Paterson is former head of audit for AstraZeneca PLC and has been consulting and training for the past 10 years for the IIA in Belgium, Finland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the UK.
He is the author of the book “Lean Auditing” and Root Cause Analysis and System Thinking and has spoken at several IIA International Conferences and also the ECIIA conference. He contributed to the IIA global team that worked on developing practice guidance for internal audit plans.
