VA is often cited as one of the tools of choice in performing Control
Self-Assessments. While there is no one right way to perform CSA's,
the basic exercise remains one of data collection. Whether the assessors
are now line managers instead of auditors, whether the data is collected
using facilitated workshops or through interviews and surveys, the basic
data elements that give the process its value are the same data elements
VA was designed to collect and manage. 
For those organizations using facilitated workshops, VA is a good pre-
and post-workshop tool. It helps the facilitator organize, before the
workshop, what information must be extracted during the session. This
reduces the likelihood that necessary data, requiring follow-up, will
be left out during group conversations. When the sessions are completed,
VA becomes the central repository for all the data collected and lends
its powerful reporting and graphing capabilities to the presentation
of the results.
Along with anonymous voting technologies, if used, and other tools to
capture live workshop comments, VA is an essential tool in the CSA toolkit.
In a random sampling of CSA software users, the Institute of Internal
Auditors has noted that many organizations have, for the last four years,
selected VA as the database tool of choice.
For
more information download a copy of the Internal
Auditor study.
