CPAs to the Future: Why Data Governance?

In 2018, CPA Canada held the Foresight Sessions where they consulted CPAs and others how the profession should move forward. CPA Canada took a broad view of the topic and brought a diverse crowd of people to look at how things could unfold. There were a number of facilitated sessions that looked at a number of possible scenarios and how the profession could thrive in each of those scenarios. What I liked about the sessions was the diversity of thought. The environment was so open that attendees were even willing to talk about things like wealth inequality and its potential impact on the profession. 

So where did things end up? 

A report was published and the two key areas that became the focus where Value Creation and Data Governance. 

Before looking at where we are now, it is good to take a step back and look at the underlying need to re-examine the profession. The CPA profession was borne in a book-based world where knowledge went through a manufacturing process of sorts. Regardless of whether it is the accounting standards themselves or the actual financial statements, the idea was there was a sense of finality to the process. The Internet, and more specifically the hyperlink, changed that. Data, information and knowledge are now networked. 

It's not to say that the profession was unaware of this. 

As a CPA who got his start in the world of Audit Data Analytics back in 2000 (yes, 20 years ago, when this type of work was known as computer-assisted audit techniques). Back then, IT-focused CPAs like myself used to tools like Audit Command Language or IDEA  (sometimes referred to as 'generalized audit software'). This required the analysis of data largely for audit support. 

CPA Canada also published the Information Integrity Control Guidelines (authored by Efrim Boritz and myself), which looked at how controls and "enablers" would create information integrity. The project was designed to take a fresh look at the traditional dichotomy between "general computer controls" and application controls". For example, the publication also looked at controls specifically around content. 

Why Data Governance? 

The challenge I have found is how to succinctly articulate how CPAs can play on the dividing between business and technology.  Data governance probably is a good place to start. Even when you consider something more technical like a 'data scientist', a key component is to have business domain knowledge. Hence, to capture the future it makes sense to look at something that is beyond technology but rather data and information. After accountants have experience with data, but not configuring routers. Furthermore, as pointed out in this CPA Canada article "there is already a need for foundational standards of practice around all aspects of data governance and the data value chain".

Why are CPAs suited for data governance? 

I have always felt that CPAs have a solid foundation in understanding information. Through the FASB framework, we realize the trade-offs between relevance and reliability, as well as understanding the reality of what is needed to audit something. When looking at the work Efrim and I have done around information integrity, this was a key resource because it is unique in understanding the parameters of information. 

When teaching a class at Waterloo, I linked how this framework is now even relevant to social media companies. Google/YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter have all been "auditing" posts on their respective sites due to misinformation about COVID-19 or other matters. When covering this in-class, the concern I raised was around the "slippery slope". For example, does that mean all the other posts are "materially correct"? Such things illustrate how CPAs can add value when it comes to data governance.

Author: Malik Datardina, CPA, CA, CISA. Malik works at Auvenir as a GRC Strategist that is working to transform the engagement experience for accounting firms and their clients. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent UWCISA, UW, Auvenir (or its affiliates), CPA Canada or anyone else.