Critical Thinking in the Audit Process Training – (CBOK) Study

In the recent Global Internal Audit Common Knowledge (CBOK) Study, Chief Audit Executives survey respondents have expressed that Critical Thinking is one of the top skills that they are recruiting for or building their internal audit department. So, what is critical thinking? A purposeful reasoning approach that drives one to ask questions, gather information & verify assumptions to reach thoughtful, fair & reflective conclusions. With the pervasive uncertainty in the business world, making the right decision is a challenge. The end goal of critical thinking is to facilitate sound decision-making and execution.

Critical thinking is about trying to understand our logical processes and developing criteria for improving them. It is a way of thinking about any topic in which a person improves the quality of their thinking by evaluating, analyzing, deconstructing, and reconstructing it.  It is considered a form of metacognition, which is self-directed and self-monitoring;  It is about developing conceptual tools to be able to think for themselves.  It requires the approval of strict standards of excellence in judgment, reasoning, and conscious command to be used in an effort to overcome the original selfishness and social focus.

This course will provide you with the skills and techniques necessary to embed critical thinking skills in all aspects of the audit cycle. The tools and techniques shared will guide your use of critical thinking skills in risk assessment, interviewing, audit evidence gathering, root cause analysis, and report writing. Real-life examples of failures and successes of critical thinking in internal audits will be covered to further the learning process.