b4nAfter Applications

AuditAlert is a virtual workpapers solution that automates the entire internal audit process, the regulator's examination request for information and the compliance self-assessment review process. It also automates the management of audit and examination points and the audit committee process relating to these findings. AuditAlert allows for the effortless creation of the annual audit plan using a risk assessment scorecard approach and the management of actual vs. budgeted hours. Management's responses to the regulator's examination request for information is incorporated into a Microsoft Word document delivered on a CD or any type of removable media, including all applicable supporting files.

AuditAlert allows the audit administrator to create an annual audit plan based on the risk assessment score results assigned to each audit entity within the organization’s audit universe. The audit plan lists all audit entities to be examined for the upcoming plan year (or years if a multiple year plan). The audit plan allows the audit administrator to assign audit staff members to each audit entity or examination as it is referred to in AuditAlert.The audit administrator allocates staff, fieldwork dates and budgeted-hours to each audit entity included in the plan. As the audit staff members work on an examination they will account for their actual hours via timesheets, which provides the audit manager with the ability to review actual vs. budget-hours by staff member, by examination, and by the plan.	Click to zoom
AuditAlert allows multiple risk assessment scorecards (operational, compliance, IT-related, etc.) to be utilized. The audit administrator creates the description of the risk assessment scorecard(s) and then selects or creates risk factors that will be incorporated into the scorecard. b4nAfter delivers 30 risk factors with the application. The audit administrator can create, delete and amend existing risk factors.	Click to zoom
The process begins with the examination preparation (image on right), which encapsulates the examination as it documents the type of audit performed, the location(s) examined, critical dates, the workflow process (assignment of audit staff, designation of auditees, objective, scope, conclusion, etc.), and the associated questionnaires (the generic term used in AuditAlert for audit program(s), self-assessment reviews, surveys, and internal control questionnaire(s)). Audit findings are created and linked to the individual questionnaires.	Click to zoom
To facilitate the process, the prior examination is used as the starting point for the current examination. Bring up the prior examination preparation, click on the “save as a new examination” button then simply change the dates. Various forms of content, including the objective, scope, staff assignments, auditee designations and questionnaires are carried forward as drafts for the audit staff to change to accommodate the current examination. All related audit findings pertaining to the prior period’s examination that are still in-process also are linked to the new examination.

The auditor creates the objective, scope and scope limitations, if any, for the examination, creates new audit program(s) and internal control questionnaire(s) or amends the prior examination's audit program(s) and internal control questionnaire(s). The individual audit steps and questions that comprise the questionnaire are assigned to the audit staff and the auditee. (image below)

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The examination preparation process (image on left) can also be used to manage the first day letter received from the regulators (if a financial institution) by breaking out the individual sections of the first day letter into multiple questionnaires. The steps described to complete an internal audit are also employed for the first day letter, except that the number of forms (screens) in the workflow process (tabs along the top of the examination preparation form) is less than what is required for an internal audit.

After preparing the questionnaires, the individual questions are automatically distributed to the assigned audit staff and auditees via email (on the “release date” per the examination preparation general form, click email image below) notifying each group that they have questions that must be answered by a defined “due date.”

For the auditee the email message contains an embedded link to AuditAlert Web, which is located internally on the organization’s server. Clicking on the embedded link within the email message takes the auditee to AuditAlert Web (screen image below on the left), displaying the questionnaires assigned.

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Email Message
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The audit staff simply opens AuditAlert (the client program residing on their desktop) and selects the applicable examination.

Clicking on the Questionnaire I.D. button (in the previous screenshot questionnaire I.D. # 9) in the initial screen (form) displayed to the auditee in AuditAlert Web lists assigned questions for that questionnaire (image on right). During the course of the examination responses and attachments previously inputted are displayed.

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The auditee clicks on the associated question (in the linked screenshot question # 2) in AuditAlert Web, which brings up the response form for the auditee to complete (image on left).

The response drop-down list is displayed. The auditee then selects the appropriate response. If warranted, the comments section is updated by the auditee and supporting documents and / or URL links are added, if applicable.

The audit staff responds to assigned questions or can view a response created by the auditee via AuditAlert (image on right). The audit staff member can attach or view supporting documents or URLs to an assigned question. They can also create an audit finding and link it to the question (as is the case in the image to the right).

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Electronic review notes (questions or comments) to the audit staff can be left on various forms (screens), supporting documents, and responses to questions throughout AuditAlert (image on left). The audit staff in turn electronically responds to a note that has been assigned to them, thereby creating a threaded conversation. There can be several notes left by different reviewers on the same screen (form), supporting document or response to a question.

The responder and reviewer will be notified that a note or a response, respectively, has been left for them upon opening AuditAlert via a pop-up notification. There is also an email option, which can be utilized by the reviewer to generate an email message if a new note is left and a response is required immediately.

Notes become part of the database and can be easily found via the Notes Search form (image on right), which contains several search filters, thereby accelerating the review process. Using AuditAlert allows audit management to manage a number of examinations at one time without having to physically control the workpapers as you would in a paper world. Several members of the audit staff and audit management can be in the same workpapers and the same form at the same time.

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Each form, document or response to a question in AuditAlert is marked as reviewed by the reviewer(s) by simply clicking on the review button (the checkmark image next to the notes button below).
Notes Review Box

If the checkmark is red it means that it has been signed-off as being reviewed by the current reviewer. It will also denote the number of reviewers that have signed-off this form, document or response to a question as being reviewed; in this case three reviewers.

If the checkmark is blue it means that it has been not been signed-off as being reviewed by the current reviewer but has been reviewed by another reviewer(s).

If the checkmark is gray it means that it has not been signed-off as being reviewed.

If you move your mouse over the checkmark and the color is either red or blue, a list of reviewers that have signed-off this form, document or question will be displayed including the date and time such review was processed in a pop-up box such as:

Murphy, Jerry March 5, 2005 1:40 pm
Kehnle, John March 4, 2005 11:08 am
DeLeon, Steve March 2, 2005 4:51 pm

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There are editing tools, a spell checker and a dictionary that are applicable to all text boxes throughout AuditAlert (image on left).

Internal control weaknesses or breakdowns documented in the questionnaire or ascertained through detailed transactional testing will result in audit findings, which are incorporated in the examination report (image of report is at the end of this web page). An audit point search screen listing all audit points and various filters facilitates a quick search (image on right).

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AuditAlert is a repository for an organization’s audit findings, applicable action plan, management updates to the action plan, and the associated follow-up work performed on each audit point by the audit staff. It is a management tool for the internal audit function, as well as senior management, ensuring that the remediation process is performed in a timely manner. The audit staff documents an audit finding in AuditAlert by indicating applicable critical dates that will be monitored by AuditAlert for email notification and reminder notices (such as proposed due date, release date, next reminder date, and action plan due date), a description of the audit point, the proposed recommendation, and assignment of the audit staff and the auditee who will be responsible for the management of the remediation process (images below).


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The auditee will be notified of assigned audit findings via an email message (image on right) that contains an embedded link to AuditAlert Web (image on left). Clicking on the embedded link within the email message takes the auditee to AuditAlert Web, where they will document the action plan and management updates to the action plan, attach supporting documents and / or URLs, if applicable (a point-in-time copy of each will be kept in the appropriate network drive for the audit staff), and manage the remediation process with their staff using the electronic bulletin board for collaboration.

Email Message
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AuditAlert Web allows the primary coordinator assigned to an audit or examination point to manage the resolution process by treating each point as a project task. The primary coordinator can delegate and bring in-house expertise into the resolution process via the response/comment (electronic bulletin board) screen (image on left).

All parties involved are fully aware of what each party is doing thereby eliminating the infamous “no one told me” response. From the conversations, the auditee creates a formal management summary update to the action plan so that reports on the status of outstanding audit and examination points can be generated at the click of a mouse.

The audit staff has a view into the auditee’s action plan and management updates to the action plan, the attached supporting documents and / or URLs, if applicable, and the project task electronic bulletin board conversations via AuditAlert (images below).


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The examination report can now be automatically prepared from the aforementioned information. The audit staff can create as many drafts of the examination report as they would like distributing the report through AuditAlert as an attachment in an email message utilizing the security and tracking features of Microsoft Word. The final version is released in the same manner.

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You can effortlessly create an up-to-the-second audit point status report presented in management-style format in Microsoft Word. AuditAlert captures and generates a formal management report on all audit findings presented to senior management either from internal or external sources, indicates the status of each audit point, the action plan, and the latest management update to the action plan. The audit staff can create as many drafts of the audit point status report as they would like before officially distributing the report through AuditAlert as an attachment in an email message utilizing the security and tracking features of Microsoft Word.