Why Beyond Agile Auditing?

Writing my first book has been filled with highs and lows, peaks and valleys. It's easy to keep going when you're riding a peak, fueled by internal motivation and external support and encouragement. In the lows of a valley, it takes a lot more effort to keep going. If you'll allow me a moment to be vulnerable, I'll share that self-doubt plagues me at times. Self-doubt rears its ugly head predictably every time I hit a valley in this writing process. When I start questioning myself, I often return to asking myself why I'm doing this. Why am I writing this book? Why am I writing about moving beyond Agile Auditing?

In a recent conversation with an audit leader at another organization, I was reminded again that there truly is a need for this book - that I can help organizations by sharing what I've learned through research and my own experiences.

During that conversation, my peer and I reflected on our experiences over the past year. His story was similar to my own and to others who shared their stories with me before. Audit leaders attend some conferences and come back saying "We're going to do Agile Auditing!" Unfortunately, the speakers at the conference didn't provide enough clarity on why organizations should "do" Agile Auditing or how exactly those organizations should go about a successful transformation to Agile Auditing.

Regardless of the organization, the story stayed eerily static: We need to do this, but I can't explain why or how.

Without clarity, the team pushes forward, learning (through attending webinars and other conferences, and talking in peer groups) that "doing Agile Auditing" primarily means auditing in sprints. They feel faced with an "Agile" or "not Agile" decision. For those organizations that choose not to change to auditing in sprints for every audit, it feels like the end of the road for their agility journey.

If this describes you and your organization, fear not! Auditing with Agility is the answer for organizations that want to stay ahead of the change curve without mandating an all-sprints-all-the-time audit framework.

That's why this book is so important. That's why I keep going. There is a need in the internal audit community, and Beyond Agile Auditing, which guides readers along the journey to Auditing with Agility (including the why and the how), fulfills that need.