An operational audit, typically conducted by an entity’s internal auditor or outsourced, focuses on enhancing internal controls, reducing costs, and minimizing irregularities. In addition to identifying procedural anomalies, the auditor is responsible for recommending strategies to address business weaknesses, enabling management to implement effective measures. Although not mandatory, operational audits help reduce social costs. If you want to assess and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of your operations, you can conduct an audit through your internal audit function or outsource it.

The primary users of an operational audit report are management, particularly process owners or line managers. Each process is audited individually to identify inefficiencies.