Decision support technology use by auditors in small accounting firms: some preliminary findings

This paper explores the use of decision support technology by auditors in small accounting firms. It presents the findings from the pilot study of a larger research project. The decision support technology used by auditors in the pilot study was found to be dominated by relatively simple electronic audit manuals with workpaper templates. While the auditors perceived decision support technology as a means to demonstrate their compliance with auditing standards, they were hesitant to embrace it to its full potential; primarily due to the limited scope of the technology to reflect professional judgement and other soft skills, and the perception that the technology was not appropriate for small firms. This paper calls for greater support for technology innovation in small firms - it highlights the themes that need to be considered by accounting firms, professional bodies and software developers in order to facilitate successful deployment of decision support technology in financial report audits. It also highlights the need to provide greater support for innovation in audit more generally.