How do you ensure that your IT operations audit team has the right skills, tools, and competencies?

1 Assess your audit needs

Before you recruit or assign auditors, you need to assess your audit needs and objectives. What are the scope, frequency, and standards of your IT operations audit? What are the risks, issues, and opportunities that you want to identify and address? What are the expectations and requirements of your stakeholders, regulators, and customers? Based on these factors, you can determine the skills, tools, and competencies that your IT operations audit team should have.

2 Hire or train qualified auditors

Once you have defined your audit needs, you can hire or train qualified auditors who have the relevant experience, education, and certification in IT operations audit. You should look for auditors who have technical knowledge, analytical skills, communication skills, and ethical standards. You should also consider the diversity and balance of your audit team, as different perspectives and backgrounds can enhance the quality and credibility of your audit results.

3 Provide adequate tools and resources

To enable your IT operations audit team to perform their tasks efficiently and effectively, you should provide them with adequate tools and resources. These include audit software, hardware, documentation, templates, guidelines, and access rights. You should also ensure that your audit tools and resources are updated, secure, and compliant with the latest standards and regulations. You should also provide your audit team with support and feedback, as well as opportunities for learning and development.

4 Define roles and responsibilities

To ensure that your IT operations audit team works collaboratively and cohesively, you should define the roles and responsibilities of each team member clearly and explicitly. You should assign tasks and deliverables according to the skills, competencies, and availability of your auditors. You should also establish the reporting and communication channels, as well as the escalation and resolution procedures, for your audit team. You should also monitor and evaluate the performance and progress of your audit team regularly and objectively.

5 Align with best practices and frameworks

To ensure that your IT operations audit team follows the best practices and frameworks in the industry, you should align your audit processes and methods with the recognized standards and guidelines. For example, you can use the COBIT framework, the ISO 27000 series, or the ITIL framework to guide your IT operations audit. These frameworks can help you to define the scope, objectives, criteria, and outcomes of your audit, as well as to benchmark and improve your IT operations.

6 Engage with stakeholders and customers

To ensure that your IT operations audit team delivers value and impact to your organization, you should engage with your stakeholders and customers throughout the audit process. You should communicate the purpose, scope, and results of your audit to your stakeholders and customers clearly and transparently. You should also solicit their feedback and suggestions, as well as address their concerns and expectations. You should also demonstrate how your audit findings and recommendations can help to improve your IT operations and achieve your business goals.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?