Frequently Asked Questions

What is an audit?
An audit is simply an independent review of your unit's activities to determine whether or not they are in compliance with the University policies and procedures, regulatory requirements and good business practices. The audit covers both financial and non-financial activities.

Is there a cost for the audit or advisory services to your unit or department?
No, there is no cost for audit and advisory services to your unit.

How long does an audit usually take?
A full scope internal audit of a campus unit takes 1-4 months depending on the risks or issues under review. The availability of relevant information and audit clients also affects the timing of the audit.

Will the department get a copy of the audit report? Who else gets it?
Yes, at the end of each audit engagement, the office of Audit and Management Advisory Services issues audit reports to the department head and senior administrators such as the President, Provost, and Vice President of Administration and Finance. Copies of audit reports retained in our office are reviewed by external auditors during their annual audit engagement.

Who are our customers?
The office of Audit and Management Advisory Services has several customers. First and foremost, our primary customer is the Audit Committee of the Board of Trustees. We report functionally to this Committee and perform internal audits on their behalf. We also provide assistance to the University's senior management, departments, centers and schools. As such, those groups - and the students, faculty and staff who operate within them - are also our customers. We also assist various government agencies and our external auditors in fulfilling their oversight responsibilities. The last group consists of contributors, alumni and the District of Columbia community - all of which we indirectly service by providing a high level of assistance to our customers.

Within the office of Audit and Management Advisory Services, our customers are the individuals we report to, and also those we supervise and coach.

What are the goals and objectives of customer service within our area?
We understand that our success depends on satisfying the needs of our customers. We fully recognize the value of our relationships with our customers and consistently do everything possible to exceed their expectations. Our goal is to provide a service that promotes efficiency, productivity, cost savings and effective internal control at a reasonable cost.

How will we know as a service unit that our goals are met?
We will know if our goals are being met by these measurements:

Customer Satisfaction Survey-- We will ask every individual and group that is audited by the office of Audit Services to fill out a survey. We will review the results of the survey and respond accordingly.

In October of each year, we will:

• Assess the office against its annual goals and objectives.
• Summarize the responses from the Customer Satisfaction Surveys and implement corrections to any negative trends.
• Review the past year's audit reports to determine if at least 85% of our recommendations were agreed to by management.

Other items may be used to determine if we are succeeding in meeting our objectives, but they are difficult to measure -- such as informal comments made by upper management or the University at large.