Surgent's Guide to the AICPA Quality Management Standards
Overview
Over the past few years, the AICPA revamped the quality management standards by issuing Statement on Quality Management Standards 1, 2, and 3 (SQMS 1, SQMS 2, and SQMS 3, respectively), SSARS No. 26, and SAS 146, Quality Management for an Engagement Conducted in Accordance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (SAS 146). These standards, effective December 15, 2025, modernize quality management standards to reflect an increased focus on risk assessment, technology use, and the presence of outside experts on many engagements. With a risk-based approach, the standards enhance requirements for engagement quality reviews, encourage QMS monitoring, and focus on the entire system of quality control maintained by a firm. We will cover the key provisions of the standards, how to effectively implement them, and what you need to do today to prepare for the required implementation. The earlier your firm begins the transition, the better off you will be.
Highlights
- Quality management standards
- SSARS No. 26
- SAS 146
- Risk assessment and risk-based approaches to quality management
- Audit engagement leadership
- Managing technology and the use of external service providers
Prerequisites
Experienced auditors and auditors in a managerial position with responsibilities related to maintaining firm quality control
Designed For
Auditors in public accounting in a partner, owner, or managerial role
Objectives
- Identify key provisions of SQMS 1, SQMS 2, and SQMS 3
- Recall quality management provisions in SAS 146 and SSARS No. 26
- Understand the role of firm leadership in establishing quality management standards
- Recall the requirements for engagement quality reviews
Preparation
None
Leader(s):
Leader Bios
Marci Thomas, Surgent McCoy Self Study
Marci Thomas, MHA, CPA, CGMA, licensed as a CPA in Georgia and North Carolina, is an author and nationally recognized speaker on various accounting and auditing topics to companies, nonprofits, CPA firms, and state societies of CPAs around the country. Marci writes and teaches courses in governance, grants accounting, grant compliance, auditing, internal control and not-for-profit accounting. She is an adjunct professor in the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also works with numerous accounting firms, performing quality control and efficiency reviews; and with boards on strategic planning, internal control, and governance issues. Marci serves on the Not-for-Profit Committee for the North Carolina Association of CPAs. She is a frequent speaker at local, regional, and national conferences. Marci is an author of a book published by Jossey Bass in 2020, Health Care Financial Management. Her book Best of Boards: Sound Governance and Leadership for Nonprofit Organizations was published by the AICPA and Wiley Publishing in 2018, and is on its second printing. Marci received her Bachelor in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting from the Georgia State University and her Masters in Health Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Non-Member Price $139.00
Member Price $119.00