CaseWare Analytics recently interviewed Bistra Dimitrova, MBA, CIA, CRMA and Manager of Internal Audit to discuss why Kronos uses CaseWare IDEA. SLIDESHARE: www.slideshare.net/CaseWare_Analytics WEBSITE: www.casewareanalytics.com BLOG: www.casewareanalytics.com/blog TWITTER: www.twitter.com/CW_Analytic

1. Q: Why did your organization start
using data analysis software?
A: A few years ago, we had several IT
systems housing different operational
and financial data that didn’t interact
with one another. It was challenging
to combine the information to create
the holistic view we needed to draw
meaningful conclusions and produce
accurate audit results.
We started looking for a data analysis
software that would analyze data
from different systems, was easy to
implement and use, and robust enough
to support our growing business and
audit needs. After reviewing several
options, we decided to purchase IDEA
and we haven’t looked back.
Q: In what phase of the audit do you
use data analytics?
A: We use data analytics in all phases of
the audit. During the planning stage,
we use it for scoping and sizing. During
fieldwork, we use IDEA because we can
analyze the entire population, which
would not be possible with manual
analysis. IDEA makes it easy to create
new tests and narrow the population
so we can focus on anomalies and
exceptions.
For example, in a scenario where 95%
of the population is compliant, we
need to identify the 5% that isn’t. Data
analytics make it possible for us to
look for specific infractions or patterns
and narrow hundreds of thousands of
records to a manageable few.
In reporting, we use data analytics to
quantify our results accurately without
extrapolation, which makes them much
more meaningful.
Q: Which IDEA functions do you love
to use?
A: I use all of IDEA’s functions! One
of the things that I really like is that I
can use any file type. It doesn’t matter
if it is a PDF, .txt or a .csv file, I can
throw them into IDEA and extract the
information I need.
Recently, I needed to combine two
Excel files with 60 tabs and numerous
records in each into one file. I was
certain that IDEA wouldn’t be able to
handle the import, but to my pleasant
surprise it took the tool less than two
minutes to import the files.
All of the data was imported, there
were no blank or missing fields, and
I could append all of the tabs very
quickly. Just a couple of hours later
and I was done with my analysis.
Imagine trying to append 120 tabs and
then manipulating a file of that size in
Excel—it would take forever!
To learn how CaseWare IDEA can
help you complete your audits more
efficiently, visit
www.casewareanalytics.com.
Kronos is a leader in workforce
management solutions that
enable tens of thousands of
organizations in more than
100 countries to control labor
costs, minimize compliance
risk, and improve workforce
productivity. CaseWare
Analytics recently interviewed
Bistra Dimitrova, MBA, CIA,
CRMA and Manager of Internal
Audit to discuss why Kronos
uses CaseWare IDEA.
AUDITOR
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