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Two audit managers set out to do an audit.
The same firm. Similar clients. Similar deadlines.
It’s Monday morning, and The Captain is already sweating.
Post-It notes everywhere. Spreadsheets on paper, shared drives, laptops and Google Sheets. All apart from one which is on Alan’s flash drive. Problem is Alan’s in Scotland.
No one knows who’s handling inventory, although someone’s sure someone mentioned that last week?
The Captain ignores his phone which is buzzing non-stop with urgent messages while he wades through a swamp of equally urgent emails.
The team waits patiently for instructions, but the Captain’s not leaving his email task.
By Wednesday, the audit is officially behind schedule.
Juniors are stepping on each other’s toes. Two of them have inadvertently doubled up on reconciling the same thing.
Thursday’s check-in is a train wreck.
The partner swings by and gets greeted with a vague “We’re working on it.”
You could practically cut the disappointment with a P45.
On the other side of town, The King is running a well-oiled audit machine.
First task, day one, they set up a Kanban board.
Nothing fancy, just a Trello setup with columns for ‘To Do,’ ‘In Progress,’ ‘Review,’ and ‘Done.’
Every task has a home. Every team member knows what he’s working on.
The board’s like a well organised command centre.
Tasks? Crystal clear
Progress? Even clearer.
Tasks glide smoothly through the board’s pipeline.
When the partner drops by to see what’s up, one look at the board tells the story. They’re on track and everything’s in order.
By Friday, the King and his team aren’t just meeting the deadline, they’re ahead of it. He sends a confident (verging on smug) update to the client.
When it comes to audit projects, organisation isn’t a nice to have, it’s survival.
Kanban boards keep you from descending into a world of chaos by giving you a clear, visual plan. Tasks move through the stages, real-time updates keep everyone on track, your phone stays silent, your inbox is empty, and your favourite song is always on the radio..
This week’s rule is stunningly simple.
It’s a method borrowed from software teams. They help visualise audit progress, moving tasks through stages like ‘To Do,’ ‘In Progress,’ ‘Review,’ and ‘Done.’
It gives an instant at a glance picture of progress and keeps you in control. No more chasing updates.
So the real question you need to ask yourself is, are you a Captain or a King?
Have a great week ahead,
Regards,
Christiaan.
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