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Every audit starts with a plan nice and neat,
But some fall apart before taking your seat.
Ours? It unravelled while still on page one.
I’ll tell you how nearly it all came undone.
We started too soon, with the docs incomplete,
Revenue shaky, payroll not neat.
But everyone wanted to start things already
But that contravenes the Definition of Ready.
We pressed on without answers. Loose ends everywhere.
Each morning’s briefing, the same old nightmare.
“Nearly done” is so tempting, the devil’s refrain.
Definition of Done would have spared us the pain.
The budget was fantasy. Plucked from thin air.
Set by the manager, the one never there.
Next time trust the ones who are doing the grind,
Let Your Team Set Their Budgets is the answer you’ll find.
The file grew more tangled, with pages of doubt,
Models and memos we couldn’t work out.
“What is the standard?” I heard someone say
It’s Reduce Complexity. Simple’s the way.
Ian the Intern got into a mess,
After three failed attempts, you could see his distress.
“Ask after two” should be carved into stone,
Two attempts, then Ask. Don’t suffer alone.
The client produced documents scattered and late,
No prep and no briefing, we sealed our own fate.
Training them early would spare us delays,
Train Your Clients. Tough love, that unfailingly pays.
To keep it all moving, we patched up their mess,
Rebuilding their schedules, avoiding more stress.
Draw the line, if you don’t you risk your report,
Do your work, not theirs, and stay out of court.
To keep things on track, we set up the board.
Tasks were all visible, nothing ignored.
We Used Kanban Boards so the clutter was gone.
Even the Partner could see what was on.
We then took a process we treat as routine,
And broke it right down and started from clean.
Start from a Clean Slate. New eyes saw it clear.
We found risks we’d been missing for many a year.
Get the Right Tools is our final advice?
Don’t go for what’s fancy. Go for what’s right.
But equally don’t be afraid what you spend,
The cheap one will always cost more in the end.
And so ends our story, mistakes all replayed,
And two simple mantras for you to obey.
You’ve got rules you should follow and one simple star.
Make your life easy with The Audit Toolbar.
Have a great week ahead.
Regards,
Christiaan.
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