Strategic plan
This strategic plan is intended to:
- Provide clear focus areas and a roadmap for the Governing Council and the secretariat, in this strategic cycle; and
- Provide clarity to all relevant stakeholders on how the Governing Council of AFIIA intends to fulfil AFIIA’s mission.
The plan was created with the current enablers and challenges borne in mind.
The plan includes:
- Strategic objectives, which are long-ranged focus and aligned with the Constitution of AFIIA;
- Tactical strategies, which are medium-term focus and will be revised periodically;
- Resources, information needed and dependencies, which are those elements that in their absence either hinder or enable the delivery of the tactical strategies;
- Impact and benefits to member institutes, which are intended to ensure that there is focus on whether each tactical strategy will have the desired effect;
- Success indicators and measurement tools, which outline what would be considered success in the implementation of tactical strategies and how that would be measured;
- Targets, target dates and champions, which is intended to ensure that there is clarity around what should be achieved, by when and by whom;
Goal 1
Goal 2
Goal 3
Goal 4Strategic objective
To assist in the development of strong, well-recognised and self-sufficient institutes, under the IIA banner, in each of the countries on the continent
Description
- Most of the institutes on the continent are relatively small, both in membership numbers and secretariats. This makes it difficult for the institutes to promote the profession to the degree they should as well as provide all of the core services their members need.
- The stronger the institutes are in their respective countries, the stronger the profession will be in country, and collectively that contributes to a stronger profession on the continent.
Tactical strategies
- Engage leaders of institutes in formation and registered institutes to identify avenues for AFIIA’s intervention and cooperation.
- These interventions could include forums hosted by AFIIA, or jointly hosted with the local institute, in those countries in order to boost access to quality services for internal auditors in those countries
- Host the Leadership Academy attached to the AFIIA conference to help develop strong association leaders
Resources and information needed/Dependencies
- Determine what the IIA Global’s strategy is for institute development to avoid duplication of effort.
- Build a database of individuals and organisations that are able to train association leaders. (Mitigate against over-reliance on the IIA Global as their resources are finite and must be spread across all regions.)
- Source funding for association leadership training, e.g. sponsorships from service providers that target associations.
- Explore an alliance with the Association of Association Executives.
- Build a database of mentors that can be drawn from when mentorship is required.
- Establish criteria and procedures for mentorship interventions.
- Liaise with the IIA Global for access to reports from its annual Activity Reporting process
- Liaise with the IIA Global for early signs of African institute’s failing
- Develop M&E system to track governance and operational maturities of African institutes and devise mechanism for timely intervention by AFIIA in resolving existing and emerging conflicts.
- Create an account with an online video conference call facility that can be used for online training of institute leaders and trainers, as well as mentorship sessions where appropriate. (The only real challenge is bandwidth in some areas, but steadily diminishing).
- Identify the institutes that would be willing to participate in an exchange programs or study tours
- Identify volunteers who are capable and willing to develop a train the trainer program or identify a program that is already developed and available at a reasonable cost
- Database must be accessible to all institutes.
- Determine whether any of the institutes already has a Board induction program that could be repurposed by AFIIA
Impact/benefit to member institutes
- Acceleration of growth in countries where the local institute is too weak to provide services or where internal auditors are in need of assistance in the establishment of a viable institute.
- Stronger leadership would contribute to stronger institutes.
- A collection of countries with strong internal auditors would culminate into a profession that is well-recognised on the continent and acting as a strong pillar of governance.
Success indicators and measurement tools
- Number of timely interventions to assist institutes in formation and institutes in need of AFIIA’s assistance.
- Satisfaction rating
- Number of institutes utilising the Academy to train their leaders
- Satisfaction rating from leaders attending the Leadership Academy interventions
- Membership growth at institute level. (IIA Global report)
- Number of institutes that are financially sustainable. (IIA Global report)
- Number of institutes that are meeting the basic needs of their members at grassroots level. (IIA Global report)
- Number of newly affiliated and emerging institutes capable of organizing and delivering quality services to members (e.g. conferences, seminars, workshops, member networking events, and general office management/ administration).
- Number of mentorship interventions in relation to mentorship needs
- Procedures manual developed. This should include what is needed to kick start a mentorship intervention, identifying what potential costs may be incurred and how the costs will be covered/re-covered, how mentors would be selected to ensure a good fit and duration of mentorship interventions.
- Number of timely interventions
- Utilisation of the online video conference facility and satisfaction rate
- Number of exchange programs and study tours
- Number of institutes using the train the trainer program
- Number of institutes ensuring that all of their Board members go through the Board induction program
Targets, target dates and Champions
- All interventions identified that fall within the ambit of AFIIA are addressed timeously.
- 100% of institutes and institutes in formation happy with AFIIA’s interventions.
- 100% of member institutes utilising the Academy by 2022
- 80% satisfaction rating from institute leaders by 2021
- All institutes seeing an annual membership growth of at least 5%
- At least 85% of institutes financially sustainable
- At 85% of institutes able to meet the basic needs of their members
- At least 40% of newly affiliated and emerging institute capable of delivering quality services to members
- All institutes in need of mentorship accommodated
- Procedures manual developed by end of 2020
- All existing and emerging conflicts resolved
- 100% of the institutes using the facility
- At least an 80% satisfaction rate
- At least 5 a year
- At least 50% of the institutes using the program to develop their own trainers
- 100% of institute Board members going through the induction program when joining he local Board
Strategic objective
To promote Internal audit to be recognised as an indispensable profession by key stakeholders on the continent
Description
- The profession enjoys differing levels of credibility on the continent. While the institutes should all have a stakeholder management plan for their in-country advocacy efforts, AFIIA should engage with regional bodies and promote the profession at that level. This should result in the individual member institutes benefiting in the process. E.g. an engagement with AFROSAI, should ensure a consistent message regarding internal audit among Auditors-General and assist institutes in strengthening their relationships with their local Auditor-General
Tactical strategies
- Engage with key regional stakeholders to promote the profession.
- Build strategic alliances where there are synergies, i.e. equivalent bodies in the governance sphere such as risk managers, directors and fraud examiners
Resources and information needed/Dependencies
- Create a stakeholder management plan for AFIIA
- Identify the key regional stakeholders such as AFROSAI, ESAAG, NEPAD, UMA, COMESA, CEN-SAD, EAC, ECCAS, ECOWAS, IGAD, SADC and the AU as well as the appropriate individuals in those organisations to engage with
- Create a communication plan and ensure consistent co-ordinated messaging, through the local institutes to key stakeholders in their countries, which may have a regional influence
- Identify key messages that should be disseminated through the local institutes that will have a regional impact if disseminated concurrently and consistently
- Engage with other IIA regional bodies with the objective to learn from their regional advocacy experiences
- Identify other regional bodies or alliances in the association space – particular those relevant to the governance sphere
Impact/benefit to member institutes
Local institutes would benefit from a strong regional voice that is able to influence the views that relevant stakeholders have of internal audit on a continental level
- A consistent message to key regional stakeholders would culminate in those messages filtering down to the key stakeholders within the local institute’s territory
Success indicators and measurement tools
- Number of meaningful engagements with key regional bodies
- Number of MoUs in place
- Number of co-ordinated messages disseminated
- Number of institutes partaking in disseminating co-ordinated messages
- Number of engagements with other IIA regional bodies
- Number of engagements with equivalent bodies in the governance sphere
- Number of MoUs with equivalent bodies in the governance sphere
Targets, target dates and Champions
- At least 5 meaningful engagements a year
- At least 2 MoUs signed each year
- At least 4 co-ordinated messages disseminated per year
- At least 70% of member institutes participating in disseminating co-ordinated messages.
- At least 2 engagements a year with other IIA regional bodies
- At least 2 engagements a year
- At least 2 MoUs in place by the end of 2020
Strategic objective
Facilitate collaboration and joint projects among member institutes that would benefit all African IIA institutes
Description
- Currently the institutes are mostly operating in isolation with no concerted effort to leverage off individual institutes’ projects and eliminate unnecessary duplication of effort.
Tactical strategies
- Increase collaboration opportunities among institutes
- Facilitate a process of sharing continent relevant information, products and services among member institutes (e.g. media articles created by one institute that is relevant to others on the continent, could be repurposed for release in other countries, thus leveraging in such a manner that the profession can benefit)
- Facilitate a process of sharing continent relevant information, products and services among member institutes (e.g. media articles created by one institute that is relevant to others on the continent, could be repurposed for release in other countries, thus leveraging in such a manner that the profession can benefit)
- Pairing of institutes where smaller institutes can leverage off resources of bigger institutes, e.g. providing QARs or training under the banner of the smaller institute in partnership with the bigger institute
- Create an online forum for institute CEOs and top administrators to share and learn from each other. This could be led by the Executive Secretary of AFIIA or by institute CEOs on a rotational basis
Resources and information needed/Dependencies
- Identify key projects where institutes can work together and share costs, e.g. the development of an app for events
- Gather information on the key projects institutes are already working on
- Identify centres of excellence that can drive joint projects
- Establish communication protocol between AFIIA secretariat and members institutes
Impact/benefit to member institutes
Eliminating duplication of effort allows for better utilisation of funds at local level.
Institutes can learn from each other and grow faster
Success indicators and measurement tools
- Number of projects where institutes worked together and shared costs
- Number of products and services shared
- Number of institutes paired
- Number of CEO/top administrators participating in the forum
- Satisfaction rating
Targets, target dates and Champions
- At least 5 projects a year
- At least 25% of institutes benefiting from products and services shared
- At least 10 smaller institutes benefiting from a pairing arrangement
- At least 50% of the institutes’ CEO/top administrators participating
- At least 80% of those participating satisfied
Strategic objective
Ensure the long-term sustainability of AFIIA
Description
In order to execute its mandate, AFIIA needs to remain sustainable. This includes, inter alia, its financial stability, a strong secretariat, relevance, reputation and impact.
Tactical strategies
- Attract and retain African Institutes who actively participate in the affairs of AFIIA
- Promote active volunteerism and ethical leadership
- Ensure sound governance structures are in place and governance principles are adhered to
- Ensure that the African voice is strong and well represented in the IIA Global forums
- Ensure that AFIIA has a strong secretariat that is able to support the execution of its strategy.
- Ensure sustainable income streams that fund the strategy and the continued existence of a strong secretariat, e.g. fees collected from member institutes, donations and sponsorships
- Flagship event is the annual AFIIA conference with a threefold objective:
- To provide a platform for African internal auditors to gather and learn from each other, but in particular find solutions for Africa specific challenges.
- To ensure access to a high quality conference to African internal auditors, that is especially accessible for internal auditors in countries where the local institute does not have the capacity to host a high quality national conference
- To contribute to AFIIA’s coffers
- Each year develop a business plan with costing which informs the fee to be presented to institutes at the General Assembly for approval
Resources and information needed/Dependencies
- Develop a value proposition that member institutes will buy into.
- Identify areas that may create division among institutes beyond language differences in order to find bridges.
- Create a database of volunteers
- Encourage member institutes to cultivate a culture of volunteerism
- Develop and implement effective succession plan for the AFIIA secretariat and governing council
- Develop and approve schedule of regular oversight meetings
- Develop and implement AFIIA’s performance management guidelines
- Effectively monitor and evaluate implementation of all strategic initiatives outlined in this document
- Encourage member institutes to nominate and support individuals to serve in the IIA Global structures
- Co-ordinate internal processes to identify and find consensus around the key areas where there is a need for a united African voice in the IIA Global structures and determine the best means of articulating that message as a unified voice.
- Determine what capacity is needed in order to execute the AFIIA strategy
- Determine the capacity needed in relation to what can be done by member institutes or volunteers.
- Determine how the secretariat’s capacity will be increased, and sustainably so, in line with the tactical strategies that need to be implemented and the timelines determined for implementation
- Determine the cost of the expansion of the secretariat
- Buy-in from member institutes on the fee structure. Identify the level of affordability
- Identify potential donors and develop a value proposition with which they can be approached
- Create a database of reliable sponsors that can be approached for specific projects
- Reconsider the AFIIA conference model to include technology to reach a bigger audience
- Ensure a fair balance between what AFIIA earns and what the local institute earns through the AFIIA conference.
- Ensure strong governance principles are in place around the AFIIA conference.
- Determine which aspects of the tactical strategies will be focused on during the year
Impact/benefit to member institutes
A strong AFIIA is in a position to execute the strategic objectives that are aimed at benefitting the member institutes.
In executing its mandate it helps to enhance and protect the interest of the member institutes as well as protect the interest of the public
Success indicators and measurement tools
- Number of institutes that are active members of AFIIA
- Number of volunteers participating in the AFIIA activities and interventions
- Number of governance principles adhered to
- Percentage of strategic plan targets met
- Number of Africans participating the IIA Global structures
- Number of key areas addressed within the IIA Global structures
- Number of tactical strategies the secretariat has been able to implement
- Number of sustainable income streams
- Percentage of strategic initiatives funded
- Number of AFIIA conference attendees
- Percentage of individuals attending from countries where there are no local conferences hosted by the institute
- Satisfaction rating
- Surplus contributing to AFIIA coffers
- Approval of the membership fee
Targets, target dates and Champions
- 100 of institutes on the continent active members of AFIIA
- At least 20 volunteers a year participating
- 100% of governance principles adhered to
- At least 90% of targets met
- At least 20 Africans participating annually
- At least 80% of key areas identified addressed within the IIA Global structures
- At least 70% of the key tactical strategies implemented
- At least 5 sustainable income streams
- At least 80% of initiatives funded
- At least 10% growth in attendees year on year
- At least 50% of attendees are individuals who would otherwise not have been exposed to an internal audit conference
- At least 80% satisfaction rating from conference attendees
- Conference surplus able to fund at least 40% of AFIIA’s activities
- At least 80% of the member institutes in favour of the fee
