Clarissa Lucas

Hot Take: Thoughts on the IIA's Topical Requirements, a Call to Action, and an Upcoming Birthday

My Hot Take on the Topical Requirements The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) released it's first topical requirement as part of the new Global Internal Audit Standards. The first topical requirement, which focuses on Cybersecurity, is currently in draft form, and the IIA is asking for feedback on

What Goes into a Speaking Engagement?

When I first considered charging for speaking engagements, I had no idea where to start. After a few internet searches, I realized there was more to pricing my services than I originally thought. I saw the prices other speakers charged and mentally calculated the hourly rate, assuming the hourly rate

Teaching Core Agility Concepts in Sweden: Reflecting on the 2024 GRC Conference in Stockholm

Last year I had the pleasure and honor to speak at the IIA's international conference. That was my first time in Europe (the event was held in Amsterdam, Netherlands - check out my previous post on that experience here), and I loved it so much, I couldn'

Q&A with Clarissa 2/27/2024

I'm often asked a number of questions about Auditing with Agility, and themes definitely tend to emerge with those questions. Here's one I get frequently: Question: Can you comply with the IIA's Auditing Standards while auditing with agility? Answer: Yes! Chapter 9 of Beyond

Q&A with Clarissa 2/13/2024

I'm often asked a number of questions about Auditing with Agility, and themes definitely tend to emerge with those questions. Here's one I get frequently: Question: Are there specific standards for Auditing with Agility? Answer: In short: no. The beauty of Auditing with Agility is that

Spring Cleaning Tips for Internal Auditors

It's that time of year again. Spring is just around the corner. This year, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow, thus predicting an early spring. 📜Side note: When I was a kid, my family and I once traveled to Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, PA to

Q&A with Clarissa 1/30/2024

I'm often asked a number of questions about Auditing with Agility, and themes definitely tend to emerge with those questions. Here's one I get frequently: Question: You focused on partnering with clients to perform work. In the audit context of working with stakeholders, what are some

Q&A with Clarissa 1/16/2024

I'm often asked a number of questions about Auditing with Agility, and themes definitely tend to emerge with those questions. Here's one I get frequently: Question: As an auditor, one of the key things I hear is, “You can’t conduct an audit of XYZ because

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Book Review - Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

From the first four pages, I was hooked. The opening story of the capable executive, who was stretched too thin and needed to focus only on what truly mattered, spoke to me. It was as if the author had written about me. Immediately I knew this wouldn't be

Happy New Year from Clarissa!

Happy New Year!!! Welcome to 2024--a new year filled with even more content on how to improve internal auditing and get more value from audits! I'm often asked a number of questions about Auditing with Agility, and themes definitely tend to emerge with those questions. Here's

2023 Year In Review

As 2023 draws to a close, I took a few moments to reflect back on what has undoubtedly become a year to remember. From speaking engagements (including my first trip to Europe) to publishing my first book, I accomplished more than I ever imagined this year. As an example, clarissalucas.

Book Review

Book Review - Investments Unlimited

In Investments Unlimited: A Novel about DevOps, Security, Audit Compliance, and Thriving in the Digital Age, readers follow the story of Investments Unlimited, Inc., "a fictional company in the financial sector.[1]" The story follows Susan Jones, CEO of Investments Unlimited, Inc., and her team as they scramble

I got 99 problems, but SOD issues ain't one

I recently spoke at the 2023 DevOps Enterprise Summit (DOES) on the path to a better audit experience through Auditing with Agility. The event was incredible! Here's one of the amazing pics the photographer captured during my time on the main stage: A number of attendees caught up

Q&A from the 2023 IIA/ISACA GRC Conference

In August, I presented on Auditing with Agility at the GRC conference, which was co-hosted by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and ISACA. You can find a recap of the event in a previous blog post: 2023 IIA/ISACA GRC Conference Recap. At the end of the presentation, the

Measuring Effectiveness and Efficiency of Internal Audit

At this year's IIA International Conference, I received an audience question about how to measure effectiveness of internal audit while leveraging agile ways of working. This is a really important topic, regardless of your ways of working. As the saying goes "what gets measured gets done"

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Book Review - Big Potential: How Transforming the Pursuit of Success Raises our Achievement, Happiness, and Well-Being by Shawn Achor

In Big Potential: How Transforming the Pursuit of Success Raises our Achievement, Happiness, and Well-Being, author Shawn Achor shows readers the power of switching from competing against others to helping others in order to increase the likelihood of success. Competing against others results in a win-lose situation, while the power

2023 IIA/ISACA GRC Conference Recap

For the past decade, the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and ISACA have co-hosted the GRC Conference. This year the conference was held in Las Vegas, NV. One thing that makes this conference unique is its target audience: auditors and GRC professionals. GRC professionals are often audit clients and can

New Blue Journal

For those of you who have been following my journey for a while, you know the significance of my blue journal. For those of you who joined the Beyond Agile Auditing and Clarissalucas.com community more recently, let's recap. When I started writing Beyond Agile Auditing, back in

The Road to Beyond Agile Auditing

Check out my post from the IT Revolution blog, which looks back on the journey to Beyond Agile Auditing. The Road to Beyond Agile Auditing - IT RevolutionA look back at presentations from DevOps Enterprise Summit that lead to the book Beyond Agile Auditing by Clarissa LucasClarissa LucasIT Revolution It

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Recap of the 2023 IIA International Conference

In July, the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) hosted it's annual international conference in Amsterdam, Netherlands. I had the opportunity, not only to attend the event, but also to speak at it. Read on for a recap of this incredible experience.

Not Just for Auditors

Check out my post from the IT Revolution's blog, which explains why  Beyond Agile Auditing isn't just for auditors. It's for both auditors and audit clients. Not Just for Auditors - IT RevolutionHow can you, as a client or the member of a department

Beyond Agile Auditing: Common Questions

Check out my post from the IT Revolution's blog, which addresses common questions from the audience at the three book launch events they hosted for Beyond Agile Auditing: Three Core Components to Revolutionize Your Internal Audit Practices! Beyond Agile Auditing: Common Questions - IT RevolutionFrequently asked questions about

What do you get with an audit?

Go from Unplanned Work to Planned Work with Integrated Auditing 2.0

Picture this... You're starting your work week off just as you do most other weeks. Your first meeting is your team's backlog refinement meeting, where you and your team review your product backlog. During this meeting, your team re-evaluates the priority of items in the backlog,

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Reader's Guide to Beyond Agile Auditing

Auditing can be a painful experience both for auditors and for audit clients. A big part of that is because the world around us is changing faster than ever before, and our old ways of working just can’t keep up. Beyond Agile Auditing is about breaking free from old