Managing Working Papers

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to describe activities of working papers management, including versioning, online editing and reviewing.

Working Paper Management and Navigation

The work program allows an audit team an easy way to manage documents with audit results and share documentation without having to exit SAP Audit Management's user interface. This provides the audit team a single view of the data, and within the shared folder everyone has access at all times to current and past audit working papers. During the execution of an audit, the audit team can create, add, and edit working papers, maintain a name of a working paper, add notes, reply to notes, add new versions of working papers and references for working papers.

By default, working papers that were added from the work program (into work packages and procedures of test, question, and business rule types) are automatically stored in the Execution folder of the Working Paper section of the audit. In addition, a user can add working papers directly into the Execution folder. In this case, the user should open the folder and navigate till work package level to add working papers, find an example on the following screenshot. In result, working papers will be added to the corresponding work package.

Management of a working paper added for the execution phase is possible either through work packages, procedures where a working paper was added or in the Execution folder of the Working Paper section of the audit.

This figure shows navigation through a work program to view and edit working papers for accounting policies and procedures.

Adding Working Papers

Adding Working Papers by Drag and Drop

Working in SAP Audit Management allows you to drag and drop your files straight from your desktop or file explorer to the Working Papers section of audits, work packages, and procedures of test, question, and business rule types.

This figure shows the SAP interface for a Financial Reporting Review Audit, highlighting working papers and findings sections.

Adding Working Papers by File Browsing

You can also add a working paper to audits, work packages and audit procedures of test, question, and business rule types by choosing the + button to open the file browser.

This figure shows the Working Papers tab of an SAP Financial Reporting Review Audit with document details and findings.

Adding a Link to a Working Papers List

You can add a link in the Working Papers section of audits, work packages and audit procedures of test, question, and business rule types. Enter a name and URL, and click Save.

This figure shows how to add a web link to working papers in a financial reporting review audit software.

Working Papers Version Management

Working Papers Version Tracking

All versions of working papers can be tracked. To add new versions of a working paper, go to the Versions section, and upload a working paper with the same name.

This figure shows the Versions tab of the Business Process Description.docx document in SAP Working Paper.

Automatic Versioning Upon Working Paper Upload

After uploading, a new version of document will be created with a version number.

This figure displays version history and download options for the file Business Process Description.docx in SAP Working Paper.

Cross-References in a Working Paper

Sometimes a working paper should be processed in conjunction with other documents. In this case, you have to upload them all to an audit. However, if some of documents were uploaded to the audit earlier, it is possible to refer to them using functionality of cross-referencing. In the References tab of a working paper page you can add references to other working papers in the same audit instead of uploading them again.

This figure shows a user adding a working paper as a reference to the Business Process Description document.

Editing Working Papers Online

You can view and edit working papers online within SAP Audit Management without downloading it. Go to a working paper and select Online Edit. Online edit is available for the following file types:

  • Spreadsheets (.xlsx, .xls),
  • Word documents (.docx, .doc),
  • Slides (.pptx, .ppt).

After editing, save the working paper and close it. A new version of the working paper will be created by the system automatically and will be available in the Versions section.

This figure shows a SAP interface for managing working papers, highlighting online editing of a document by Tracy Fox.

Tags for Working Papers

Adding Tags to Working Papers

Specify tags for working papers to easily find working papers across all audits. Navigate to a working paper page, select Edit, and enter one or several tags in the input box, according to your choice. Now the tag(s) are available on the detail page of the working paper, and, later on, you can find your working paper through the Enterprise Search functionality by using the tag(s).

This figure displays an SAP Working Paper interface for a business process document tagged with 2025 and Finance.

Working Paper Search by a Tag Value

To use Enterprise Search, go to your home screen, select the magnifying glass symbol on the top right, choose Working Paper from the drop-down list (or Working Paper (Other), according to the folder you need to search), and write your tag in the search box. Then press Enter on your keyboard, and the search results will be displayed.

This figure shows an SAP interface searching for a Finance working paper, displaying related audit documentation and details.

Reusing Working Papers

Linking Existing Working Papers from Other Areas

You can reuse working papers by linking existing ones from different work packages and other procedures to test, question, and business rule procedures of the same audit. Open a procedure, go to the Working Papers section, and choose Select to find existing working papers and all working papers from all work packages will then be displayed. In the next screen, mark the working papers that you want to assign, and confirm your selection by selecting OK. The working paper will then be assigned to the procedure.

This figure shows how to select and upload a working paper document in the SAP Process Reconciliations module.

Mass Uploading of Working Papers

You can upload more than one document using the mass upload to audits, work packages, and audit procedures.

This figure shows the SAP interface for uploading or linking working papers during a review of accounting policies and procedures.

Working Paper Count

Working Paper Count by Audit Phase

SAP Audit Management provides a count function for working papers attached to an audit. If you select the Working Papers tab of the audit, you can easily see how many working papers were added in each audit phase.

This figure displays the Working Papers tab in an SAP audit dashboard for a Financial Reporting Review Audit with four areas.

Counting Execution Folder Working Papers by Subordinate Work Packages

Moreover, if you go three levels deeper in the hierarchy and open the Execution folderKey ScopeScope, you can see how many working papers were added to each work package of this scope.

This figure shows the Working Papers tab for a Financial Reporting Review Audit with paper counts for each section.

Downloading Working Papers

A working paper can be downloaded using the Download button in a row with the working paper. In addition, you can download all working papers under the same folder as a zip file.

This figure shows the Working Papers tab in SAP's audit module, listing downloadable documents for a Financial Reporting Review Audit.

Resequencing, Changing Names and Deleting Working Papers

To edit a work paper name, resequence or delete a work paper, open a folder with the working paper in the Working Papers tab of an audit and select Edit. You can do the same actions for working papers from interface of work packages and procedures.

By default, working papers already attached to an audit cannot be changed or deleted after the Final Audit Report is approved. In configuration you can allow working papers to be renamed, resequenced, deleted and uploaded after final report is approved until the audit is closed.

This figure demonstrates the process of editing and saving changes to working papers in an audit management software.

Reviewing Working Papers