An audit readiness assessment, or readiness assessment, is a structured review designed to identify gaps in audit preparedness. This preparation also helps highlight weaknesses in financial reporting and operational processes before the audit begins. The goal is to eliminate last minute surprises and reduce pressure on your finance team and ensure a successful audit.
We look at your business the way your auditors will. That means reviewing your financial statements, financial records and supporting schedules, checking the documentation behind key balances, and evaluating your internal controls. We can also assist in preparing technical papers on complex areas, and help you anticipate the questions auditors are likely to ask. The aim is to make every audit runs smoothly and efficiently.
I provide audit readiness services and can be a dedicated liaison with the audit team, giving internal teams practical guidance throughout the audit while managing queries, clarifying technical points, providing additional evidence, ensuring adherence to current accounting standards, and keeping communication flowing.
That support also includes coordinating audit requests, clarifying roles and responsibilities so they do not lead to inaccurate schedules being provided to audit teams or bottlenecks in information being provided. This helps maintain momentum, reduces disruption, and ensures your internal team can stay focused on business critical work.
FAQs
Yes. I can work collaboratively with your auditors, using my experience on both sides of the audit relationship to keep the process efficient and well controlled. I understand audit requirements and the audit process, which helps resolve issues quickly and improve audit efficiency. Better preparation and collaboration can lead to stronger audit outcomes, fewer surprises, and fewer audit findings.
I work with SMEs, growing groups, companies preparing for a first audit, and businesses undergoing significant change, such as acquisitions, whether they require an audit due to breaching Companies House limits or for lenders. My focus is on companies that value technical accuracy, clear documentation, and a smoother audit experience, and that want to be fully prepared as audits approach.
I take on much of the technical and administrative burden of the audit, so your team can stay focused on month end, forecasting and day-to-day operations rather than firefighting audit queries. I can prepare clear audit schedules, balance sheet reconciliations and supporting documentation that stand up to audit scrutiny, along with technical memos on complex or judgemental areas. I also anticipate auditor questions and manage communication with the audit team, so fewer queries land on your team’s desks. Keeping reconciliations up to date throughout the year means your records are audit ready before the audit begins, and stronger processes with less reliance on manual spreadsheets improve documentation quality and help avoid delays.
Yes. I prepare clear, audit ready technical papers on areas such as revenue, leases, business combinations, impairment, share based payments and other judgemental areas, with accounting policies applied consistently where judgment matters most. These papers help auditors understand your position quickly, keep technical positions well supported and reduce the risk of delays.
Definitely. My role is to complement and take pressure off your internal teams, supporting ongoing audit preparedness rather than replacing them. Regular internal reviews and practical guidance help support year-round compliance and risk management. I provide specialist technical support, documentation, and audit management so your team can stay focused on their core responsibilities. I can work flexibly around your teams requirements.
I have spent much of my career on the audit side, so I know what auditors look for, where they push back and what slows an audit down. I have been a signing director so I understand the evidence a partner will be looking for before putting pen to paper. I use that experience to prepare documentation, reconciliations and technical memos that anticipate auditor questions before they’re asked, and to communicate with your auditors in their own language. The result is a smoother, more predictable audit with fewer queries and no last-minute gaps in supporting documentation. Beyond the audit itself, I help strengthen internal controls and risk management, and can support the updates your audit committee needs, giving management, the board and external stakeholders greater confidence in your financial statements.