Risk Assessment According to COSO, effective risk assessment requires:
° Predefinition of objectives.
° Compatibility of objectives.
° Identification of risks to achieving objectives.
° Judgment of which risks are critical.
° Determination of actions to mitigate risks.
If any one of these factors is absent, an unsatisfactory rating is generally warranted. Furthermore, audit inquiries and tests should be designed to determine if there are key risks not contemplated by management. If such risks are identified and deemed critical, an unsatisfactory rating should be rendered on that basis alone, even if all the factors listed are present.
Control Activities Regardless of the type of audit or the nature of the control activities being examined, it is standard audit practice to document specific control activities and related control objectives in auditor working papers. Generic control activities by type of audit might include:
Financial—written procedures, authorizations, record-keeping, management reviews, and asset safeguards segregated to prevent fraudulent financial data and asset misappropriation.
Information System—general, hardware, and application controls designed to ensure the reliability of the operating system, the accuracy of the data outputs, and the protection of equipment and files.
Operational— directive, preventive, and detective controls focused on achieving efficient resource usage and effectiveness as measured by the extent to which specific control objectives are achieved.
If key control activities have not been implemented or are not achieving their prescribed purpose, then an unsatisfactory rating for this control component normally would be warranted. Stated differently, there must be reasonable assurance that key control activities are operating as intended, based on their control objectives. If the risk mitigation strategy of management is absent or not adequately reflected in control activities, then this condition alone would call for an unsatisfactory rating.