Getting ready for an internal audit can feel overwhelming, but with a clear plan you can turn it into an opportunity to strengthen controls and boost stakeholder confidence. Whether your team is new to audits or facing a more complex review, practical preparation reduces stress and improves outcomes. If you need outside help, consider consulting services internal audit to guide readiness checks and documentation. Insights Advisory can also help align your audit roadmap with regulatory expectations and organizational goals.

Why preparation matters now

Internal audit expectations are shifting fast. Regulators and boards expect more strategic assurance and better evidence of risk management. In Saudi Arabia, new corporate governance rules made internal audit units mandatory for many listed firms in 2024, raising the bar for readiness and reporting. This regulatory shift means preparing now will prevent last minute compliance gaps and costly follow up work. Consulting services internal audit can bridge capability gaps and speed up the process while keeping internal teams in the lead.

Quick view of the 2025 landscape

Recent industry research offers practical benchmarks that should shape your preparation. Global surveys show audit activity rising with many organizations conducting more frequent reviews to keep pace with evolving risks. For example, a compliance roundup found that 58 percent of organizations carried out four or more audits in 2025, and 35 percent of larger enterprises performed more than six audits on average. At the same time, only seven percent of companies saw themselves as leading in compliance maturity while 31 percent considered themselves mature, showing a wide gap between aspiration and capability. Finally, sector reports indicate nearly half of internal audit functions are under-resourced, so resourcing your readiness plan is essential. Use these figures when you estimate effort, staff time and technology needs.

A step by step readiness plan your team can follow

1 Assess scope and priorities

Start by clarifying the audit scope with the audit owner or audit committee. List the business units, processes and systems in scope and map them to key risks. Use a concise risk scoring approach to rank what needs the most attention. If you use external specialists, bring in consulting services internal audit early to confirm the scope and avoid rework.

2 Assign roles and create an audit calendar

Make sure every task has an owner. Define who will deliver evidence, who will prepare narratives, and who will act as liaison for auditor queries. Set realistic dates and agree to them with the audit team. Providing a clear calendar reduces bottlenecks and keeps the audit moving.

3 Prepare documentation and evidence

Compile core documents such as policies, process maps, controls matrices, reconciliations and recent management reports. Use a standard evidence checklist so submission quality is consistent. Where possible, create short control narratives that describe what the control does, who operates it and where the evidence lives. This saves time during testing and demonstrates ownership.

4 Run internal prechecks

Conduct a mock or pre audit to identify obvious gaps. A focused precheck of the highest risk areas reduces the chance of significant findings and gives teams time to remediate before auditors test controls. If capacity is limited, engage trusted advisors to perform targeted prechecks quickly.

5 Be audit ready with technology

Leverage central document repositories and simple trackers to manage requests and responses. Automated logs reduce manual juggling and improve traceability. Where your internal tools are limited, temporary secure file sharing and a single intake tracker work well.

How to coach your team for audit interactions

Train staff on the purpose of the audit and how to respond to requests. Emphasize clarity, accuracy and timeliness when providing evidence. Roles play common auditor questions and review how to escalate complex queries to control owners or legal counsel. Maintain a single point of contact for auditor communications to prevent conflicting messages.

Handling findings and remediation

Not all findings are negative. Treat them as a structured way to improve controls and processes. For each finding, record the root cause action owner’s expected completion date and evidence of closure. Use a simple risk based priority to focus remediation on issues that matter most to the business. If remediation requires system changes or policy updates, plan interim compensating controls to cover the gap.

Practical metrics to track during readiness and audit

Use quantitative indicators to measure progress and to report to leadership. Useful metrics include percent of requests fulfilled on time, percent of controls evidenced at first request average time to close a request number of high risk findings and remediation closure rate. Set realistic targets that reflect your resourcing and complexity. Benchmarking against the latest industry figures helps validate targets and justify temporary support or investment.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

One frequent issue is decentralized evidence sources that slow response time. Solve this by standardizing where evidence is stored and naming conventions so auditors find materials quickly. Another pitfall is underestimating time for control owners to assemble documentation. Build buffers into your calendar and escalate early when deadlines are at risk. If your internal audit function is under-resourced consider short term external support to maintain quality. Reports show many internal audit teams are not fully funded for the workload expected in 2025 which makes targeted external support a practical option.

Special considerations for organizations in KSA

For entities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia focus on regulatory alignment and governance documentation. Recent regulatory updates require listed companies to maintain formal internal audit arrangements and to document their audit plans and results. Ensure your audit file explicitly references applicable laws and corporate governance obligations where relevant. For organizations with expatriate staff pay attention to payroll and employment records which are often reviewed by cross functional audits. If you need help tailoring your approach for local regulations, consider a partner with regional experience.

Communicating results to leaders and the audit committee

Prepare an executive summary that highlights the scope key findings, controls that are working and proposed actions. Use concise quantitative indicators and a short risk based narrative. Leaders appreciate clear tasks so include resources required to close top issues and the estimated impact of inaction. If leadership is considering longer term changes such as automation or a staff increase show how those investments will reduce audit effort and strengthen controls.

Building audit readiness into business as usual

Turn readiness activities into regular routines. Quarterly control reviews, updated process maps and a rolling evidence index reduce the effort for future audits. Promote a culture where audits are a source of insight and continuous improvement rather than a compliance chore. Over time this reduces both the frequency and severity of findings and increases business confidence in internal controls. Industry research indicates many organizations aim to reach higher compliance maturity within three years so your continued investment will be rewarded.

Bringing in external help the right way

When internal capacity is limited, bring in targeted expertise for prechecks specialized areas or remediation planning. Choose partners who share your approach and document handover expectations upfront. If you decide to engage consulting services internal audit make sure the contract defines deliverables timelines and confidentiality obligations.

Final thoughts and action steps

Preparing for an internal audit is a strategic activity that strengthens controls, boosts compliance and protects reputation. Start with clear scope, assign roles, prepare robust evidence, run a precheck and communicate consistently with leadership. Use measurable targets and consider targeted external support when internal capacity is constrained. Insights Advisory can help design a pragmatic readiness plan aligned with local rules and international standards, ensuring your team is confident and audit ready.

Call to action

If you would like a concise readiness checklist or a targeted pre audit from insight advisory contact Insights Advisory for a tailored plan and a rapid health check to get your team ready quickly.

References for 2025 figures and guidance cited in this article include reports and surveys from leading audit and regulatory bodies and regional summaries. Key sources used for the quantitative figures and regulatory context are the Institute of Internal Auditors pulse and risk reports OECD country note for Saudi Arabia PwC global compliance survey industry benchmarking and sector analysis on internal audit resourcing.