Post-Implementation Review

The PCAOB is committed to robust economic analysis, including post-implementation reviews that leverage data from our oversight activities. The PCAOB has established a program under which the staff of the Office of Economic and Risk Analysis conduct analysis on the overall effect of new auditing requirements on key stakeholders in the audit process. 

Post-Implementation Reviews

Supervision of Other Auditors

  • Status: Interim Analysis Being Planned

Auditing Accounting Estimates, Including Fair Value Measurements; Auditor’s Use of the Work of Specialists

  • Status: Interim Analysis Complete

Auditor Reporting

  • Status: Initial Interim Analysis Complete; Follow-up Interim Analysis Complete

Engagement Quality Review

  • Status: Post-Implementation Review Complete

About the Program

Post-implementation review is an important component of high-quality economic analysis of regulatory decision-making. Post-implementation reviews complement the prospective economic analysis that the PCAOB conducts as part of a rulemaking.

Post-implementation reviews evaluate the overall effect of a rule or standard, after a reasonable period of time has passed since its effective date. This includes:

  • Evaluating whether a rule or standard is accomplishing its intended purpose, as identified in the rulemaking release.
  • Identifying, wherever possible, costs and benefits.
  • Identifying unintended consequences.

As part of the post-implementation review process, PCAOB staff may also conduct interim analyses to assess the initial impact of new requirements.

Reporting Results

The PCAOB is committed to transparency, including around the impact of our rules and standards. Upon the completion of each interim analysis and post-implementation review, we will report our conclusions to the public. Each report will be accompanied by staff white paper(s) to provide transparency into the data sets used, methods applied, and results of the analysis.