The «10-year challenge»
For those who manage to even casually peruse social media from time to time, the term «10-year challenge» might sound familiar. The idea is to show two relatively similar images, usually «selfies» or user photos, side by side to indicate how far one has come over the course of a decade. Typically, this exercise is meant to highlight some form of progress or perceived positive attribute. For example, someone might choose to show how much weight he or she lost, how much muscle mass was gained, how well he or she seems to be aging, or even how something as simple as a smile has remained consistent through all the ups and downs of life.
Neil Frieser, Senior Vice President of Frontier Communications, decided to use the ten-year challenge to frame his presentation Innovative Approach to Audit Reports, which was given at the General Audit Management Conference (GAM) in March 2019. Looking back at 10-year-old internal audit reports produced by Frontier Communication’s audit team, as well as historical audit report formats, Frieser’s core team found much they could improve to add value to future reports for management, the audit committee, and by extension its organization.
The purpose of this knowledge brief is to document the steps Frieser’s team took on its journey to bring more user-friendly, communications-focused ideas to the traditional audit report format, as well as highlight some key takeaways other audit shops can use to bring a new level of readability, persuasiveness, and impact to their own reports.
Download: Innovative Approach to Audit Reports
