From legacy to leading edge: Why you should modernize your audit process

As businesses all over the world move faster, digitalize and shift to the cloud, traditional approaches to audit are showing their age. Instead of being a compliance exercise, the audit can be turned into a strategic advantage—but only if it evolves in step with your business.

Chief financial officers who lead their organization’s annual financial statement audit understand that it is a critical process underpinning long-term growth. A high-quality audit can be a critical enabler, instilling the confidence a company needs to attract investment that allows it to execute its business strategies, empower innovation and foster job creation.

How legacy audit processes fall short

Legacy audit processes were built when data moved slower, systems were in silos and risk environments were less manageable compared to today. The classic approach—paper-based and manually driven, reliant on static sampling and spreadsheet modeling—was not designed for today’s hyperconnected business environment.

Key pain points in an outdated audit process include:

• Delayed visibility: Traditional audits are retrospective—they rely on data from historical periods and may miss real-time risk signals.
• Manual inefficiency: Finance staff get bogged down with excessive document requests, redundant walk-throughs and spreadsheet wrangling.
• Limited scope: Backward-looking risk assessments focus on historical financial controls and often miss emerging dangers like cyberthreats.
• Minimal value added: CFOs benefit from insights, not just compliance—legacy audits rarely offer forward-looking observations and strategic guideposts.

Audits today vs. yesterday—what has changed?

Modern audits are not just about business moving faster and using new digital tools. Expectations have shifted as well. Today, stakeholders want assurance that’s faster, smarter and more aligned with strategic risk.

Ten years ago, a typical middle market company audit might have involved:

• Physical site visits and manual walk-throughs
• Static sample-based testing
• Heavy reliance on PDFs and spreadsheets
• Intensive rounds of emails among all parties
• Risk assessments focused mostly on core financials
• Limited use of automation or analytics

Fast-forward to today, and the audit process has evolved foundationally. Done properly, a modern audit will likely feature:

• Cloud-based collaboration instead of email document exchange 
• Data analytics for full-scope population testing, not just sampling
• Digital workflow systems to support remote and virtual audits
• Use of artificial intelligence tools and data analytics to quickly detect anomalies, review contracts, score risks and gain insights
• Audit readiness platforms for streamlining PBC (prepared by client) processes
• More awareness of changing accounting standards and emerging complexities
• Cyber and AI risk assessments as standard components, and sustainability as an emerging area

Practical ways to modernize your audit process

Modernization doesn’t require reinventing the wheel. A CFO can take the following steps to yield significant improvements, often without disproportionate investments of time or money:

1. Centralizing documentation in a cloud-based audit portal may minimize email chaos and version control issues.
2. Scheduling rolling PBC requests and addressing them year-round can help reduce deadline crunches.
3. Leveraging digital tools and analytics in conjunction with your enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems may enable automated general ledger data retrieval and reconciliations—saving time and reducing manual errors.
4. Deploying full-population analytics instead of sample-testing in critical areas like accounts payable disbursements or other transactions can enhance visualization and exception reports, uncovering risks and improving audit precision.
5. Using AI-driven risk assessment can improve anomaly detection, fraud risk identification or process breakdown analyses.
6. Replacing scanned PDFs with digital audit trails featuring time stamps and metadata can improve traceability, reduce audit prep time and support stronger internal controls.
7. Training your team in audit tech basics can greatly improve the handoff between your staff and your auditors, reducing friction and rework.
8. Establishing quarterly audit touchpoints and checking in regularly with your audit firm will keep your file “warm” and mitigate year-end surprises.

Prioritizing improvements based on your business

Not every company will take the same journey to audit modernization. For example, a high-growth software as a service business might focus on automating revenue recognition controls, while a global distributor might prioritize analytics for inventory and logistical risks.

As CFO, your first step is to assess your company’s current state and future trajectory.

Ask yourself:

• Are we experiencing high growth or entering new markets? Rapid scaling adds operational risk.
• Do we operate across many sectors, systems or geographies? Complexity multiplies audit scope.
• Have we recently implemented new tech or ERP systems? This often signals a need to redesign controls and update processes.
• Are we preparing for an exit, acquisition or capital raise? These may reset the bar on audit quality and speed.

A smart start is better than a full overhaul

For many CFOs, the idea of audit modernization raises fears of big-ticket software installations or sweeping internal control revamps. But these are often not necessary, or even wise.

Instead, take a “smart start” approach: Identify one or two high-friction audit areas and tackle those first. For example, if your team spends 100-plus hours responding to PBC requests, focus on automating that workflow.

If your revenue processes are complex and highly manual, consider implementing audit-ready controls in your billing system. If you are handing off large amounts of paper to your auditor, work on digitizing those systems.

Being smart also involves reassuring your team that automation does not mean redundancy. Freeing up your internal experts lets them focus on improving other critical areas within your organization. Redeploying people can generate its own return on investment.

Incremental wins build momentum. They signal to your audit firm and your internal stakeholders that audit modernization is a priority tied to your strategic goals.

Importantly, this is an effective way for you as CFO to improve the quality and consistency of your company’s financial information, adding strategic value to your organization.