DEVELOPING AN AUDIT CHARTER
Crucial to the establishment of an IAD is the development of its written charter. The charter
states the purpose, authority, and responsibility of the internal audit activity and establishes what
senior management and the board of directors expect from the CAE and the internal audit staff. The
Institute of Internal Auditors has developed International Standards for the Professional Practice
of Internal Auditing, which begin with attribute standards, or standards that address the
characteristics of organizations and parties performing internal audit activities. The first attribute
standard states, “The purpose, authority, and responsibility of the internal audit activity should be
formally defined in a charter, consistent with the Standards, and approved by the board.”
A charter, which should be approved by the audit committee on behalf of the board of
directors, is critical for sending the message throughout the organization that internal auditing is
viewed as a priority and has the endorsement of both executive management and the audit
committee.
In addition to specifying the department’s mission statement, the charter should also clearly
establish the independence of the department. It is critical that internal auditors be organizationally
independent of management in order to enhance their effectiveness. This independence allows the
auditors to perform their work objectively and without bias or concern that they will be unduly
influenced by management on audit issues. The reporting relationships in The Schwan Food
Company’s IAD are illustrated in Exhibit 2.