The Challenge
A large UK-based accounting with more than 3000 staff UK-wide, required an Audit Tracking system to support its teams working on client sites — often in remote locations with unreliable internet access.
The audit process is highly rigorous, with strict compliance, legal, and data privacy requirements. The firm needed a system that would:
- Ensure audit processes were followed correctly.
- Track the collection and status of all documentation.
- Provide clear visibility to partners and managers.
- Protect sensitive client data with strong security measures.
- Provide accurate reporting to keep clients updated on audit progress.
- Function in low-connectivity environments, with offline capability and reliable syncing.
- Capture all actions for compliance and legal auditability.
- Present a clean, intuitive user experience.
Existing manual and email-based processes were no longer sufficient to meet compliance expectations or support a growing, distributed team.
Our Solution
Dark Arts helped build a robust Audit Tracking System to meet these demanding requirements:
- Offline-first architecture: allowing staff to continue audits on client sites with poor or no internet access.
- Automated sync engine: ensured reliable, secure data replication between on-site teams and head office systems
- Audit process tracking: enforced correct process flows and captured full history of steps completed.
- Documentation management: tracked each document collected, linked to its relevant audit step.
- Partner visibility: provided a secure web portal enabling partners to log in and view audit progress.
- Reporting suite: delivered comprehensive reports supporting the audit process and providing regular updates to clients.
- Strong security: protected sensitive client data both in transit and at rest, with strict access controls.
- Performance optimisations: ensured excellent usability even over slow internet connections.
- Testing & validation — automated testing with Microsoft frameworks, Fiddler, and SQL Server to ensure robust, secure performance.
The system enabled a modern, compliant audit process supporting both central and remote working models, while safeguarding private client data.
The Impact
- Allowed distributed audit teams to maintain full compliance, even when working offline.
- Protected sensitive client data with robust security.
- Improved efficiency and consistency of audits across the firm.
- Gave partners and clients real-time visibility into audit progress, enhancing oversight and communication.
- Reduced risks of missed steps or undocumented processes.
- Improved data security and reduced reliance on legacy manual processes.
The result: a modern, secure, auditable system that continues to support the firm's rigorous compliance needs, even across a highly distributed and mobile workforce.