Dispatches
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04

Athena starters for audit and assurance

Sample testing, work papers, client risk monitoring, and reporting. 10 starters, 4 of which run on a schedule. Each shows what it needs, what it delivers, and the full prompt to copy.

Athena Library

Athena starters for audit and assurance are 10 ready-made prompts grouped into Fieldwork, Risk monitoring and Reporting. 4 run on a schedule: Athena runs them once, delivers a spreadsheet, PowerPoint deck and Word document, emails them to you, and repeats on the cadence you pick. None need a connected app.

FIG. 01 / AUDIT AND ASSURANCEFIELDWORKSample testingWork paper from client dataPBC request listRemuneration report reviewRISK MONITORINGClient risk monitorSCHEDAccounting standards updateSCHEDIndustry risk briefSCHEDREPORTINGEngagement status updateSCHEDFindings memoAudit committee packFIG. 01 / AUDIT AND ASSURANCEFIELDWORKSample testingWork paper from client dataPBC request listRemuneration report reviewRISK MONITORINGClient risk monitorSCHEDAccounting standards updateSCHEDIndustry risk briefSCHEDREPORTINGEngagement status updateSCHEDFindings memoAudit committee pack
FIG. 01The audit and assurance starters by group. SCHED marks a starter that runs on a schedule; each has its own page.
Contents
  1. 01Fieldwork
  2. 02Risk monitoring
  3. 03Reporting
  4. 04Why run it in Athena
  5. 05For your team
  6. 06Related dispatches
  7. 07Questions teams ask

01Fieldwork

Sample testing

Each sample tested against its support, exceptions first.

Setup
No setup needed
Runs
When you ask
Outputs
spreadsheet
SheetNo setup needed
Show the prompt
Test these samples against their support: [attach the sample list and the support documents]. For each sample, check amount, date, approval, and account against the support, record pass or exception with the evidence reference, and summarize exceptions at the top. One row per sample in a spreadsheet.
Open in Athena

Opens a new Athena chat with this prompt ready to send. If you're not signed in, you'll sign in first and land in the same chat.

Work paper from client data

Objective, procedure, results, and conclusion.

Setup
No setup needed
Runs
When you ask
Outputs
spreadsheet, Word document
SheetDocNo setup needed
Show the prompt
Build a work paper from this client data: [attach the extract]. State the objective and procedure, run the analysis, document the results and exceptions, and conclude. Put the analysis in a spreadsheet and the work paper in a Word document that references it.
Open in Athena

Opens a new Athena chat with this prompt ready to send. If you're not signed in, you'll sign in first and land in the same chat.

PBC request list

What to ask the client for, by area and due date.

Setup
No setup needed
Runs
When you ask
Outputs
spreadsheet
SheetNo setup needed
Show the prompt
Draft a PBC (provided by client) request list for a [type] audit of a [industry] company in a spreadsheet: item, description, client owner, due date, and the audit area it supports.
Open in Athena

Opens a new Athena chat with this prompt ready to send. If you're not signed in, you'll sign in first and land in the same chat.

Remuneration report review

Disclosures checked and the single-figure table recomputed.

Setup
No setup needed
Runs
When you ask
Outputs
An answer in chat
No setup needed
Show the prompt
Review the directors' remuneration report in this annual report: [attach]. Check the disclosures against [the rules that apply, for example the UK Companies Act regulations], recompute the single-figure table, and list every gap or inconsistency with the page reference.
Open in Athena

Opens a new Athena chat with this prompt ready to send. If you're not signed in, you'll sign in first and land in the same chat.

02Risk monitoring

Client risk monitor

Going-concern, litigation, and leadership signals per client. See how it runs →

Setup
No setup needed
Runs
Every weekday at 7am, weekly on Mondays at 7am, or monthly on the 1st
Outputs
spreadsheet, PowerPoint deck, Word document; emailed to you after every run
Runs on a scheduleSheetDeckDocNo setup needed
Show the prompt
Run a risk monitor on the audit clients I name. Ask me for the list. For each, cover the last 30 days: going-concern signals, litigation, restatements, leadership or auditor changes, credit and covenant news, and regulator actions. Rate the change in risk and cite every item. Deliver three files in my company's brand. If I have Word, PowerPoint, or Excel templates in Athena, ask once which to use and build every file from them, keeping their layouts, styles, and formulas. For the brand, use my company's design system if one exists. Otherwise find my company's website (search the web if you are not sure of the domain), run design_system_retriever on it to get the real logo, colors, and fonts, and save the result with create_design_system so every run matches. Use the real logo image; never redraw it or type the company name in its place. The files: (1) a spreadsheet with one row per client and signal (client, date, signal, area affected, risk change, source link); (2) a PowerPoint deck with the logo on the title slide, a one-slide summary, a slide per section with a chart wherever there are numbers, and a so-what slide; (3) a Word document with the logo in the header, the full brief, and every source cited. Brand colors and fonts throughout, one idea per slide, no walls of text. Finish with a short summary in chat that links all three. When each run finishes, this one included, email me the three files from Athena: send them to my own email address with the chat summary in the body. If Athena cannot send email in this workspace, say so instead. When you are done, ask me how often I want this: every weekday at 7am, weekly on Mondays at 7am, monthly on the 1st, or not now. Also ask which sections to keep and confirm my IANA time zone (for example America/New_York), and pass it explicitly when creating the schedule. If I choose a schedule, set up a scheduled agent that runs this same brief on it, keeps the spreadsheet asset ID and any template IDs in its instructions, reads the latest dated tab before each run, and reports only what changed since the last run. It says plainly when nothing material changed, and says comparison is unavailable if the prior tab cannot be read. Each run adds a dated tab to the same spreadsheet and makes a new dated deck and document. Whenever I give feedback on a run, in this chat or a later one, update the scheduled agent's instructions (and the template or design system when the feedback is about how the files look) so every later run follows it, then tell me exactly what you changed.
Open in Athena

Opens a new Athena chat with this prompt ready to send. If you're not signed in, you'll sign in first and land in the same chat.

Accounting standards update

New standards and guidance, effective dates, and actions. See how it runs →

Setup
No setup needed
Runs
Every weekday at 7am, weekly on Mondays at 7am, or monthly on the 1st
Outputs
spreadsheet, PowerPoint deck, Word document; emailed to you after every run
Runs on a scheduleSheetDeckDocNo setup needed
Show the prompt
Track accounting and auditing standard changes from FASB, IASB, PCAOB, the SEC, and the FRC. Ask me which frameworks matter if you cannot tell. Cover the last 30 days: what was issued or proposed, effective dates, which areas it affects, and what the team should do. Cite every item. Deliver three files in my company's brand. If I have Word, PowerPoint, or Excel templates in Athena, ask once which to use and build every file from them, keeping their layouts, styles, and formulas. For the brand, use my company's design system if one exists. Otherwise find my company's website (search the web if you are not sure of the domain), run design_system_retriever on it to get the real logo, colors, and fonts, and save the result with create_design_system so every run matches. Use the real logo image; never redraw it or type the company name in its place. The files: (1) a spreadsheet with one row per change (date, body, standard, what changed, effective date, areas affected, action, source link); (2) a PowerPoint deck with the logo on the title slide, a one-slide summary, a slide per section with a chart wherever there are numbers, and a so-what slide; (3) a Word document with the logo in the header, the full brief, and every source cited. Brand colors and fonts throughout, one idea per slide, no walls of text. Finish with a short summary in chat that links all three. When each run finishes, this one included, email me the three files from Athena: send them to my own email address with the chat summary in the body. If Athena cannot send email in this workspace, say so instead. When you are done, ask me how often I want this: every weekday at 7am, weekly on Mondays at 7am, monthly on the 1st, or not now. Also ask which sections to keep and confirm my IANA time zone (for example America/New_York), and pass it explicitly when creating the schedule. If I choose a schedule, set up a scheduled agent that runs this same brief on it, keeps the spreadsheet asset ID and any template IDs in its instructions, reads the latest dated tab before each run, and reports only what changed since the last run. It says plainly when nothing material changed, and says comparison is unavailable if the prior tab cannot be read. Each run adds a dated tab to the same spreadsheet and makes a new dated deck and document. Whenever I give feedback on a run, in this chat or a later one, update the scheduled agent's instructions (and the template or design system when the feedback is about how the files look) so every later run follows it, then tell me exactly what you changed.
Open in Athena

Opens a new Athena chat with this prompt ready to send. If you're not signed in, you'll sign in first and land in the same chat.

Industry risk brief

Sector risks and the accounts most likely to misstate. See how it runs →

Setup
No setup needed
Runs
Every weekday at 7am, weekly on Mondays at 7am, or monthly on the 1st
Outputs
spreadsheet, PowerPoint deck, Word document; emailed to you after every run
Runs on a scheduleSheetDeckDocNo setup needed
Show the prompt
Write an industry risk brief for audit planning. Ask me which sector. Cover the last quarter: economic and pricing pressure, regulatory change, fraud and enforcement cases, and the accounts most likely to carry a risk of material misstatement. Cite every item. Deliver three files in my company's brand. If I have Word, PowerPoint, or Excel templates in Athena, ask once which to use and build every file from them, keeping their layouts, styles, and formulas. For the brand, use my company's design system if one exists. Otherwise find my company's website (search the web if you are not sure of the domain), run design_system_retriever on it to get the real logo, colors, and fonts, and save the result with create_design_system so every run matches. Use the real logo image; never redraw it or type the company name in its place. The files: (1) a spreadsheet with one row per risk (risk, accounts affected, evidence, likelihood, source link); (2) a PowerPoint deck with the logo on the title slide, a one-slide summary, a slide per section with a chart wherever there are numbers, and a so-what slide; (3) a Word document with the logo in the header, the full brief, and every source cited. Brand colors and fonts throughout, one idea per slide, no walls of text. Finish with a short summary in chat that links all three. When each run finishes, this one included, email me the three files from Athena: send them to my own email address with the chat summary in the body. If Athena cannot send email in this workspace, say so instead. When you are done, ask me how often I want this: every weekday at 7am, weekly on Mondays at 7am, monthly on the 1st, or not now. Also ask which sections to keep and confirm my IANA time zone (for example America/New_York), and pass it explicitly when creating the schedule. If I choose a schedule, set up a scheduled agent that runs this same brief on it, keeps the spreadsheet asset ID and any template IDs in its instructions, reads the latest dated tab before each run, and reports only what changed since the last run. It says plainly when nothing material changed, and says comparison is unavailable if the prior tab cannot be read. Each run adds a dated tab to the same spreadsheet and makes a new dated deck and document. Whenever I give feedback on a run, in this chat or a later one, update the scheduled agent's instructions (and the template or design system when the feedback is about how the files look) so every later run follows it, then tell me exactly what you changed.
Open in Athena

Opens a new Athena chat with this prompt ready to send. If you're not signed in, you'll sign in first and land in the same chat.

03Reporting

Engagement status update

Progress by area, open requests, and decisions needed. See how it runs →

Setup
No setup needed
Runs
Every Monday at 7am, or every weekday or monthly instead
Outputs
spreadsheet, PowerPoint deck, Word document; emailed to you after every run
Runs on a scheduleSheetDeckDocNo setup needed
Show the prompt
Build the weekly engagement status update. Ask me for the tracker spreadsheet in Athena (or an upload). Show progress by area against plan, open PBC items by age, exceptions found, and decisions needed from the client or partner. Deliver three files in my company's brand. If I have Word, PowerPoint, or Excel templates in Athena, ask once which to use and build every file from them, keeping their layouts, styles, and formulas. For the brand, use my company's design system if one exists. Otherwise find my company's website (search the web if you are not sure of the domain), run design_system_retriever on it to get the real logo, colors, and fonts, and save the result with create_design_system so every run matches. Use the real logo image; never redraw it or type the company name in its place. The files: (1) a spreadsheet with one row per area (area, owner, status, percent complete, open items, exceptions, next step); (2) a PowerPoint deck with the logo on the title slide, a one-slide summary, a slide per section with a chart wherever there are numbers, and a so-what slide; (3) a Word document with the logo in the header, the full brief, and every source cited. Brand colors and fonts throughout, one idea per slide, no walls of text. Finish with a short summary in chat that links all three. When each run finishes, this one included, email me the three files from Athena: send them to my own email address with the chat summary in the body. If Athena cannot send email in this workspace, say so instead. When you are done, ask me if I want this every Monday at 7am (or every weekday, or monthly instead). Also ask which sections to keep and confirm my IANA time zone (for example America/New_York), and pass it explicitly when creating the schedule. If I choose a schedule, set up a scheduled agent that runs this same brief on it, keeps the spreadsheet asset ID and any template IDs in its instructions, reads the latest dated tab before each run, and reports only what changed since the last run. It says plainly when nothing material changed, and says comparison is unavailable if the prior tab cannot be read. Each run adds a dated tab to the same spreadsheet and makes a new dated deck and document. Whenever I give feedback on a run, in this chat or a later one, update the scheduled agent's instructions (and the template or design system when the feedback is about how the files look) so every later run follows it, then tell me exactly what you changed.
Open in Athena

Opens a new Athena chat with this prompt ready to send. If you're not signed in, you'll sign in first and land in the same chat.

Findings memo

Condition, cause, effect, and recommendation per finding.

Setup
No setup needed
Runs
When you ask
Outputs
Word document
DocNo setup needed
Show the prompt
Turn these audit findings into a memo for management: [paste or attach]. For each finding give the condition, criteria, cause, effect, and recommendation, rated by severity. Put it in a Word document. Use my company's brand. If I have Word, PowerPoint, or Excel templates in Athena, ask once which to use and build every file from them, keeping their layouts, styles, and formulas. For the brand, use my company's design system if one exists. Otherwise find my company's website (search the web if you are not sure of the domain), run design_system_retriever on it to get the real logo, colors, and fonts, and save the result with create_design_system so every run matches. Use the real logo image; never redraw it or type the company name in its place.
Open in Athena

Opens a new Athena chat with this prompt ready to send. If you're not signed in, you'll sign in first and land in the same chat.

Audit committee pack

Scope, significant risks, findings, and required items.

Setup
No setup needed
Runs
When you ask
Outputs
PowerPoint deck
DeckNo setup needed
Show the prompt
Build an audit committee update from these notes: [attach]. Cover scope and status, significant risks and how we addressed them, findings, and required communications. Use my company's brand. If I have Word, PowerPoint, or Excel templates in Athena, ask once which to use and build every file from them, keeping their layouts, styles, and formulas. For the brand, use my company's design system if one exists. Otherwise find my company's website (search the web if you are not sure of the domain), run design_system_retriever on it to get the real logo, colors, and fonts, and save the result with create_design_system so every run matches. Use the real logo image; never redraw it or type the company name in its place.
Open in Athena

Opens a new Athena chat with this prompt ready to send. If you're not signed in, you'll sign in first and land in the same chat.

04Why run it in Athena

A chat assistantAthena
What you getText in a chatReal Excel, Word, and PowerPoint files in your templates
Working togetherOne person, one chatYour team and the agent in the same file, live
MistakesRegenerate and start overEvery edit attributed; undo or roll back any change
Next runStarts from scratchBuilds on the last run and on your feedback
Your dataCopy and pasteDocuments, email, and warehouse, under each person's access
Where it runsTheir cloudYours, if you need it
TABLE 1Why run it in Athena: the same prompt in a chat assistant and in Athena.

05For your team

06Related dispatches

07Questions teams ask

How do I use a starter?

Open a new chat in Athena, paste the prompt, and replace anything in square brackets with your details before sending. Athena asks for anything else it needs.

Which starters run on a schedule?

These run on a schedule: Client risk monitor, Accounting standards update, Industry risk brief, Engagement status update.

Do these starters need connected apps?

None need a connected app.

Can I use my own templates?

Yes. The scheduled starters ask once which of your Word, PowerPoint or Excel templates in Athena to use and build every file from them. With no template, they use your company's logo, colors and fonts.