Monitoring Questionnaire
Internal Control Questionnaire
Question Yes No N/A Remarks
Management requires reliable information to run university
operations. In some situations management directly monitors the
performance of specific control procedures established to provide
that information. In other situations, management evaluates the
information in the normal course of monitoring the results of
operations. Either directly or indirectly these monitoring activities
help assure the reliability of financial reporting information.
1. Does the information system provide management with necessary
reports on the department’s/university’s performance relative to
established objectives (e.g., budgets), including relevant external
and internal information?
2. Is the information provided to department heads in sufficient
detail and on time to enable them to carry out their
responsibilities efficiently and effectively?
3. Do departments provide senior management and ABOR with
proper reports to make important financial decisions?
4. Does management review key performance indicators (e.g.,
budget) when monitoring financial reporting activities?
5. Does management compare “general ledger” balances with
independently accumulated information (e.g., budgets, forecasts,
etc.)?
6. Does management review information such as long outstanding
items, unusual or significant entries, control overrides, etc.?
7. Does management perform and review analyses (e.g., analytics)
to identify unusual fluctuations in account balances?
8. Does management periodically review major transaction cycles
(e.g., payroll, cash receipts, etc.) and transaction data?
9. Does management ensure that policies and procedures are
adequately followed relating to the entity’s general ledger? These
would include processing of journal entries, cut-off, required pre-
approval of journal entries, GAAP conversion process, etc.?
Question Yes No N/A Remarks
10. Does management review account reconciliations, including
clearance of reconciling items (e.g., bank account
reconciliations)?
11. Does management monitor procedures to ensure that transactions
are recorded in the proper period?
12. Does management periodically review financial reports?
13. Does management monitor procedures to ensure that all
economic activity of the governmental entity for the period is
reflected in the financial statements?
14. Are signatures required to evidence the performance of critical
control functions such as reconciliations?
15. Does Financial Services have a process to identify significant
changes in accounting principles or other reporting changes, such
as those that may be required by the Federal government or other
authoritative source?
16. Does Financial Services have communication channels in place
to be notified of changes in the entity’s operational practices that
may affect the method or process of recording transactions?
17. If there is an internal audit function, is it independent of other
departments and programs? If the entity has internal audits,
obtain applicable reports and centrally file them.
18. Does the internal audit function report to a sufficiently high level
of authority to assure that its findings will receive consideration?
19. Does management review internal audit reports and take
corrective action on recommendations/deficiencies?
20. Does management review external audit reports and take
corrective action on recommendations/deficiencies?
21. Does Financial Services have procedures in place to ensure
relevant changes in accounting policies are implemented?
MONITORING EVALUATION
Conclude on the overall sufficiency of monitoring. Any risk factors identified that could
result in errors, fraud, irregularities and/or illegal acts should be considered when analyzing
the department’s operations, and the completed questionnaire should be forwarded to
Financial Controls.
