Supporting robust audit delivery

Assurance services
The global leader – assurance services, directs a central team that focuses on providing member firms with insights into the latest international accounting and auditing standards, a global audit methodology that is compliant with international auditing standards and related software tools for planning, performing and documenting the audits of both publicly and privately held businesses. He also oversees processes to provide reasonable assurance that training programmes related to the methodology and tools are rigorous and consistent. He chairs the assurance advisory committee (AAC), the members of which include the heads of assurance for all the major member firms. The AAC members are responsible for providing input to the assurance strategy and implementation of the strategy in their respective member firms.

Grant Thornton provides resources that assist member firms in delivering a robust and rigorous audit. They include:

• the Horizon™ audit methodology, with supporting state-of-the-art software, manuals and policies, benchmarked against International Standards on Auditing; 
• policies that comply with the ISQC, and the IFAC Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants;
• protocols that enable member firms to consult with audit specialists in other member firms throughout the international organisation;
• a comprehensive intranet service that includes up to date information for member firms on relevant professional standards, a worldwide restricted-entity list, an International Financial Reporting Standards help desk, topical alerts, financial statement templates and examples.