Audit, Compliance & Institutional Readiness

This track is designed for professionals involved in audit preparation, compliance oversight, and institutional readiness, including:

• Research Administrators (Pre-Award and Post-Award) 
• Compliance and Internal Audit professionals 
• Research Finance and Accounting staff 
• Sponsored Programs and Grants Management staff 
• Departmental and Central Office leadership 
• Institutional officials responsible for audit response and oversight

Participants completing this track will gain practical insight into:

• The audit landscape for sponsored programs and research institutions 
• Common audit findings and their institutional root causes 
• Internal controls that support compliance and risk mitigation 
• Financial compliance requirements and documentation standards 
• Preparing departments and institutions for audit engagement 
• Managing audit requests, responses, and communications 
• Developing and sustaining effective corrective action plans 
• Using audit outcomes to strengthen institutional practice

Each module is designed to support 1.0 documented CPE/contact hour.

1. Understanding the Audit Landscape in Sponsored Programs
   Understanding why audits occur, what auditors assess, and how institutions are evaluated. 
2. Common Audit Findings & Root Causes
   Examining frequent findings and the systemic issues that drive audit risk. 
3. Internal Controls That Support Compliance
   Designing and assessing controls that reduce risk and support defensible operations. 
4. Financial Compliance & Documentation Best Practices
   Aligning transactions, records, and documentation with regulatory expectations. 
5. Preparing Your Unit Before an Audit Notice
   Establishing audit-ready practices before an audit is announced. 
6. Turning Audit Findings into Sustainable Practice
   Translating audit outcomes into corrective actions and long-term improvements.

 Instructional Credit

• Each module is designed to support 1.0 CPE/contact hour, based on 50–60 minutes of documented instructional time, including content review and learner engagement. 
• Modules may be completed individually or as part of a full instructional track. 

Track Completion 

• Completion of the full track supports 6.0 CPE/contact hours. 
• Learning activities are delivered in a self-paced, structured format consistent with professional continuing education standards. 

Learning Design 

• Each module includes: 
  • Defined learning objectives 
  • Structured instructional content 
  • Knowledge checks and/or applied learning components 
• Content focuses on audit readiness, compliance, internal controls, financial oversight, and risk management, aligned with professional audit and research administration practices. 

Documentation & Verification 

• Certificates of Completion are issued by Purple Sheep Consulting upon successful completion of each module or full track. 
• Certificates include: 
  • Participant name 
  • Module or track title 
  • Number of CPE/contact hours earned 
  • Date of completion 
  • Delivery format (self-paced) 
  • Provider name (Purple Sheep Consulting) 

Learner Responsibility 

• Learners are responsible for retaining documentation and reporting earned CPE/contact hours in accordance with the requirements of their certifying or licensing body (e.g., RACC, state boards of accountancy).

The Audit, Compliance & Institutional Readiness track is part of a broader professional education portfolio designed to support the full sponsored programs lifecycle:

• Pre-Award Research Administration 
• Post-Award Research Administration
   

Tracks may be completed independently or combined to support lifecycle-wide training and institutional readiness initiatives.