skip to main content
SAO Home/The Audit Connection Blog

The Audit Connection Blog

Results for: Washington state governments

Are you evaluating the risks to your federal programs? SAO has a new tool to get you started

April 14, 2022

Imagine you are planning an expensive Hawaiian vacation—your first in two years. One of the first things you check is whether any of the costs are refundable if something were to prevent you from going. When you learn you could lose your deposit if you pull out of the trip, you plan to buy trip insurance just to be safe. In other words, you’ve identified a risk and found a way to mitigate it.

… CONTINUE READING →

SAO debuts new training on cash handling internal controls and fraud prevention

April 6, 2022

Do you have cash handling responsibilities in your organization? A new online, on-demand training from the Center for Government Innovation will help you design good internal controls and understand common cash receipting fraud schemes. You’ll also learn how to develop cash handling best practices and the steps you should take if your organization experiences or suspects fraud.

… CONTINUE READING →

The power of a problem: Building a culture that values solving the right problem once

March 9, 2022

In our “Power of a Problem” series, we’ve talked about how to identify and define a problem, measure the problem, and break large and complex problems into manageable process improvement projects. At first glance, these steps may seem to require a lot of effort, but failing to solve the right problem can be costly for your government’s pocketbook and morale. If you are a leader in your organization, you have the ability to create a culture that emphasizes solving the right problems the first time and empower others to do the same.

… CONTINUE READING →

The power of a problem: Breaking big problems into manageable pieces

March 2, 2022

Last week’s entry in our Power of a Problem series focused on simple measurements to help you define the problem. But as we pointed out, the more you know, the more you might begin to see a bigger problem. This week, we’re going to share techniques that we, as Lean specialists, use to help local governments break big problems into manageable pieces.

… CONTINUE READING →

The power of a problem series: Using simple measurements to bring focus

February 23, 2022

Last week, we shared tips on how to define a problem with a host of open-ended, descriptive questions designed to gather the facts you need to make others aware of the problem in order to build momentum for solving it. In this post, we introduce another tool you can use to define a problem: simple measurements. These are measurements we, as Lean specialists, often suggest that local governments gather before we embark on a process improvement project.

… CONTINUE READING →

The power of a problem series: Defining the problem

February 16, 2022

Identifying the problem is only the first step, and quickly firing off ill-considered solutions can create even more problems. Now is the time to slow down, take stock, and lead with curiosity so you can fully define the problem and its effects. In this week’s post, we’re going to share the types of questions we, as Lean specialists, use to help local governments define a problem.

… CONTINUE READING →

The power of a problem series: Identifying the problem

February 10, 2022

Last week, we kicked off our power of a problem series by describing what can happen when we don’t take the time to properly identify the right problem from the start. This week, we’re going to share techniques that we, as Lean specialists, use to help local governments see how incidents that appear isolated may actually be connected and indicative of a systemic problem.

… CONTINUE READING →

Summary infographic of Washington’s 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report

February 8, 2022

Each year, as required by law, the state publishes its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) to provide information on the state’s financial position.
The ACFR is a complex and lengthy document (338 pages) with detailed information on the state’s structure, services, finances, trends and nonfinancial data. In short, the ACFR shows how the state manages the public money entrusted to it by Washington residents.

… CONTINUE READING →