Adopting agile tools to improve internal audit effectiveness(Case study in the General Company for Textile and Leather Industries - Diwaniyah Branch)

Abstract

Internal auditing is of paramount importance to an organization's economy, through its role in preserving resources from waste, monitoring the efficiency of operations across various departments, and verifying compliance with regulations. To improve internal auditing performance, modern methods must be implemented that can keep pace with the changing business environment and aim to reduce waste, improve quality, increase process flow, and enhance flexibility in internal audit activities. The research aims to "improve the effectiveness of internal auditing by identifying weaknesses in traditional methods and applying agile tools to internal audit operations." To achieve the research objectives, the researchers relied on a set of tools to obtain the necessary information, such as internal audit department reports, field experience, and personal interviews with officials and experts, In order to prove the research hypothesis, some agile tools were applied, such as (Value Stream Map) and (S5), for the purpose of analyzing and evaluating the internal auditing processes in the General Company for Textile and Leather Industries - Diwaniyah Branch. The research concluded with a set of conclusions, the most important of which is (agile tools add value to stakeholders by eliminating all types of waste such as (accumulation of tasks, excessive information in reports, and waiting times), as these tools contribute to helping the internal auditor complete all operations within the time specified for them, in addition to improving communication between internal audit and stakeholders). The research concluded with a set of recommendations, the most important of which is (Agile tools should be applied in internal auditing processes because of their fundamental role in improving quality, reducing waste, and increasing the flow and flexibility of operations, in addition to their importance in clearly analyzing operations, to be able to identify activities that add and do not add value, and work to exclude those that do not add value, to enhance operations .