7DEC
7 - 11 Dec 2026Mon to Fri · 5 days
BarcelonaSpain · Classroom
£3,850per delegate2+ people: £3,080 each
Professional training course · AGRC-054
Root Cause Analysis for Auditors
Audit findings that describe only symptoms tend to recur. When auditors identify why a control failed or a problem occurred, their recommendations address the real cause…
- 5 daysClassroom
- 49Upcoming dates
- 12Cities
- £2,250Fees from
Course overview
Introduction
Audit findings that describe only symptoms tend to recur. When auditors identify why a control failed or a problem occurred, their recommendations address the real cause and deliver lasting improvement. Professional standards increasingly expect internal auditors to consider root causes, and audit committees value insight over lists of exceptions.
This Root Cause Analysis for Auditors training course equips auditors with practical techniques for moving beyond the condition to understand underlying causes. Participants learn structured methods such as the five whys, fishbone diagrams, fault trees and barrier analysis, along with ways to consider people, process, technology and cultural factors.
The course also shows how to gather evidence on causes, work collaboratively with auditees, write findings that explain cause and effect convincingly and identify themes across multiple audits.
Course Objectives
By the end of this training course, participants will be able to:
- Explain why root cause analysis improves audit value
- Distinguish condition, criteria, cause and effect in findings
- Apply the five whys and fishbone techniques
- Use fault tree and barrier analysis for complex issues
- Consider human, cultural and systemic causes
- Gather and validate evidence on causes
- Write findings with clear root causes and targeted recommendations
- Identify thematic root causes across audits
Target Audience
This training course is suitable for a wide range of professionals, including:
- Internal auditors at all levels
- Audit managers and team leaders
- Quality and compliance auditors
- Risk management professionals
- Investigators and inspection staff
- Process improvement specialists
Training Methodology
The course is practical and case-driven. Participants apply each technique to realistic audit scenarios, work in teams to analyse causes, practise interviewing for causes and rewrite sample findings. Group discussion explores the challenges of root cause analysis in real audit environments.
Target Competencies
- Structured cause analysis
- Evidence-based reasoning
- Cause-focused interviewing
- Finding writing
- Thematic analysis
- Collaborative problem solving
Course outline
-
1Day One: Why Root Causes Matter in Auditing
- The cost of recurring findings and superficial recommendations
- Professional expectations on root cause analysis
- The anatomy of an audit finding: condition, criteria, cause and effect
- Symptoms, contributing factors and root causes
- Planning root cause work within an audit
- Common barriers to effective root cause analysis
- Exercise: identifying causes in sample findings
-
2Day Two: Core Techniques
- The five whys technique and its limitations
- Fishbone diagrams and cause categories
- Process mapping to locate failure points
- Pareto analysis for prioritising causes
- Change analysis and comparison techniques
- Choosing the right technique for the issue
- Workshop: applying techniques to an audit case
-
3Day Three: Advanced and Human Factors Analysis
- Fault tree analysis for complex failures
- Barrier analysis and the layers of control
- Human error, workload and behavioural factors
- Culture, incentives and tone at the top as causes
- Systemic and organisational causes
- Avoiding blame and hindsight bias
- Case study: analysing a significant control breakdown
-
4Day Four: Gathering Evidence and Working with Auditees
- Interviewing techniques that uncover causes
- Using data analysis to test cause hypotheses
- Validating causes with process owners
- Facilitating root cause workshops with management
- Handling disagreement about causes
- Documenting root cause work in audit files
- Role play: a cause-focused interview with an auditee
-
5Day Five: Reporting and Thematic Insight
- Writing findings that explain cause and effect clearly
- Designing recommendations that address root causes
- Agreeing realistic management action plans
- Identifying themes across multiple audits
- Reporting thematic insights to audit committees
- Following up to confirm that causes have been addressed
- Personal action plan for applying root cause analysis
Schedule
Dates and fees
49 upcoming dates in 12 cities. Fees are per delegate; bring colleagues and every seat is discounted.
December 2026
BarcelonaSpain · Classroom
14DEC
14 - 18 Dec 2026Mon to Fri · 5 days
FrankfurtGermany · Classroom
£3,250per delegate2+ people: £2,600 each
21DEC
21 - 25 Dec 2026Mon to Fri · 5 days
LondonUnited Kingdom · Classroom
£4,200per delegate2+ people: £3,360 each
January 2027
4JAN
4 - 8 Jan 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
LondonUnited Kingdom · Classroom
£4,200per delegate2+ people: £3,360 each
11JAN
11 - 15 Jan 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
BarcelonaSpain · Classroom
£3,850per delegate2+ people: £3,080 each
18JAN
18 - 22 Jan 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
FrankfurtGermany · Classroom
£3,250per delegate2+ people: £2,600 each
25JAN
25 - 29 Jan 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
Kuala LumpurMalaysia · Classroom
£2,250per delegate2+ people: £1,800 each
February 2027
1FEB
1 - 5 Feb 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
MadridSpain · Classroom
£4,250per delegate2+ people: £3,400 each
8FEB
8 - 12 Feb 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
LondonUnited Kingdom · Classroom
£4,200per delegate2+ people: £3,360 each
15FEB
15 - 19 Feb 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
BarcelonaSpain · Classroom
£3,850per delegate2+ people: £3,080 each
22FEB
22 - 26 Feb 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
FrankfurtGermany · Classroom
£3,250per delegate2+ people: £2,600 each
March 2027
1MAR
1 - 5 Mar 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
FrankfurtGermany · Classroom
£3,250per delegate2+ people: £2,600 each
8MAR
8 - 12 Mar 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
MunichGermany · Classroom
£4,250per delegate2+ people: £3,400 each
15MAR
15 - 19 Mar 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
LondonUnited Kingdom · Classroom
£4,200per delegate2+ people: £3,360 each
22MAR
22 - 26 Mar 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
BarcelonaSpain · Classroom
£3,850per delegate2+ people: £3,080 each
April 2027
5APR
5 - 9 Apr 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
BarcelonaSpain · Classroom
£3,850per delegate2+ people: £3,080 each
12APR
12 - 16 Apr 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
FrankfurtGermany · Classroom
£3,250per delegate2+ people: £2,600 each
19APR
19 - 23 Apr 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
ParisFrance · Classroom
£4,500per delegate2+ people: £3,600 each
26APR
26 - 30 Apr 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
LondonUnited Kingdom · Classroom
£4,200per delegate2+ people: £3,360 each
May 2027
3MAY
3 - 7 May 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
LondonUnited Kingdom · Classroom
£4,200per delegate2+ people: £3,360 each
10MAY
10 - 14 May 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
BarcelonaSpain · Classroom
£3,850per delegate2+ people: £3,080 each
17MAY
17 - 21 May 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
FrankfurtGermany · Classroom
£3,250per delegate2+ people: £2,600 each
24MAY
24 - 28 May 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
RomeItaly · Classroom
£4,250per delegate2+ people: £3,400 each
June 2027
7JUN
7 - 11 Jun 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
BarcelonaSpain · Classroom
£3,850per delegate2+ people: £3,080 each
14JUN
14 - 18 Jun 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
FrankfurtGermany · Classroom
£3,250per delegate2+ people: £2,600 each
21JUN
21 - 25 Jun 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
LondonUnited Kingdom · Classroom
£4,200per delegate2+ people: £3,360 each
July 2027
5JUL
5 - 9 Jul 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
FrankfurtGermany · Classroom
£3,250per delegate2+ people: £2,600 each
12JUL
12 - 16 Jul 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
AmsterdamNetherlands · Classroom
£4,250per delegate2+ people: £3,400 each
19JUL
19 - 23 Jul 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
LondonUnited Kingdom · Classroom
£4,200per delegate2+ people: £3,360 each
26JUL
26 - 30 Jul 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
BarcelonaSpain · Classroom
£3,850per delegate2+ people: £3,080 each
August 2027
2AUG
2 - 6 Aug 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
BarcelonaSpain · Classroom
£3,850per delegate2+ people: £3,080 each
9AUG
9 - 13 Aug 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
FrankfurtGermany · Classroom
£3,250per delegate2+ people: £2,600 each
16AUG
16 - 20 Aug 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
Cape TownSouth Africa · Classroom
£2,840per delegate2+ people: £2,272 each
23AUG
23 - 27 Aug 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
LondonUnited Kingdom · Classroom
£4,200per delegate2+ people: £3,360 each
September 2027
6SEP
6 - 10 Sep 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
BarcelonaSpain · Classroom
£3,850per delegate2+ people: £3,080 each
13SEP
13 - 17 Sep 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
FrankfurtGermany · Classroom
£3,250per delegate2+ people: £2,600 each
20SEP
20 - 24 Sep 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
LondonUnited Kingdom · Classroom
£4,200per delegate2+ people: £3,360 each
October 2027
4OCT
4 - 8 Oct 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
GenevaSwitzerland · Classroom
£5,250per delegate2+ people: £4,200 each
11OCT
11 - 15 Oct 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
LondonUnited Kingdom · Classroom
£4,200per delegate2+ people: £3,360 each
18OCT
18 - 22 Oct 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
BarcelonaSpain · Classroom
£3,850per delegate2+ people: £3,080 each
25OCT
25 - 29 Oct 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
FrankfurtGermany · Classroom
£3,250per delegate2+ people: £2,600 each
November 2027
1NOV
1 - 5 Nov 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
FrankfurtGermany · Classroom
£3,250per delegate2+ people: £2,600 each
8NOV
8 - 12 Nov 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
IstanbulTurkey · Classroom
£2,850per delegate2+ people: £2,280 each
15NOV
15 - 19 Nov 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
LondonUnited Kingdom · Classroom
£4,200per delegate2+ people: £3,360 each
22NOV
22 - 26 Nov 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
BarcelonaSpain · Classroom
£3,850per delegate2+ people: £3,080 each
December 2027
6DEC
6 - 10 Dec 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
BarcelonaSpain · Classroom
£3,850per delegate2+ people: £3,080 each
13DEC
13 - 17 Dec 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
FrankfurtGermany · Classroom
£3,250per delegate2+ people: £2,600 each
20DEC
20 - 24 Dec 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
Kuala LumpurMalaysia · Classroom
£2,250per delegate2+ people: £1,800 each
27DEC
27 - 31 Dec 2027Mon to Fri · 5 days
LondonUnited Kingdom · Classroom
£4,200per delegate2+ people: £3,360 each
No dates in this city right now. Request a quotation and we will suggest the nearest date.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Root Cause Analysis for Auditors course?
The course runs over 5 days of classroom training, usually Monday to Friday.
When is the next Root Cause Analysis for Auditors course?
The next public date is 7 - 11 Dec 2026 in Barcelona. There are 49 upcoming dates in total.
Where is this course held?
Upcoming sessions run in Barcelona, Frankfurt, London, Kuala Lumpur, Madrid, Munich, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Cape Town, Geneva, Istanbul.
How much does the course cost?
Fees start from £2,250 per delegate, depending on the city. Fees include tuition and course materials.
Do participants receive a certificate?
Yes. Delegates who complete the course receive a London Leadership Management Innovation certificate of completion.
Can this course be delivered in-house for our team?
Yes. LLMI can tailor and deliver this course privately for your organisation at your premises or in one of our training cities.
Course information last updated 14 November 2026.
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