The Audit Process Always Follows the Same Sequence of Events - entrance meeting, fieldwork, report preparation, exit meeting, receive responses from the auditee and the release of the report to the general public. Audit completion may take a few weeks to several months depending on the scope of the audit, complexity of the audit work, and other varying factors. All phases of the audit process are explained below.

Entrance Meeting - Staff auditors meet with auditee officials to explain the audit process and discuss any issues or concerns the officials may have. The entrance meeting is immediately followed by a press release announcing the beginning of the audit.

Fieldwork - The fieldwork phase of the audit process is when the auditors are gathering information, studying records and analyzing a variety of documents. Some examples of items that will be reviewed include: minutes of meetings, written policies and procedures, financial records, and other pertinent documents; interviewing various personnel of the auditee, as well as certain external parties; and testing selected transactions.

Report Drafting - The auditors have identified audit findings and draft the report. The report goes through an extensive review process.

Exit Meeting - Once the report is drafted, members of the State Auditor's office will meet with the auditee to discuss the report findings. These meetings are closed.

Written Responses - After the exit meeting, the State Auditor's office obtains auditee responses to each of the audit findings. This process typically takes about two weeks. These written responses are included in the final audit report.

Final Report Released to the Public - After a report is finalized and signed by the State Auditor,it is released to the public. All audit reports are available on the State Auditor's website.