Let’s start with a general knowledge question.
What sank the Titanic?
If you said an iceberg, I’m saying you’re wrong.
What sank the Titanic was poor design, poor planning, ignored warnings, and rushed sign offs.
It didn’t go down in the Atlantic. It went down in the years before when it was designed and built.
Now, in the smoothest segue you’ll see outside a techno club, it’s the same with audits.
Audit sections don’t fall apart in the final review. They fall apart because they were never finished properly in the first place.
Documents still pending.
Queries left open.
Reviews skipped.
But someone hits submit, hands it over for review, and moves on.
Now someone else is stuck chasing missing pieces, going over work again, and explaining to the client why there are holes where answers should be.
We call this “The Definition of Done” Rule (or if you’re in the know, Rule 2).
And it’s why “done” needs a definition. A clear, no-wiggle-room standard for when a section is genuinely complete.
I’m saying that as a minimum, that should mean:
Nothing leaves the preparer’s desk until all those boxes are ticked.
Because here’s the thing, “almost done” is like a big hole in your audit fee income bucket.
Every time a section is handed over before it’s actually finished, someone else has to pick up the slack. That creates work and it kills momentum, and its hours they can’t bill.
And even worse, it teaches your team that “nearly finished” is good enough. It isn’t.
The fix isn’t complicated. It’s three simple steps:
If you’re not already doing it, build it into your workflow.
Better still, make sure The Audit Toolbar is front and centre in that workflow to automate things until it does meet your “done” criteria.
No chasing.
No surprises.
Just work that’s ready to review.
Better audits.
Regards,
Christiaan.
P.S. Here’s a challenge for you this week. Ask your team to define “done” for the section they’re working on. If it’s vague or inconsistent, challenge it and keep challenging it until you get something you all agree on.
I’d love to know how you get on. Hit reply and let me know.
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