<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> Control self - assessment is a technique developed in 1987 that is used by a range of organisations including corporations, charities and government departments, to assess the effectiveness of their risk management and control processes . </P> <P> A "control process" is a check or process performed to reduce or eliminate the risk of error . Since its introduction the technique has been widely adopted in the United States, European Union and other countries . There are a number of ways a control self - assessment can be implemented but its key feature is that, in contrast to a traditional audit, the tests and checks are made by staff whose normal day - to - day responsibilities are within the business unit being assessed . A self - assessment, by identifying the higher risk processes within the organisation, allows internal auditors to plan their work more effectively . A number of governmental organisations require the use of control self - assessment . In the United States it is a requirement of the FFIEC that control self - assessments are performed on IT systems and operational processes on a regular basis . Benefits claimed for control self - assessment include creating a clear line of accountability for controls, reducing the risk of fraud and the creation of an organisation with a lower risk profile . </P>

What is a risk and control self assessment