Training Module

Auditing Risk & Opportunity Management

Assess whether risk and opportunity management credibly informs organisational decisions and priorities

Auditor in discussion with management in a professional office setting, representing auditing of risk and opportunity management, evaluation of risk-based decisions, and traceability between risks, controls, and objectives.

Does your audit go beyond checking the risk register to judging the quality of risk-based decisions?

In many organisations, risk-based thinking is documented but rarely influences decisions. This module develops the capability to test whether risks and opportunities credibly inform priorities, trade-offs, and operational choices.

Auditor in discussion with management in a professional office setting, representing auditing of risk and opportunity management, evaluation of risk-based decisions, and traceability between risks, controls, and objectives.

Does your audit go beyond checking the risk register to judging the quality of risk-based decisions?

In many organisations, risk-based thinking is documented but rarely influences decisions. This module develops the capability to test whether risks and opportunities credibly inform priorities, trade-offs, and operational choices.

Auditor in discussion with management in a professional office setting, representing auditing of risk and opportunity management, evaluation of risk-based decisions, and traceability between risks, controls, and objectives.

Overview

ISO management system standards require organisations to consider risks and opportunities when planning and operating their systems. In practice, many organisations maintain risk registers and periodic updates while links to decisions, priorities, and resource allocation remain weak.

This module develops the capability to audit whether risk and opportunity management meaningfully influences organisational decisions. Participants first review the core concepts of risk and opportunity management across management system standards and then learn how auditors test completeness, traceability, and credibility of risk-based decisions using operational evidence.

Applicable environments

This module is intended for auditors working with organisations operating a management system based on an ISO standard following the high-level structure such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22301, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27701 or ISO/IEC 42001. It focuses on requirements shared by these ISO standards.

Target audience

  • Aspiring auditors who want to audit management systems following best practices

  • Practising management system auditors who want to strengthen their audit knowledge, judgement, and effectiveness

Decision support

Is this module for you?

Agenda

  • Foundations of risk and opportunity management in management systems

  • What effective auditing of risk and opportunity management looks like

  • Testing completeness of risk and opportunity identification

  • Building and testing the audit evidence trail

  • Detecting consistency gaps and false assurance patterns

  • Judging the credibility of risk-based decisions

  • Case-based audit simulation

Show detailed agenda...

Learning outcomes

Key outcomes

  • Assess whether risk and opportunity identification is complete and appropriate for the organisational context and audit scope

  • Trace risks and opportunities from context inputs to actions, decisions, and operational evidence

  • Judge whether risk and opportunity management credibly informs organisational priorities and decisions

Additional capabilities

  • Identify common failure patterns such as “paper risk management”, convenience-driven scoping, and unmanaged risk acceptance

  • Detect inconsistencies between risk registers, actions, decisions, and operational evidence

  • Select meaningful sampling targets when auditing risk and opportunity management

  • Formulate clear audit conclusions on the credibility and decision relevance of risks and opportunities

Materials

Learning materials

  • Slide deck

  • Participant workbook

Templates & tools

Practical, reusable artefacts to apply the module directly to your organisation.

  • Audit interview planning tool

  • Documented information checklist

  • Sampling tool

  • Audit analysis worksheets

  • Failure pattern library

  • Supporting AI prompt set

Confirmation

  • Certificate of completion

Module ID

HAM-AG-A-03

ISO standard

Standard clause

6: Planning

Domains

Target audience

Public delivery

Live virtual

Duration

7 h

List price

CHF 550

Excl. VAT. VAT may apply depending on customer location and status.

Delivery

Live virtual delivery

This module is delivered live online and combines conceptual framing, discussion, case work and direct interaction with the instructor.

A public cohort is currently not scheduled. If you register your interest, we will notify you when a new public cohort is scheduled or suitable delivery options become available.

Custom delivery options

For organisations with specific constraints or learning objectives, the module can be adapted in format or scope, including in-house delivery and contextualised case material.

Not sure if this module is right for you?

Send a short message and describe your context.

Not sure if this module is right for you?

Send a short message and describe your context.

For an optimal learning experience

Prerequisites & preparation

This module is designed as part of a modular training approach. Topics are deliberately distributed across modules and are not repeated in full, in order to avoid unnecessary redundancy. Each module is self-contained and can be taken on its own. Where prior knowledge or experience is helpful, this is indicated below so you can decide whether any preparation is useful for you.

Assumed background

This module assumes participants can perform basic audit activities and apply evidence-based judgement.

Helpful background includes:

  • General understanding of management systems and organisational structures

  • Ability to follow audit trails using documented information and operational evidence

  • Basic familiarity with how organisations document risks, actions, and decisions

Preparatory modules

Foundational modules (depending on background)

Useful if you are new to the underlying concepts or want a shared baseline before attending this module.

Audit Principles

Apply evidence-based audit reasoning, materiality-focused prioritisation and structured audit test planning

7 h

Audit Principles

Apply evidence-based audit reasoning, materiality-focused prioritisation and structured audit test planning

7 h

Supporting modules (optional)

Helpful if you want to deepen related skills, but not required to participate effectively.

Audit Communication & Interviewing

Plan and conduct effective audit interviews, use structured questioning, and guide conversations to obtain reliable audit evidence

7 h

Audit Communication & Interviewing

Plan and conduct effective audit interviews, use structured questioning, and guide conversations to obtain reliable audit evidence

7 h

Audit Reporting & Follow-up

Formulate evidence-based audit findings, structure clear audit reports, and verify the effective closure of agreed actions

7 h

Audit Reporting & Follow-up

Formulate evidence-based audit findings, structure clear audit reports, and verify the effective closure of agreed actions

7 h

Risk Management

Build the capability to surface, structure and act on risk while action is still possible

16 h

Risk Management

Build the capability to surface, structure and act on risk while action is still possible

16 h

Continuous learning

Follow-up modules

After completion of this module, the following modules are ideal to further deepen your competence. If you are looking for a structured learning path, modules can also be taken as part of a professional track.

Continuous learning

Follow-up modules

After completion of this module, the following modules are ideal to further deepen your competence. If you are looking for a structured learning path, modules can also be taken as part of a professional track.

Office scene with people standing, walking and sitting

Ready to improve your management systems?

We support continuous improvement by embedding ISO requirements into everyday practice and daily operations.

Office scene with people standing, walking and sitting

Ready to improve your management systems?

We support continuous improvement by embedding ISO requirements into everyday practice and daily operations.

Office scene with people standing, walking and sitting

Ready to improve your management systems?

We support continuous improvement by embedding ISO requirements into everyday practice and daily operations.