Gary,
It is important to have documented records for your auditors and the fact that you go above and beyond is excellent. There is a great deal of information and records required during an audit. The best you can hope for is timely notification of requirements to allow sufficient time for pulling of information.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
We really don't have a problem with the auditors because we keep highly detailed records. The worst part about the auditors is getting all the required information gathered and sorted properly.
Lazara,
Your motto is a great one and I am sure your auditors appreciate the effort. Prevention is the key to success - start with organized and well documented files with periodically checks and all audits should be successful.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
Honestly you should have no concerns when it comes to audit time, because if you do things right and with accuracy you can't go wrong. I strongly agree with constant internal audit and few different eyes reviewing the same file can only be beneficial. Stay organized is my motto.
Thanks,
Lazara Tapia
Nathaly ,
I think it is a good procedures to check the files and perform mini-reviews throughout the year to ensure compliance with requirements from document collection to accuracy of the documents. You have to inspect what you expect and if you follow this rule you should not be surprised during any type of review. It is critical to know the condition of your students' files.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
My greatest concern would be keeping all files organized and ready for any questions and concerns the auditors may have. In keeping my self organized I would just keep all files up to date and make sure all information is accurate at least once a week.
Jennifer,
Your point is excellent. A student's file may contain all of the accurate documents but mess/disorganized files may slow down or prevent a timely and accurate review of the students file. Maintaining your files electronically or in paper format in a manner that is uniformed makes for a more efficient audit.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
My biggest concern with auditors coming is ensuring our records are accurate and organized. Accurate records are only useful if the information is organized for someone outside the normal office to understand it as well.
Margaret, A periodic review to determine document and work accuracy and compliance makes for a clean audit experience. Inspect what you expect and you should never be disappointed.
Regards,
David McGuffee
Over the years I have learned to make a list and "check it twice " and then check it again thru out the year. Everyone is nervous when the auditors come but this helps keep the tension down.
I have the same concerns as Virgina and we utilize pretty much the same methods to help prepare for the auditors. I do like your point Cheryl with another FA professional reviewing each others work because we do practice that habitually here from the first day a student enrolls. If you are the one who has worked the file initially, you may not catch the mistakes that another may see. That cross-reference is really helpful and is in turn a great training or learning curve for the FAO who initially completed the file!
I think our biggest concern in dealing with auditors is making sure that everything in the student files are current, accurate and that things that need to be in the file are there. One of my frustrations is that we have everything on paper and we are slowly moving to electronic copies. Some of the files we have are bigger than most school books I have seen! What is really helpful in making sure everything is there is having a list of selected students ahead of time so that we can comb through the files and print things that needed to be printed or take out multiple copies of the same thing. We do work well as a team and utilize checklists to ensure that everything is put together and well organized for the auditors.
Congratulations -- what an awesome way to feel regarding any upcoming audit! My last team passed their FA audit with a 100% pass rate, no findings whatsoever! The Finance Officers were ecstatic and the praises they received from the entire Team were well-deserved and very rewarding. The audit was the culmination, and recognition, of a full-year's work with day-to-day attention to detail.
myrna,
The only way to solve this dilemma is have each person's job description documented and work-flowed. This will ensure that you have a document that clears outlines responsibilities and the ensures nothing gets dropped.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
My concern is when employees are laid people off and sometimes no one is 100% sure what that person was responsible for until weeks later. I do not want things to be late or to have a finding in an audit because of things that could have been avoided.
Daisy,
Agree, it is imperative that you adhere to the P&P's of your college to ensure compliance. It is important to guarantee all items are accurate when your auditors arrive. It is always good to have a second set of eyes review documentation to ensure accuracy.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
An audit is always a concern, but it is imperative to follow the college policy and procedures as well as the federal regulations. At every class start I use to review the students files to be sure that all the files are in compliance with feral regulations. Also every year our internal auditors review the files for drop students for R2T4 accuracy.
Daisy Debs
My greatest concern is making sure that everything is in order. It does not make me nervous because I am the only FA officer so I am able to double check my files myself periodically to make sure that everything is as it should be.
Maria,
A periodically review to determine document and work accuracy and compliance is a great process. Inspect what you expect and you should never be disappointed. I know that many in the FA and Business Office will exchange student files and/or processes to allow another set of eyes to review their work. These are worthy exercises as we continue to strive for success in our FA Offices.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
In the department where I work, we perform internal audits periodically to verify the records. When creating a record we ensure that all the required documentation is available and accessible. Each record has an organization. Identify the documentation of each year by different colors to make it easier and faster to access and organize the file and the file in a practical way. In an audit the accuracy, speed and organization are the best allies
