Internal Audit in the New Normal

Imagine yourself sitting at your favorite restaurant. You’re with friends and the restaurant is crowded, so crowded that you almost have to shout to be heard. You’re celebrating something, anything, or nothing at all. Maybe you’re just out to be out. A sampling of appetizers is on the table, complimented by your drink of choice, as you await your order. You smell the aromas. You feel the energy around you. You hear the steady roar of excited conversations throughout the room. The thrill of eating something you didn’t cook is not lost on you.

Now image yourself conducting fieldwork, actually in the field. You’re face-to-face, in-person, with your audit client. Standing over their shoulder on a walkthrough. Questioning what they’re doing and why they’re doing it as they are doing it. You’re watching every keystroke. You’re breathing, they’re breathing, in close proximity, without a mask. You’re engaging your mental, social, emotional, and physical skills.

These seem like distant memories. They’ve become blurred, fading as time passes. We’ve changed, adapted, and created a “new normal.” We’ve learned that takeout is no longer limited to Chinese food and pizza—and drive thru is no longer restricted to fast food. We’ve tried all the food delivery services and have decided which one is the most reliable. We’ve streamed and binge-watched every episode of “The Office,” “Gray’s Anatomy,” “The Gilmore Girls,” and “Bridgerton.” We’ve mastered the art of virtual happy hours, only to realize that when the virtual happy hour ends, you’re still at home, alone.

We’ve also mastered the art of working virtually. We conduct our meetings virtually over video conferencing. We know who likes to turn their video on and who keeps it off. We can assess the technical competence of our audience simply by observing their video etiquette: “Can you see me?” “Can you hear me?” “Is this thing on?” We make information requests over email. We receive responses electronically. We’ve learned patience—email and IMs are easy to ignore.

We’ve improved our audit processes out of necessity. In some cases, we’ve simplified. In others, we can do more. We’ve come to the conclusion that working virtually has advantages, only to realize that we are beginning to lose touch with senior management. We’re not being included in as many meetings as before. It’s harder to have the spontaneous conversations that typically happen in the break room, at the water cooler, in the hallway, or in the elevator.

Is this the “new normal?” Personally, I hate that term. It implies that what we’re doing today will last in perpetuity. While I wholeheartedly believe we have made a fundamental and seismic shift in the way we conduct business, I refuse to believe that this is the “new normal.” We can’t carry on forever in a world where we don’t get to experience all of our senses. We have to touch. We have to smell. We have to hear. We have to see. We have to taste. We are better auditors when we use all of our senses.

So, as 2020 has come to an end, I invite you to join me as I look forward to 2021. Let’s hope we are soon allowed to use all of our senses once again. The first round is on me!

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This article was first published in the IIA Chicago Chapter's newsletter, The Innovator. I encourage you to read the entire publication. https://indd.adobe.com/view/7fb2f467-4940-4893-9942-033e9e4a4832