Features and Benefits of
Risk Auditing Services (RAS) Approach to Proving Operational Integrity,
Effectiveness and Efficiency
RAS Objectives
Aspect
Strengths
RAS takes the view that most organisations have developed
processes and systems that suite their business operations
and, in reality, all that is needed is to ensure that
these are properly followed and working correctly. As
such, there is no need to compare the processes or systems
to those used by any other organisation or best practice
model, but merely review the data held in each record
to ensure it aligns properly with the processes used
by the organisation.
Furthermore, RAS recognises the need for clients to
monitor their processes on an ongoing basis to both
measure improvements achieved and ensure integrity is
maintained over time, so an additional RAS objective
is to develop the necessary means by which the audits
performed can be re-run by the client on demand.
When
met these objectives provide a tangible and unambiguous record
of the integrity and efficiency of an operation, providing
the ability for this to me monitored on an ongoing basis.
RAS Approach
Aspect
Strengths
The RAS approach is highly
focused, extremely thorough and efficient. This focus allows
RAS to utilise technology rather than people whilst studying
the detail of each and every aspect of each and every record
held and used by a department or organisation. This enables
RAS to achieve a greater degree of coverage whilst significantly
reducing the elapsed time and man-day resources required
with initial audits requiring between 20 and 60 working
days with never more than two RAS consultants being involved
at any one time. The RAS approach also minimises the disruption
to the department concerned.
Audits
of this nature that are based on samples of data or where
data is audited in isolation are prone to providing misleading
outcomes. In many instances such audits are actually worse
than no audit at all as if the result is a false positive,
the organisation is encouraged to continue using the current
processes, further compounding the consequence over time.
RAS Output
Aspect
Strengths
The RAS report is totally
objective and easily read. Based on the client's criteria,
RAS reports detail the actual records that, based on the
actual data contained, appear to be inconsistent with the
operations of the department or organisation. Furthermore,
RAS Finder Audit reports often contain sufficient information
that the cause of the error is easily identified, enabling
remedial action to be determined and taken immediately.
With
quantified actual findings an organisation can quickly understand
the implications, and thus more immediately determine and
commission the remedial actions required, thus reducing the
amount of time before operational benefits are achieved.
RAS Residual Asset
Aspect
Strengths
An important additional
output of the RAS Finder Audit is the scripts required to
enable the audit to be re-run on demand. Due to the use
of automated tools the RAS Finder Audit can be re-run using
between 10% and 20% of the time required for the original
audit. Furthermore, the audit can be tuned and, with the
additional purchase of the necessary software, the audit
can be automated to what ever frequency required, twice
daily, nightly, weekly, monthly or on demand.
The
ability to continually re-use the RAS Audit provides the organisation
with the ability to continually monitor departmental operations,
offering the potential to ensure operational integrity over
time as well as identify additional improvements that can
be made that might increase productivity and/or save money.
Resolving
Problems Found in Audits
Aspect
Strengths
Many organisations may be aware that they have problems.
Many junior managers would actually prefer not to have
such problems quantified, especially if they do not have
solutions to resolve them. Knowing the extent of the issues
present and where to find them is of value, but solving
these issues permanently and preventing them from re-occurring
is far more beneficial. Having significant experience
of the most common problems identified by RAS Finder Audits,
RAS has developed a range solutions to provide rapid and
cost effective resolution.. These include solutions that
"Rectify"
data where mass corruption is identified, "Enforce"
procedures through an independently managed and discrete
data management infrastructure, "Monitor"
each record to ensure its integrity and "Report"
on any issues identified at a record, departmental or
aggregated enterprise level.
A solution specific to helping to identify and minimise
attempted Fraud is that of RAS
Identity Monitor, which provides the ability to validate
the integrity of an individual at a given address.
This comprehensive offering provides those who are concerned
about the operations for which they have responsibility,
the ability to find and solve problems.
The
ability to continually re-use the RAS Audit provides the organisation
with the ability to continually monitor departmental operations,
offering the potential to ensure operational integrity over
time as well as identify additional improvements that can
be made that might increase productivity and/or save money.
RAS Approach to Measuring/Monitoring
Process Improvement
Aspect
Strengths
RAS believes that the client
is the best placed to monitor process improvement and integrity
over time and, using the audit template provided, the client
can measure the improvements with an identical audit taking
less than 20% of the time involved in the initial audit.
RAS
believes that the client is the best placed to monitor process
improvement and integrity over time and, using the audit template
provided, the client can measure the improvements with an
identical audit taking less than 20% of the time involved
in the initial audit.
