Professional Guidance
Welcome to the Professional Guidance area of the website.
Please click on the following quick links to access information relating to:
- Definition of Internal Auditing for the current definition of internal auditing
- Code of Ethics promote an ethical culture in the profession of internal auditing
- International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing
Over the years, the IIA has created numerous pieces of guidance on the profession of internal auditing. At the start of this millennium, we introduced the Professional Practices Framework (PPF) to organise the full range of that guidance in a way that is easily accessible to internal auditors.
The pinnacle of the PPF is formed by the standards that define the profession of internal auditing: the Definition of Internal Auditing, the Code of Ethics and the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing. The most recent version of the professional standards is that published in 2006, which can be downloaded here:
Code of Ethics and International Standards
These elements of the PPF are considered mandatory and they are the most far-reaching. They apply to all internal auditors wherever they find themselves in the world and in whatever sector they work. The Definition is quite technical but it should always be our starting point when people ask ‘what is internal auditing?’ The Code of Ethics shows that ethical behaviour is at the heart of our profession. The International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing were first published in 1978 and since then they have been increasingly recognised as the profession’s quality benchmark.
One of the recent themes in the economic world has been the globalisation of standards – external auditing standards and financial reporting standards to name two. It is worth noting in this context that internal auditing standards are already international, putting us slightly ahead of other professions.
In another regard too, internal auditing standards are consistent with the accepted norms of good governance – they are principles-based. This means that internal auditors must often exercise even more judgement because they have to decide how to apply the standards in their particular circumstances. However, our experience shows us that principles-based standards are the most effective way to provide professional norms to diverse, global activity.
The rest of the PPF provides guidance on how to implement and apply the principles in the standards. They include practice advisories and other forms of guidance such as guides, briefings, bulletins, research studies, fact sheets and other products and services.
Members of the IIA are entitled to ask the technical team for guidance on a particular point relating to the practice of internal auditing.
For further information, see Ask the technical team