Effective Issue Writing: Detailed Course Outline
The Effective Issue Writing Course is a one-day program, providing 8 CPE hours of Communication and Marketing credit. A detailed outline of the day follows.
1. Organizing Writing
• writing challenges and considerations
• knowing your audience
2. Issue Prewriting
• plotting the report at the beginning of fieldwork
• methods for consistent client communication
• what an audit issue describes
• 5-step writing formula and the AIR: key elements in any issue
Breakout: Outline findings
3. Issue Writing
• supporting the issue
• when a finding becomes a reportable issue
• key differences between causes, conclusions, and evidence
• the sweet spot of supportive detail: not too much and not too little
• using positive wording
Breakout: Issue writing
4. Assessing the Root Cause
• steps to effective root cause analysis (RCA)
• the difference between issue, symptom, and root cause
• strategies in RCA
• when and how to engage the client in RCA
• reporting root causes: positive vs. negative wording
Breakout: Assess and communicate root cause
5. Writing Strong Business Risks
• purpose of a business risk
• FROCS and LIVE risks
• keeping common risks convincing
• using action verbs to create change
Breakout: Practice writing risks
6. Developing Effective Issue Statements: A Formula
• title of an audit
• what an issue statement describes
• writing the issue statement
Breakout: Use the formula
7. Developing Effective Recommendations
• keeping recommendations SMART
• using recommendations for issue follow-up
Breakout: Practice recommendations
10. Perfecting Writing: Common Grammar and Punctuation Pitfalls
• clean out the junk and get to the issue
• paragraphing and formatting
• bullet lists, headings, fonts
• passive voice
• wordiness
• ambiguity
• negative wording
• non-parallel structure
• punctuation
Breakout: Perfecting writing
11. Improving Tone and Sentence Flow
1. Organizing Writing
• writing challenges and considerations
• knowing your audience
2. Issue Prewriting
• plotting the report at the beginning of fieldwork
• methods for consistent client communication
• what an audit issue describes
• 5-step writing formula and the AIR: key elements in any issue
Breakout: Outline findings
3. Issue Writing
• supporting the issue
• when a finding becomes a reportable issue
• key differences between causes, conclusions, and evidence
• the sweet spot of supportive detail: not too much and not too little
• using positive wording
Breakout: Issue writing
4. Assessing the Root Cause
• steps to effective root cause analysis (RCA)
• the difference between issue, symptom, and root cause
• strategies in RCA
• when and how to engage the client in RCA
• reporting root causes: positive vs. negative wording
Breakout: Assess and communicate root cause
5. Writing Strong Business Risks
• purpose of a business risk
• FROCS and LIVE risks
• keeping common risks convincing
• using action verbs to create change
Breakout: Practice writing risks
6. Developing Effective Issue Statements: A Formula
• title of an audit
• what an issue statement describes
• writing the issue statement
Breakout: Use the formula
7. Developing Effective Recommendations
• keeping recommendations SMART
• using recommendations for issue follow-up
Breakout: Practice recommendations
10. Perfecting Writing: Common Grammar and Punctuation Pitfalls
• clean out the junk and get to the issue
• paragraphing and formatting
• bullet lists, headings, fonts
• passive voice
• wordiness
• ambiguity
• negative wording
• non-parallel structure
• punctuation
Breakout: Perfecting writing
11. Improving Tone and Sentence Flow
