Internal auditing effectiveness: an expansion of present methods

Abstract One of the three areas to which internal auditing is targeted is effectiveness. Yet we do not often determine whether the internal auditing function is itself operating effectively. We must identify the basic objective of internal auditing, define the goals to be accomplished, establish measures relative to achieving those goals, and finally evaluate the overall internal auditing process. We must separate the usual measures of output from the overall measures of outcome to determine the cost effectiveness and operational improvement aspects of the internal audit process. The former, the time‐honored internal audit output measures must be supplanted by internal audit effectiveness achievements.