Facing a global economic slowdown that stubbornly lingers, organizations around the world, in an effort to enhance their competitive advantage, continue to assess their finance, governance, information technology and operational processes to achieve maximum efficiency and cost savings. They also are maintaining close watch of their risks to ensure their organizations are managing and mitigating them effectively. To support their organizations in these endeavors, internal auditing professionals are seeing greater demands on their time and skills to help improve processes while ensuring proper risk management and controls are in place.

It is in this dynamic environment that we conducted our latest Internal Audit Capabilities and Needs Survey. Participants, including chief audit executives along with internal audit directors, managers and staff, answered more than 100 questions in four categories: General Technical Knowledge, Audit Process Knowledge, Personal Skills and Capabilities, and a new category, Changes to The IIA Standards (added in light of the changes The Institute of Internal Auditors made last year to its International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing).

Download 2010 Internal Audit Capabilities and Needs Survey (PDF) (requires Acrobat Reader; please disable your pop up blocker)

View results from previous years
2009 Edition
2008 Edition
2006 Edition

2009 Edition
In the third year of this study, along with reviewing the current year's results, the report charts and comments on some of the more interesting trends that have emerged since 2006, when this survey was first conducted.

Download 2009 Internal Audit Capabilities and Needs Survey (PDF) (requires Acrobat Reader; please disable your pop up blocker)

2008 Edition

More than 500 internal audit (IA) professionals, including chief audit executives (CAEs), internal audit directors, managers and other auditing professionals answered more than 70 questions in three subject areas: General Technical Knowledge, Audit Process Knowledge, and Personal Skills and Capabilities.

Download 2008 Internal Audit Capabilities and Needs Survey (PDF) (requires Acrobat Reader; please disable your pop up blocker)

2006 Edition

In 2006, Protiviti conducted its inaugural survey of 456 chief audit executives, internal audit directors, managers and other professionals to determine how they perceive their present capabilities, where they currently see need for improvement and how they prioritize those needs.

Download Internal Audit Capabilities and Needs Survey (PDF) (requires Acrobat Reader; please disable your pop up blocker)