Project and Programme Auditing Training Course

Course Introduction

Project and programme auditing provides independent assurance over whether major initiatives are properly governed, effectively controlled, financially managed, and capable of delivering their intended outcomes. The Project and Programme Auditing Training Course develops advanced capabilities for evaluating project and programme governance, planning, execution, risk management, controls, performance, resources, procurement, benefits, and accountability across the complete delivery lifecycle.

The course examines how auditors can assess projects and programmes from initiation and business-case development through planning, implementation, monitoring, change management, delivery, transition, closure, and benefits realisation. Participants will learn how to evaluate governance structures, decision rights, project controls, management information, milestones, dependencies, budgets, schedules, quality requirements, and delivery risks using systematic and risk-based audit approaches.

Strong emphasis is placed on project financial and commercial assurance. Participants will explore auditing budgets, cost estimates, expenditure, commitments, forecasts, procurement, contracts, variations, claims, payments, contingencies, and financial reporting. The programme also addresses common weaknesses such as cost overruns, schedule slippage, scope creep, weak change control, inadequate documentation, unsupported expenditure, ineffective contractor management, and poor escalation of project risks.

Programme auditing extends beyond individual project performance to examine portfolios, interdependencies, strategic alignment, resource allocation, cumulative risks, benefits, and organisational capacity. Participants will learn how to determine whether programmes are delivering intended strategic outcomes and whether projects are appropriately prioritised, coordinated, monitored, and governed within the wider organisational environment.

The programme integrates modern audit techniques including data analytics, continuous auditing, project dashboards, predictive indicators, digital project-management systems, artificial intelligence, automation, cybersecurity, and technology-enabled assurance. Participants will examine how emerging technologies and increasingly complex delivery models create new risks requiring stronger project controls, evidence-based monitoring, and more responsive assurance practices.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to plan and execute comprehensive project and programme audits, evaluate governance and delivery controls, analyse financial and performance information, assess risks and dependencies, identify root causes of project problems, formulate practical recommendations, and monitor remediation. The programme is designed to strengthen accountability, project delivery confidence, resource stewardship, benefits realisation, and sustainable organisational performance.

Duration

10 days

Who Should Attend

• Internal auditors responsible for project, programme, operational, financial, and governance assurance.

• Project managers seeking stronger understanding of independent project assurance and audit requirements.

• Programme managers responsible for coordinating multiple projects, dependencies, resources, risks, and benefits.

• PMO professionals responsible for project governance, reporting, controls, standards, and portfolio oversight.

• Risk managers assessing project, programme, strategic, financial, operational, and delivery risks.

• Finance professionals responsible for project budgets, expenditure, forecasting, financial controls, and reporting.

• Procurement and contract professionals involved in project sourcing, contractor management, and commercial assurance.

• Compliance professionals reviewing project adherence to policies, regulations, contractual requirements, and governance standards.

• Project controls specialists responsible for cost, schedule, scope, quality, risk, and performance monitoring.

• Senior managers overseeing major capital investments, transformation programmes, infrastructure initiatives, and strategic projects.

• Audit committee and governance professionals overseeing project risks, major investments, and organisational change initiatives.

• Fraud examiners and investigators examining project fraud, procurement irregularities, false claims, and financial misconduct.

• IT auditors assessing technology projects, digital transformation programmes, systems implementation, and cybersecurity controls.

• Consultants and assurance professionals providing independent reviews of projects, programmes, portfolios, and delivery arrangements.

Course Objectives

• Develop advanced knowledge of project and programme auditing principles, methodologies, governance requirements, assurance practices, and professional audit responsibilities.

• Apply risk-based approaches to identify, prioritise, and assess project and programme risks according to complexity, value, strategic importance, and delivery exposure.

• Evaluate project governance structures, accountability arrangements, decision rights, oversight mechanisms, project boards, PMOs, and escalation processes.

• Audit project planning and controls covering scope, schedules, resources, budgets, milestones, quality requirements, dependencies, assumptions, and deliverables.

• Assess project and programme financial management including budgets, forecasts, expenditure, commitments, cost estimates, contingencies, and financial reporting.

• Evaluate procurement, contracts, contractor performance, variations, claims, payments, commercial risks, and supplier dependencies within project environments.

• Analyse project performance using key performance indicators, earned value concepts, milestone tracking, dashboards, trend analysis, and exception reporting.

• Identify and evaluate scope creep, delays, cost overruns, resource constraints, quality failures, weak change controls, and ineffective risk responses.

• Audit programme-level dependencies, strategic alignment, resource allocation, portfolio interactions, cumulative risks, and benefits realisation across multiple projects.

• Apply data analytics and technology-enabled audit techniques to project information, financial transactions, schedules, risks, contracts, performance indicators, and management reports.

• Develop evidence-based audit findings and recommendations addressing root causes, financial implications, delivery consequences, governance weaknesses, and sustainable corrective actions.

• Establish effective follow-up and continuous assurance practices to monitor remediation, project recovery, benefits delivery, lessons learned, and improvements in project governance.

Comprehensive Course Outline

Module 1: Foundations of Project and Programme Auditing

• Principles, objectives, scope, methodologies, and professional responsibilities of project and programme auditing and assurance.

• Differences between project audits, programme audits, portfolio reviews, project assurance, and broader organisational assurance activities.

• Project and programme lifecycle stages and the audit considerations associated with initiation, planning, execution, transition, and closure.

• Common project audit risks involving governance, scope, cost, schedule, quality, resources, procurement, benefits, and delivery performance.

Module 2: Project and Programme Governance and Accountability

• Project governance structures, steering committees, project boards, PMOs, sponsors, project managers, and accountability arrangements.

• Decision rights, delegated authorities, escalation procedures, management oversight, governance reporting, and independent assurance responsibilities.

• Assessing governance policies, methodologies, stage gates, approval requirements, documentation standards, and control frameworks.

• Evaluating governance effectiveness where projects involve multiple departments, partners, contractors, donors, regulators, or external stakeholders.

Module 3: Project Risk Assessment and Audit Planning

• Identification and assessment of strategic, operational, financial, technical, commercial, compliance, reputational, and delivery risks.

• Risk-based selection of projects and programmes for audit based on value, complexity, strategic significance, risk exposure, and performance history.

• Developing project audit objectives, scope, criteria, procedures, sampling approaches, evidence requirements, and engagement timelines.

• Incorporating project risk registers, previous findings, management concerns, complaints, delays, cost pressures, and emerging issues into audit planning.

Module 4: Business Cases, Project Initiation and Strategic Alignment

• Auditing project business cases, feasibility assessments, investment rationales, strategic alignment, assumptions, options analysis, and expected outcomes.

• Evaluating project objectives, scope statements, success criteria, benefits assumptions, dependencies, constraints, and implementation strategies.

• Assessing project approvals, funding decisions, governance readiness, resource commitments, risk acceptance, and initiation documentation.

• Identifying weaknesses in business-case assumptions, unrealistic benefits, inadequate feasibility analysis, and insufficient consideration of delivery risks.

Module 5: Project Planning, Scope, Schedule and Resource Controls

• Auditing project plans, work breakdown structures, schedules, milestones, dependencies, critical paths, deliverables, and resource requirements.

• Assessing scope definition, requirements management, baseline controls, scope changes, acceptance criteria, and prevention of uncontrolled scope expansion.

• Evaluating resource planning covering staffing, skills, equipment, technology, facilities, specialist expertise, and resource utilisation.

• Analysing schedule performance, delays, bottlenecks, dependencies, missed milestones, recovery plans, and management responses to delivery slippage.

Module 6: Project Financial Management and Cost Auditing

• Auditing project budgets, cost estimates, expenditure, commitments, forecasts, contingencies, funding sources, and financial reporting.

• Evaluating cost controls, budget approvals, expenditure authorisation, financial reconciliations, variance analysis, and management reporting.

• Assessing cost overruns, under-spending, inaccurate forecasts, unsupported expenditure, budget reallocations, and financial exposure.

• Applying analytical techniques to identify unusual transactions, duplicate payments, unexplained variances, cost trends, and potential financial control weaknesses.

Module 7: Procurement, Contracts and Contractor Assurance

• Auditing project procurement planning, tendering, supplier selection, contract award, contract administration, and procurement compliance.

• Evaluating contractor performance against scope, milestones, quality standards, service levels, contractual obligations, and agreed deliverables.

• Assessing contract variations, extensions, claims, payment certificates, retention, penalties, guarantees, and commercial risks.

• Identifying procurement fraud, conflicts of interest, collusion, inadequate competition, weak supplier due diligence, and contractor performance failures.

Module 8: Project Controls, Quality and Change Management

• Evaluating integrated project controls covering scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk, resources, documentation, and performance reporting.

• Auditing change-control processes for scope changes, design modifications, budget adjustments, schedule revisions, and technical requirements.

• Assessing quality management plans, inspections, testing, acceptance procedures, non-conformance management, and corrective actions.

• Identifying weaknesses involving uncontrolled changes, inadequate approvals, repeated rework, quality failures, documentation gaps, and ineffective escalation.

Module 9: Project Performance Measurement and Data Analytics

• Developing and auditing project performance indicators covering cost, schedule, quality, deliverables, resources, risks, and stakeholder outcomes.

• Applying trend analysis, variance analysis, milestone testing, exception analysis, benchmarking, and other analytical techniques to project data.

• Using project dashboards, management information, earned value concepts, predictive indicators, and performance reporting to identify emerging problems.

• Assessing data quality, system integration, reporting accuracy, audit trails, information reliability, and management reliance on project performance data.

Module 10: Programme Management, Dependencies and Portfolio-Level Risks

• Auditing programme structures that coordinate multiple projects, strategic objectives, shared resources, dependencies, and interconnected deliverables.

• Evaluating programme-level risk aggregation, cross-project dependencies, cumulative financial exposure, resource conflicts, and delivery constraints.

• Assessing portfolio prioritisation, project selection, investment allocation, strategic alignment, and decisions to continue, modify, pause, or terminate initiatives.

• Identifying systemic risks that may remain hidden when projects are assessed individually rather than through an integrated programme or portfolio perspective.

Module 11: Benefits Realisation and Outcome Auditing

• Auditing benefits-management frameworks, benefit owners, baseline measures, target outcomes, timelines, dependencies, and accountability arrangements.

• Evaluating whether expected financial, operational, strategic, customer, service, or social benefits are being achieved and sustained.

• Assessing benefit tracking, outcome measurement, assumptions, dis-benefits, delayed benefits, and changes in the external or organisational environment.

• Identifying gaps between project outputs and intended outcomes and determining whether management has effective mechanisms for addressing benefits shortfalls.

Module 12: Fraud, Misconduct and Project Integrity Risks

• Common project fraud risks involving inflated costs, fictitious work, false claims, duplicate payments, manipulated progress reports, and procurement irregularities.

• Identifying conflicts of interest, bribery, collusion, contractor misconduct, unauthorised changes, falsified documentation, and management override.

• Applying document review, transaction analysis, site verification, interviews, data analytics, and evidence corroboration to investigate suspicious project activity.

• Developing appropriate responses to suspected fraud, including evidence preservation, escalation, investigation coordination, recovery, remediation, and control strengthening.

Module 13: Technology, Digital Projects and Cybersecurity Assurance

• Auditing technology projects, digital transformation programmes, systems implementations, cloud initiatives, automation projects, and technology-enabled change.

• Evaluating cybersecurity, access controls, data protection, system integration, testing, migration, business continuity, and technology implementation risks.

• Assessing artificial intelligence, automation, emerging technologies, algorithmic dependencies, data quality, model risks, and technology governance.

• Applying continuous auditing and technology-enabled assurance to monitor project transactions, system activity, milestones, controls, and emerging digital risks.

Module 14: Project Reporting, Audit Findings and Management Communication

• Evaluating project status reports, steering committee reports, risk reports, financial reports, milestone reports, and executive management information.

• Developing audit findings that clearly connect criteria, conditions, causes, consequences, risks, financial implications, and project delivery impacts.

• Communicating significant project weaknesses to project boards, programme committees, senior management, audit committees, and other stakeholders.

• Formulating practical recommendations that address root causes while remaining realistic, measurable, prioritised, and aligned with project delivery conditions.

Module 15: Project Recovery, Closure and Post-Implementation Assurance

• Auditing project recovery plans addressing critical delays, cost pressures, resource constraints, scope problems, quality failures, and governance weaknesses.

• Evaluating project closure procedures, final deliverables, financial reconciliation, outstanding commitments, documentation, asset handover, and lessons learned.

• Conducting post-implementation reviews to assess whether project outputs, outcomes, controls, benefits, and sustainability objectives have been achieved.

• Monitoring management actions, corrective measures, financial recovery, unresolved risks, benefits gaps, and lessons incorporated into future projects.

Module 16: Emerging Project Risks and Advanced Programme Assurance

• Emerging risks involving artificial intelligence, digital transformation, climate-related projects, geopolitical disruption, supply-chain instability, and complex delivery ecosystems.

• Auditing agile, hybrid, remote, distributed, public-private, outsourced, and multi-partner project delivery models with appropriate assurance approaches.

• Developing continuous project assurance using predictive analytics, real-time dashboards, automated controls, risk indicators, and integrated project data.

• Building future-ready project and programme audit strategies that strengthen resilience, benefits realisation, governance, accountability, and sustainable delivery performance.

Training Approach

This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.

Tailor-Made Course

This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com Tel: +254 721 331 808

Training Venue 

The training will be held at our Upskill Training Centre. We also offer training for a group (at a discount of 10% to 50%) at requested location all over the world. The Onsite course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, buffet lunch, airport transfers, Upskill gift package, and guided tour.

Visa application, travel expenses, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant

Certification

Participants will be issued with Upskill certificate upon completion of this course.

Airport Pickup and Accommodation

Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com, +254 721 331 808

Terms of Payment:

Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 3 working days before commencement of the training so as to enable us to prepare better.