The National Audit Office concluded that the steering system is on a good basis but that there is still room for improvement in the functioning of the system. Target setting poses a particularly difficult challenge as it does not allow proper monitoring of the implementation of the targets. This document contains a summary of the main results of the audit. The entire audit report is available only in Finnish.
The audit covered the steering system in the administrative branch of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Steering system refers to the procedures allowing the management to ensure adequate performance of its administrative branch and report on it to the oversight bodies, particularly the Parliament. Performance refers to the optimal ratio between the costs and impacts of the operations.
The main question posed in the audit was: How well does the steering system in the administrative branch ensure adequate performance and accountability? The main question was divided into five sections that concerned planning, management, accounting and evaluation systems, internal control and reporting. The main purpose of the audit was to provide information on the prerequisites for the functioning of the steering system and not so much on perfor-mance itself.
In its response to the main question, the National Audit Office concluded that the steering system is on a good basis but that there is still room for improvement in the functioning of the system. The National Audit Office is of the view that target setting poses a particularly difficult challenge in the planning, management and reporting as it does not allow proper monitoring of the implementation of the targets.
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