# Validate that an audit issue is really fixed before closing it

Sets out the evidence and tests needed to confirm remediation is effective and sustained, so issues are not closed on paper only.

- Topic: Legal & Compliance
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Legal, Analyze, Plan, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/validate-that-an-audit-issue-is-really-fixed-before-closing-it

## Prompt

```text
Help me validate whether an audit or compliance issue has actually been remediated.

**Original issue:** [CONDITION, root cause, and rating]
**Agreed action plan:** [WHAT management committed to, owner role, due date]
**What management says they did:** [THEIR UPDATE]
**Evidence they provided:** [LIST or PASTE]
**Time since the fix went live:** [e.g. 2 months]

Assess and return:
1. **Does the action address the root cause** or only the symptom? Explain.
2. **Evidence evaluation** - for each item: what it proves, what it does not prove, and whether it is sufficient.
3. **Validation tests** I should perform - e.g. re-perform the control on a sample after the change date, inspect system configuration, confirm with users, re-run the original test.
4. **Sustainability check** - has the fix operated long enough and through enough cycles (e.g. at least one quarter-end for a quarterly control)?
5. **Recommendation** - close / keep open / close with residual risk accepted (by whom) / re-rate.
6. **Closure note** - a 100-word draft for the issue tracker.
7. **If not ready** - a firm, constructive message to the action owner explaining what is still needed and why.

Do not accept a new policy, a training session, or an email as proof a control operates. Mark anything uncertain [CONFIRM].
```

## What to fill in

- CONDITION, root cause, and rating
- WHAT management committed to, owner role, due date
- THEIR UPDATE
- LIST or PASTE
- e.g. 2 months
- CONFIRM

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.