Common Body of Knowledge of Internal Auditing

 What is a body of knowledge?

A Body of Knowledge may be defined as: a living reference that represents the collective knowledge of a profession. The key elements described within are referred to as Areas of Knowledge, which reflect generally accepted practices within the profession. These include the associated activities, and the tasks and skills necessary to be effective in their execution, as well as the professional standards and guidance used by the practitioners of the profession; such as The IIA’s International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF), which includes mandatory and strongly recommended guidance.

The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) has decided to refer to this collective knowledge of the internal audit profession as the Common Body of Knowledge of Internal Auditing.

CBOK Study – A history

Since the beginning of the promulgation of the standards for the professional practice of internal auditing, and especially since the beginning of the CIA certification in the early 1970’s, the leadership of The IIA has commissioned studies of internal auditing. The very first ‘CBOK’ project took place in 1972; followed by various research projects undertaken by different groups. For more information on earlier projects, please click here

In 2005 The IIA Research Foundation (The IIARF) established the William G. Bishop III, CIA Memorial Fund  to honor IIA’s former president William (“Bill”) Bishop. The Fund supported CBOK 2006 – the most comprehensive global study on the internal audit profession at that timet. It was decided that to build on this project and to support the profession in staying relevant, vibrant and visionary, regular periodic research was necessary; thus creating the CBOK Study.

CBOK Study components provide a rich overview of information on how the profession develops and how it is being practiced and viewed worldwide. CBOK Study projects may reveal:

• Compliance to and adequacy of the IPPF
• Current status of the internal audit activity within organizations
• Activities and types of audits that are being performed
• Tools and techniques used by internal auditors
• Skills and knowledge possessed by internal auditors

In 2010, the following two components will be commissioned as part of the CBOK Study:

1. The IIA’s Global Internal Audit Survey 
    A global study will be conducted to understand the current state and future expectations of the internal audit profession. The survey will be available globally in more than 15 languages. First survey results will be available by the end of 2010.
2. Stakeholders’ Expectations and Perceptions Study 
   This study will focus on the value of internal auditing from the perspective of (internal) stakeholders such as Chief Executive Officers and Audit Committee Members.

 For more information, contact us at research@theiia.org