Well since I last wrote my life has gotten crazy. Last weekend was crazy. On Friday, I first took another part of my CPA and hopefully did well. Then I took the rest of the day off and was able to relax and hang out with my mom. Also life at work has started to pick up. I have been put on a couple of jobs as well as helping on an internal project for the lean group. There are many new and interesting projects to get involved in, not only with new clients but also internal projects when you are not billable.

Also we have started doing planning activities for clients where we will continue to do their SOX work. This entails looking at their controls and figuring out if all those that were in scope at the beginning of 2008 are still key in the business process. Another part of the planning steps is to figure out the budget for the current year. One of the first steps when starting an engagement is to have an engagement letter signed by the client. The letter will contain a statement of work and also the estimate of the cost to the client. Once the engagement letter has been signed, things can officially get started at the client. I am excited to be involved in the planning of a project. For most of my clients, I have been put on the job when testing needs to be done so I have not been able to experience the planning process. Truly, everyday is a challenge because you are constantly being exposed to different situations and learning new things.

Have a great week!