A quality-management year goes through the same stages. SQMTrove keeps each stage's records and links them, so the evidence for the annual evaluation — and for an inspector — builds up as the year goes on.
| Stage | Where in SQMTrove | Who | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design (start of the year) | Risk assessment: objectives, risks, responses, conditions; publish a version | Quality lead | 5 |
| Governance | Governance & leadership: roles and acknowledgements, leadership evaluations | Owner | 4 |
| Resources | People, CPD, competence, capacity, appraisals, technology, methodology, service providers | Firm administrator; quality lead | 6 |
| Confirm independence | Declarations campaigns; exceptions; breaches; gifts; threats; non-assurance services; fees; rotation | Ethics partner; everyone | 7 |
| Accept and perform engagements | Clients, acceptance decisions, engagement register, consultations, differences of opinion | Partners | 8, 9 |
| Engagement quality reviews | EQR pages: eligibility, review, completion before the report date | Appointer; reviewers | 9 |
| Communicate | Policies and acknowledgements; communications; audit committees; regulatory calendar | Quality lead; everyone | 10 |
| Monitor | Plan, activities, inspections, partner cycle, external inspections; tasks | Monitoring lead | 11, 12, 17 |
| Remediate | Findings → deficiencies → root causes → remedial actions → tests | Monitoring lead; action owners | 13 |
| Complaints | Speak-up and the confidential register | Complaints role holders | 14 |
| Evaluate (as at the evaluation date) | Annual evaluation; quality indicators | Individual with ultimate responsibility | 15, 16 |
| Report | Inspection pack; transparency report; report to leadership | Quality lead | 10, 13, 16 |