Audit types

How the core audits compare

Attribute	Financial Audit	Management Audit	Social Audit
Objective	An opinion on whether the financials follow accounting standards	Conclusions and recommendations to improve management practice	A review of how programmes and services affect stakeholders
Evidence	Written records and confirmations, mostly quantitative	Interviews first, then documents, mostly qualitative	Qualitative and quantitative, oral and written
Criteria based on	Generally accepted accounting principles	Good management practice	Baseline data and benchmark targets set by the institution or the sector
Auditor background	Accounting	Multidisciplinary, often management consulting	Management consulting, social work or a subject specialist
Typical length	1 to 2 months	1 to 2 months	3 to 6 months or more
Value to the institution	Confidence that fiscal controls and risk procedures are in place and followed	An assessment of management performance, with better practices for running operations	An assessment of outcomes, intended or not, with recommendations to improve services