Continuous auditing support using multi-agent systems
Abstract
The frequency of the review III a continuous auditing environment differentiates it from periodic
traditional auditing. In continuous auditing the controls, transactions and financial reports are reviewed
as soon as the data/evidence becomes available. The "continuous" aspect of continuous auditing and
reporting refers to the near real-time capability for financial information to be checked and shared.
There lacks support tools to aid in decision making for continuous auditing. The objective of this
research was to develop a tool to assist in continuous auditing support. During a period of one year, a
new continuous auditing support tool has been developed for use by Auditors. A distributed problem
solving Multi Agent System was designed for this problem domain. The system is characterized by
group of individual agents cooperating to identify audit exceptions and report in a timely manner.
Several agents have been developed covering different systems review areas. The application is aimed
at reducing the time lapse between an audit incident and the realization of the existence of the incident
in continuous auditing. The application can be used to add value to auditors' reports since the findings
are 'fresh' and relevant to senior management. The research also draws upon the lack of tools to
support continuous auditing in transaction processing systems. The research paper explains the
rationale behind the use of Multi Agent System technology to support Continuous Auditing. The tool
was tested amongst auditors from various banks and their responses have been discussed in this report.
The tool is currently being used at a local bank in Kenya.
Citation
Masters of science in computer scienceSponsorhip
University of NairobiPublisher
University of Nairobi School of Computing and Informatics