Quick question for the group - what level of detail do you include in your audit reports? Client is asking for a "summary version" but I'm worried about leaving out important technical details that justify our findings. How do you balance thoroughness with readability for non-technical clients?
Documentation standards - what do you include in final reports?
I do a two-part report - executive summary with dollar amounts and key findings, then detailed technical appendix with all the rate schedule analysis, meter data charts, and calculation worksheets. Executives read the summary, engineers dig into the appendix.
Gary's approach works well. I also include screenshots of the actual bill errors highlighted in red, and "before/after" comparisons showing what they paid vs. what they should have paid. Visual evidence is powerful when you're asking for a $50K refund from the utility.
Don't forget to document your methodology clearly. Had a utility challenge our findings last year and they accepted our refund calculation because we showed every step of our rate analysis. Include tariff references, effective dates, and cite specific sections of the utility's own rules.
One more tip - always include a timeline showing when the errors started and stopped. Helps with statute of limitations issues and shows you did your homework on the historical rate changes. ComEd tried to limit our refund to 2 years until we proved the error went back 4 years with proper documentation.