ACL Success Story – Government – Washington State Department of Licensing

2011-03-01

Washington State Department of Licensing

“It’s amazing how much we learned about our data during the consulting process. The Integrated Audit team went places that we’ve never gone before.”

Dawn Thompson, Integrated Auditor, Washington State Department of Licensing

Customer Overview

From highway safety to vehicle and driver services to the licensing and regulation of over 30 professions and businesses, the Washington State Department of Licensing is focused on public safety and consumer protection. The agency also works to ensure state revenue is collected fairly and efficiently. Based in Olympia, WA, the agency has over 1,200 employees who serve customers at 66 license offices and 198 vehicle services statewide.

Objectives

The Washington State Department of Licensing purchased ACL’s audit analytics software and immediately began using the solution at a basic and intermediate level. When the Integrated Audit team was ready to automate several compliance and audit tests, they chose to engage ACL Consulting Services. The four-day onsite engagement had an ACL Consultant working closely with members of the Integrated Audit team to create custom Scripts and provide hands-on support.

Results

The Integrated Audit team got more than expected with their ACL Consulting experience. The target result was the development of one automated Script but ACL delivered three effective Scripts during their time onsite. Two Scripts were created to detect duplicate payments and driver licensing fraud and the third test cross-checks Accounts Payable files against Human Resources data. These are tests that the team would have previously had to run manually. Automating the process offers considerable value to the audit department.

The new Scripts enabled automated data testing. Therefore, the team was able to meet a critical project deadline, despite working with data from multiple platforms. Auditors learned to import targeted database files instead of entire populations and can now modify the tests as needed. According to their auditors, the ACL consultant outperformed expectations and always explained the step-by-step logic underpinning his work. ACL Consulting added value to the organisation by suggesting useful tests that the team hadn’t previously considered. “The process was simple, constructive and enjoyable, from start to finish.”