One benefit of this effort has been improved reporting on the company’s internal control status to our audit committee. Since we’ve reengineered our audit process to reflect the COSO principles, company directors and senior executive management receive a snapshot of internal control effectiveness based on assessments derived from our COSO rating system.
Adapting the COSO framework to our standard audit process has been beneficial in other ways, as well. Most notably, we believe that concentrating on a single COSO objective during each audit will ultimately improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our projects. Our policy, which requires that all five COSO components be covered in all audits, has already improved the effectiveness of our audit work in cases where these components were not addressed in prior audits.
Another key benefit has been the provision of a universal framework for internal auditing at the new Boeing. Focusing on COSO helped develop a perspective of internal control concepts common to the auditors of the three recently combined companies. The reliability and comparability of our audit work product, however, depends on continued adherence to the prescribed methodology, as inconsistent implementation poses an ongoing risk. Peer reviews and ongoing monitoring should help to mitigate this possibility.
The path to COSO-based auditing is not easily navigated. Yet those shops willing to make the journey will be rewarded by more thorough audit coverage and improved management reporting