1. Introduction to the Tool/Technique
Dashboards are one of the most powerful tools in the internal auditor’s communication toolkit. These dynamic, visual summaries enable auditors and executives alike to track audit progress, assess risk levels, and manage findings in real time. For a CEO like Liora at ACME Corp, dashboards offer a birds-eye view of the audit universe. For internal auditors like Auren, dashboards facilitate transparent reporting and stakeholder engagement.
A good audit dashboard:
Consolidates status updates across audit areas
Highlights unresolved risks (high, medium, low)
Tracks remediation progress
Uses visual charts (bar, pie, gauges) to enable fast decision-making
2. Fictitious Dataset
ACME’s internal audit team is tracking five audit areas: Procurement, Contract Management, Inventory, Payments, and Compliance. Auren compiled the following data:
| Audit Area | Status | High | Medium | Low | Findings Closed (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Procurement | In Progress | 2 | 3 | 1 | 40 |
| Contract Management | Completed | 1 | 2 | 2 | 100 |
| Inventory | Completed | 0 | 1 | 3 | 100 |
| Payments | In Progress | 1 | 2 | 2 | 60 |
| Compliance | Not Started | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
This data helps ACME’s leadership visualize both risk and progress at a glance.
3. Excel Template + Real-Life Application
Upon reading the Disclaimer, a reader may click the link below to👉 Download ACME’s Audit Dashboard Template (Excel):
T&Ts Series F, Internal Audit, Reporting & Communication, Episode F3—Dashboards
We created a dashboard Excel template with:
A Bar Chart showing the number of high, medium, and low risks by audit area
A Pie Chart displaying overall audit status (Completed, In Progress, Not Started)
A clean, update-friendly table that can be linked to more detailed audit plans
In a real-life application:
Auren presented the dashboard during ACME’s quarterly risk committee meeting.
Liora, the CEO, noticed that Procurement and Payments had several unresolved high and medium risks. She immediately asked Aven, the Project Manager, to escalate these areas for corrective action.
The Inventory and Contract Management sections scored high on closure rates. Auren used this to demonstrate team progress and build confidence in audit follow-up.
Thanks to the dashboard’s clarity, the leadership team quickly aligned on priorities without reading through dozens of pages of audit reports.