APIPA 2014 Conference Courses

Plenary Sessions

Island Government Pensions and Other Post-employment Benefits: It’s Time to Ship your Pants

(Frank Crawford, 4 Hours, Monday Morning)

This session will take an in-depth look at both the current and future projected status of the insular governments’ individual and collective pension and other post-employment benefit plans as they are currently structured. Recent GASB standards and exposure drafts are mandating a number of significant changes to the accounting and financial reporting rules for both government pension plans and the employers that participate in such plans. In addition to looking at the current and future projected status of each islands’ plans, we will brainstorm for solutions to the issues faced.

[top]

Leadership Island Style

(Glenn Furuya, 4 Hours, Friday Afternoon)

This one-of-a-kind half-day workshop will demonstrate why “island” people are hard-wired for leadership and provide practical and memorable protocols, tools and metaphors to boost teamwork and deliver world-class service, "island style."

Designed for all levels of leadership and drawing from Eastern, Western and Polynesian values and principles, participants will discover:

  • The importance of developing a three-way blended culture in today’s global economy.
  • How understanding and practicing the true meaning of “Aloha” can enhance your business relationships.
  • How to provide unsurpassed quality to your customers.
  • What the two core characteristics are that every team player must exhibit.
  • The key ingredient all individuals must include in serving others.
  • How to increase productivity with limited resources.
  • How to thrive during times of difficulty or uncertainty.
  • What every leader must ultimately aim to achieve.
  • [top]

Audit Track

Writing Tools for Auditors

(Kevin Dungey, 12 Hours, Monday Afternoon and Tuesday)

This course provides a complete, systematic process for ensuring useful and readable reports and for writing and self-reviewing reports. It develops a common language based on the concept of a deductive structure and ultimately a set of writing tools participants can use to write more clearly and efficiently. It includes thinking and organizing techniques (using objectives to guide work; the four elements as a critical thinking process), instruction in effective organization, paragraph and sentence-level skills, and review of grammar and punctuation. The writing tools offered in this course are based on research-proven techniques, protocol analysis (a process that discloses how readers actually read documents), and conclusive readability studies of the past several years. In creating a practical strategy for training writers, this course teaches participants to improve the usefulness and readability of the audit report, make the reporting and reviewing processes more efficient, and strengthen individual writing skills. This course is foundational and especially appropriate for newer staff or as a thorough, systematic review for more experienced staff

[top]

Basic Auditing Standards Update: Why We Do the Things We Do

(Frank Crawford, 8 Hours, Wednesday)

In this all-day session, we will take closer looks at the auditing standards that all auditors must live by. We will start with a discussion of AICPA audit standards, also known as the Clarity Standards, and then take a closer look at the requirements of Government Auditing Standards, also known as the Yellow Book. We will then discuss OMB Circular A-133 requirements, also known as the Single Audit Act, which will not only review current Single Audit Act requirements, but also the revisions to the Act that will be in effect in 2016.

[top]

Developing Performance Audit Findings

(Betsy Cohn, 12 Hours, Thursday and Friday morning)

The key to reporting the results of performance audits is to formulate the report message from the audit data: that message is the audit finding. In this course, you will gain hands-on practice in marshaling the evidence from your audit into findings that answer the audit objectives. You will learn how to present the details of evidence in an understandable and convincing manner. Using case exercises, you will learn to develop findings for compliance, process and control, accomplishment, and impact audits. This course will enable you to:

  • Explain the central role of effective audit objectives in finding development
  • Define the role of performance aspects in audit findings
  • Describe two finding paradigms used in performance auditing and the elements they contain
  • Outline a finding and prepare a synopsis summarizing the audit results in response to the audit objectives
  • Apply the Government Auditing Standards in the development of audit findings.
[top]

Audit Supervisory Track

Managing the Audit Engagement

(Betsy Cohn, 12 Hours, Monday Afternoon and Tuesday)

Improve your effectiveness as a supervisor in leading the audit selection, survey, and planning phases of a performance audit. Understand the purpose, tasks, and end products of each phase. Apply project management conferencing techniques in making requisite decisions in each phase. You will learn how to

  • Use each phase of the audit process to contribute to successful finding development
  • Make appropriate decisions at each phase
  • Use well-stated objectives to form the basis for field work, for reporting, and for monitoring the ongoing conduct of the audit
  • Define the purpose and product of a conference at the survey, planning, field work verification, and reporting phases.
[top]

Managing Audit Report Writing

(Kevin Dungey, 8 Hours, Wednesday)

This course helps managers focus on how to review the writing of others, coach them to be better writers, and move teams toward message agreement without taking over the process. The overall objective is to understand the strategies for guiding teams proactively via message development towards message agreement among themselves and with key stakeholders. It emphasizes strategies for setting priorities in what to look for in other people’s writing, for reviewing effectively and efficiently so that writers (as opposed to managers) become responsible for improving documents. The course suggests the kind of changes that will add value to documents and at the same time train writers. The course emphasizes adjusting review to where the document is in the audit cycle and building quality into the document as the audit field work is performed.

[top]

A Day in the Life of an Effective Supervisor

(Glenn Furuya, 12 Hours, Thursday and Friday Morning)

An engaging leadership workshop packed with practical tools and skills to empower your people, optimize your systems and enhance performance.

You will learn how to:

  • Do an effective briefing
  • Start your day on the right foot
  • Effectively delegate
  • Communicate with clarity and completeness
  • Avoid failing as a leader
  • Ensure extraordinary customer service
  • Handle team members who fail to meet performance expectations or behave inappropriately
  • Develop peak performers
  • Prevent problems from reoccurring
  • Praise positive behaviors and performance
  • How to listen and resolve customer complaints
[top]

Finance Track

Performeter Updates

(Frank Crawford, 4 Hours, Monday Afternoon)

Earlier this year, for the first time in recent memory, all governments were current with their audited financial statement issuances for FY 2012 audited financial statements, which also included the first time issuance of a CAFR by one of the insular governments. With the 2012 audited financial statements in hand, Performeter scores have been updated, and this session will take a closer look at the results. Which governments’ scores went up, who when down, and more importantly, why did the scores change? A can’t miss session if you’re interested in the annual fiscal health and success of your government.

[top]

GASB Update: Wait, There’s More?

(Frank Crawford, 8 Hours, Wednesday)

This session, for those in the advanced finance track, will take a look at other GASB proposals and projects that are currently on the table, including Financial Accounting and Reporting for Non-exchange Financial Guarantees (Statement 70), and Government Combinations (Statement 69), and even preliminary discussions on a new financial reporting model. We will also take a look at some recently issued Concept Statements and Exposure drafts that have been recently issued. A warning though---this day has the potential to be considered the longest day of your life! How’s that for enticing?

[top]
[top]

Governmental Accounting for the Faint of Heart

(Jeanne Yamamura, 20 Hours, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Moorning)

This active 2½ day course provides a beginner’s level introduction to accounting and financial reporting for governmental entities. Participants will gain a working knowledge of fund types and categories and learn how to record routine transactions for governmental activities. Internal controls as they apply to the accounting cycle and good accounting practice will be emphasized throughout the course. The session emphasizes hands-on practice in the accounting cycle process, from recording a transaction to preparing financial statements. Participants will leave the course with a more complete understanding of accounting terminology, the recording process, the role played by reconciliations, and the preparation of financial statements. No advance accounting knowledge is necessary.

[top]

Advanced Finance Track

Performeter Updates

(Frank Crawford, 4 Hours, Monday Afternoon)

Earlier this year, for the first time in recent memory, all governments were current with their audited financial statement issuances for FY 2012 audited financial statements, which also included the first time issuance of a CAFR by one of the insular governments. With the 2012 audited financial statements in hand, Performeter scores have been updated, and this session will take a closer look at the results. Which governments’ scores went up, who when down, and more importantly, why did the scores change? A can’t miss session if you’re interested in the annual fiscal health and success of your government.

[top]

COSO 2013: New and Improved!

(Jeanne Yamamura, 8 Hours, Tuesday)

The original COSO Integrated Internal Control Framework was issued in 1992. While the Framework has become one of (if not, THE) leading guides for internal control assessment, much has changed since it was created. In the 1990’s, electronic data transmission was limited, smartphones had not yet appeared, and Quickbooks was just being launched. In COSO 2013, the Committee has attempted to address the numerous operating, regulatory, and globalization changes affecting organizations today. This workshop will provide a review of the changes and an opportunity to begin preparation for the transition to COSO 2013 in your organization.

[top]

The New OMB Omni-Circular and its Impact on the Grant Community

(Chuck Hester, 8 Hours, Wednesday)

Grants management reform is here! And you need to begin now to adjust your procedures to shift their focus from “process” to “performance.” On December 26, 2013, Office of Management Budget issued a new set of regulations covering federal grants. The document has been dubbed “the Omni-Circular” because it revised virtually all of the general grant regulations: the administrative rules, the cost principles, and the Single Audit requirements. Those new rules will go into effect after Christmas 2014. All persons who deal with federal grants will need to be aware and be ready for the coming changes.

  • The federal shift from compliance to performance
  • New focus on risk
  • New time and effort certification
  • New rules on procurement
  • Written controls on cash management and allowability
  • New rules on travel, meals, and conferences
  • New controls on computers
  • Conflicts/fraud/gratuity rules
  • Administrative costs/Indirect costs
  • New rules on audits/monitoring
  • Changes to close-out/management decisions
  • OMB & COFAR plans for the future

The course is directed towards all levels (basic/intermediate/advanced) of accountants, auditors, and finance officials responsible for federal grants management.

[top]

Developing Critical Thinking Skills

(Kevin Dungey, 12 Hours, Thursday Afternoon and Friday Morning)

Critical to a successful audit process is the ability to put a convincing argument together (using a neutral, fact-based tone) and to think critically about that argument and the evidence that supports it. By concentrating on the four elements of a finding and the types of evidence available (testimonial, physical, and documentary), this course helps participants practice the skills necessary to producing a persuasive audit report.

[top]