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Updated: June 2004

   Duane Reyhl > Authored Classes > How to Perform an Executive Level Review

How to Perform an Executive Level Review of Accounting and Auditing Engagements

You Should Attend If:

• You are an executive-level CPA in a small firm or a sole practitioner.
• Accounting or auditing is not your primary area of practice.
• You review accounting or audit engagements.
• You have not had recent accounting or auditing updates.
• You want to add efficiency and effectiveness to your audit or accounting engagements.

Course Summary:
This course gives you the background necessary to ask the critical engagement questions, identify areas of importance, identify missing engagement procedures, evaluate the substance of disclosure adequacy, and spot weak documentation. At the end of the course you should be able to:

• Increase your effectiveness of  reviews of critical engagement performance and reporting areas.
• Spot "big picture" issues.
• Recognize common engagement deficiencies.
• Feel more confident about reviewing accounting and auditing engagements.
• Communicate and resolve technical review notes.
• Recognize when to consult others about complex issues.
• Understand the link between quality control and engagement performance.

How You Will Learn: 
Group discussion is an effective way to learn new ideas for performing executive level reviews. Share your experiences. Someone else may have had a situation just like yours. Some logical differences exist among firms and the way they perform engagement level reviews. Many differences result from the particular aspects of a firm’s clients or engagements and the professional experiences of those in the firm. As a result, the best practices for one firm may not necessarily be the best for another. Keep an open mind. Through the discussion of diverse ideas and approaches to engagement review, you should leave the course with good suggestions or new ways of doing things.

Course Topics:
The course parallels the general chronological process for reviewing accounting and auditing engagements. It includes discussion of how to prepare and resolve engagement points. With any project, it helps to know what can go wrong, so this course will help you anticipate solutions and show you where to go for answers when unexpected problems arise. In summary, the major course topics include:

• Quality control considerations
• Practical implementation of audit, review and compilation standards
• Materiality
• Documentation guidelines
• Suggested steps for performing an engagement review
• Common engagement weak points
• How to perform an engagement review
• Discuss specific engagement areas
• Recent and proposed technical standards
• Technical resources available

Author:
Duane Reyhl, CPA is with the regional CPA firm of Andrews Hooper & Pavlik and is the former technical director of the Peer Review Program, California Society of CPAs. He works on the kind of engagements he discusses in the course.

How to Register for This Course:

California CPAs:
Please visit the California CPA Education Foundation for this and other CPE classes.

California CPA Education Foundation
1235 Radio Road
Redwood City, CA 94065
Telephone: 800-877-5897

All other CPAs, individuals or organizations:
If you purchase a site license for any of the courses, you can receive a participant's manual, discussion leader's guide, and a slide show in Microsoft PowerPoint format. You may also arrange for Duane to lead the course.

For more information about the price, the site license, or other course information, please contact:

Duane Reyhl, CPA
Andrews Hooper & Pavlik P.L.C.
5300 Gratiot
Saginaw, MI 48603
Phone: (989) 497-5300
E-mail: duane.reyhl@ahpplc.com

Duane Reyhl
116 Woodlawn Dr.
St. Charles, MI 48655
Phone: (989) 865-6520
E-mail: dreyhl@reyhl.com