Developing A Continuous Auditing Assistance System Based on Information Process Models

In recent years, Continuous Auditing (CA) has become an inevitable trend in current business environment. Computer-aided auditing systems, such as the Generalized Audit Software (GAS), are widely used to complete this task. However, most auditors who are not equipped with IT backgrounds have great degree of difficulty in integrating computer-aided auditing system with their professional knowledge in auditing. This limitation greatly impairs the auditors' ability to independently and continuously performs tests in the CA environment. This study proposed a systematic analysis approach to assist auditors in bridging the “semantic gap” between the information system and auditors' specialty. This proposed approach first provides a framework for auditors to effectively understand business processes and data flow/data structure of information systems. These ingredients are then mapped into the process of auditing including auditing objectives, key controls and auditing rules by employing information process models such as Use-case Diagram, Data Flow Diagram, and Entity-Relationship Diagram. With this approach, auditors can independently design auditing rules which can be automatically embedded in the database. Auditors can also perform auditing tasks independently on a real-time basis and reach the objectives of Continuous Auditing.