Tools

The following tools were published on KnowledgeLeader this week:

Strategic and Operational Process Review Report

This audit report summarizes a strategic and operational review of a company’s business environment and production processes. It is particularly valuable for management as it identifies critical issues within production planning and defect density processes following the site's acquisition. This report outlines specific strategic and operational challenges, such as the absence of formal business plans and inadequate performance measurement systems, which hinder effective decision-making and risk management. The report not only highlights existing weaknesses but also proposes actionable recommendations and best practices to address these gaps.

Process Controls Current State Assessment

This Process Controls Current State Assessment template provides a detailed evaluation of an organization’s existing process controls team. Through extensive interviews with key stakeholders and a thorough review of historical documentation, this assessment identifies the team's current capabilities, highlighting areas of strength and pinpointing gaps that need addressing. It offers clear, actionable recommendations for enhancing the team's effectiveness, such as formalizing processes, redefining roles and responsibilities, and expanding the team's focus beyond traditional SOX activities to include areas like data analytics, cybersecurity and enterprise risk management.  

Accrued Liabilities Policy

This sample provides detailed policies and procedures for managing a company’s accrued liabilities. It emphasizes the importance of accurately accounting expenses in the proper accounting period to match them with related revenues, which is essential for efficient and effective company operations and maintaining strong internal controls. It also outlines the purpose and scope of these policies, highlighting the need for compliance with management's objectives and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). It also stresses that documented policies and procedures must be simple, distinct and consistent to promote maximum efficiency and economy.

Integrity and Ethical Values Audit Work Program

Our Integrity and Ethical Values Audit Work Program provides a framework for conducting audits focused on integrity and ethical values within an organization. It outlines various stages of the audit process, including planning, fieldwork and reporting. The planning stage emphasizes the importance of understanding the scope, approach and timing of the audit, as well as the necessity of collaborating with auditees. It also includes reviewing best practices for ethics compliance and incorporating relevant federal guidelines. The audit steps detail procedures for obtaining necessary documents such as the code of business conduct, organizational charts, and policies related to ethics and compliance.

Publications 

KnowledgeLeader has also published several publications this week.

Oracle Cloud Security: Preventing Unauthorized Access and Data Theft

With this article, Protiviti emphasizes the heightened urgency for organizations to implement robust security measures considering recent breaches affecting Oracle, which reportedly involved the exfiltration of over six million records. Key recommendations from Protiviti experts include changing passwords to strong alternatives, enabling multifactor authentication (MFA), and regularly reviewing access logs to identify any unauthorized activity. Organizations are advised to enhance monitoring for sensitive accounts and utilize Oracle's vulnerability detection service to address unpatched vulnerabilities.  

Executive Perspectives on Top Risks for the Near- and Long-Term: Healthcare Industry Group Results

This report from Protiviti provides an in-depth analysis of the primary concerns facing the healthcare industry, based on a survey of 1,215 board members and executives across various sectors. Key risks identified span macroeconomic, strategic and operational dimensions. In the near term, cyber threats, third-party risks and workforce challenges such as talent availability and labor costs are predominant. The report emphasizes the increasing complexity and sophistication of cyber threats, including ransomware and phishing, exacerbated by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).  

Exploring Innovation at the 2025 AGA Operations Conference: Industry Trends to Watch

The 2025 American Gas Association (AGA) Operations Conference in Aurora, Colorado was a groundbreaking event for the natural gas industry, attracting over 900 professionals and featuring more than 100 speakers delivering 120+ technical presentations. Key trends discussed include the revolutionary role of artificial intelligence (AI) in gas operations, with sessions on real-time pipeline operations, AI tools for field personnel training, asset traceability and risk management. This article further explores how AI solutions, including contextual AI, tackle safety, digitalization and workforce challenges. 

Recommended Resources 

This list of recommended resources from the web may be of interest to you. Click each link to learn more. 

1. How CPAs Can Combat the Rising Threat of Deepfake Fraud
2. Payments Fraud Remains Rampant Despite Corporate Vigilance
3. This Week in GRC: The Industry Pays Its Respects to Bob Monks