FOCUSING ON THE BIG PICTURE

The Parable of the Three Stone Cutters shares the perspectives of three laborers on their work.

Three stonecutters were busy cutting a block of stone when a traveler approached them. Interested to find out what they were working on, he asked the first stonecutter what he was doing. “I am cutting a stone!” Still perplexed, the traveler asked the second stonecutter the same question. “I am cutting this block of stone to fit perfectly in a wall.” Only slightly more clear about the structure the stonecutters were working on, the traveler then turned to the third stonecutter, who seemed to be the happiest of the three. In response to the traveler’s eager question, the third stonecutter replied: “I am building a cathedral.”

The third stonecutter saw the big picture.

Here at the University of Kentucky, we all play a role in building on the University’s Big Picture – the goals for improving people’s lives through education, research, creative work and health care, and enhancing the economic viability of our state.

UK Internal Audit (UKIA) recently restructured its organization to better align with the University’s goals by going beyond the financial and operational details to convey how these issues – the exceptions we find during our audits –  fit into “the big picture” for UK, taking into account the emerging risks here on campus and at universities across the nation.

Through this restructuring, we are working to maximize the productivity and expertise of each UKIA member to enhance effectiveness. Dovetailed with this endeavor are building relationships and improving communication to allow for more focus on work product value.

Early results already demonstrate added value to UKIA clients and the University as a whole in the form of better risk mitigation, more timely and insightful reporting, and enhanced actuation and effectiveness of the audits.

These changes also mean greater opportunities to conduct overarching surveys that will provide insights into challenges prevalent across the University – insights we can use to create tools and guidelines that alleviate risk while continuing to enhance efficiency.

 

To better encapsulate what these changes mean for the University, UKIA revised its mission statement for the first time in eight years:  

UKIA’s Mission Statement

“To support UK in its pursuit of excellence by providing expert analyses and advice

to champion the achievement of management objectives.”

If you would like to find out more about your area’s identified risk or improving your area’s processes to mitigate these risks, call us at 257-3126 or visit our website.