Auditing Bits in BytesT Session 1: Pre-Engagement Planning Activities

This 2-hour session is designed to provide participants with a solid understanding of the important judgment calls that are made before the audit engagement even begins.

• Anyone who is new to auditing or desires a refresher in how to perform effective and efficient financial statement audits for non-issuers in accordance with professional and regulatory standards.

• Describe the important activities that are performed before the audit engagement even begins, such as gathering information about engagement risk
• Explain the important considerations in making engagement acceptance and continuance decisions, including evaluating independence
• Define what should be communicated when establishing and understanding with the client, including when nonattest services are provided for an attest client
• Recognize the professional judgments made early in the audit that establish the foundation for a high quality and profitable engagement, including initial and group financial statement audit engagements

• Engagement Acceptance/Continuance Decisions - Documentation requirements and key engagement risk considerations
• Independence & Objectivity - Identifying threats and implementing appropriate safeguards to mitigate or eliminate them to comply with current professional and regulatory standards
• Establishing an Understanding with the Client - What is important to communicate to clients and why, including scope of both non-attest and attest services and responsibilities of client management and accountants
• Initial Audits - Special considerations of a successor auditor
• Group Audits - Clarifying pre-engagement roles and responsibilities of group and component auditors in audits of group financial statements
• Extensive illustrative examples will be used to reinforce a practical understanding of the most critical principles and standards that support a high-quality, insightful, and profitable engagement