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What are "findings"? <br />When audits-including Single Audits-are con- <br />ducted in accordance with the Government Au- <br />diting Standards (Yellow Book), reportable <br />conditions (including material weaknesses) and <br />instances of noncompliance with applicable laws <br />and regulations are presented in a special format <br />known as an audit finding. <br />Ideally, an audit finding is composed of the fol- <br />lowing four elements. <br />o Criterion /Criteria -the basis for identifying <br />that a condition is an internal control weak- <br />ness or an instance of noncompliance <br />e Condition -the internal control weakness or <br />instance of noncompliance identified by the <br />auditor <br />o Effect -the negative outcome that resulted or <br />could result from the condition <br />o Cause - an explanation of why the weakness <br />or instance of noncompliance occurred <br />Findings are often accompanied by a specific rec- <br />ommendation for corrective action and by man- <br />agement's response. In a Single Audit, a <br />government is required to prepare a schedule of <br />prior audit findings that presents the status of <br />corrective action on audit findings from previous <br />years. <br />How do auditors obtain the <br />information they need? <br />Auditors use a variety of methods to obtain the <br />evidence they need to determine whether a gov- <br />ernment's financial statements are fairly pre- <br />sented. Auditors inspect relevant documentation; <br />observe employee performance; inquire concern- <br />ing policies, procedures, transactions, and <br />events; confirm balances and transactions with <br />outside parties; and perform analytical proce- <br />dures to determine the reasonableness of trans- <br />actions and balances. <br />38 AN ELECTED OFFICIAL'S GUIDE TO AUDITING 11 <br />