Afiqah's Internship Journey

I spent my day working on the development of the audit trace system and managed to complete about 60% of the overall system. However, I still need to consult with the person in charge to ensure that all the required functions are included and that the system fully meets its intended purpose. I plan to conduct the consultation or presentation next week to better prepare myself and further improve the progress of the system’s completion. Through today’s progress, I realised the importance of proper consultation to ensure that the system developed meets user requirements and functions as intended. Although I have managed to complete a significant portion of the system, I understand that feedback from the person in charge is crucial in identifying any missing elements or necessary improvements. This experience also highlights the need for careful planning and preparation before presenting the system to ensure a more effective and productive discussion.

As for the audit scheduling system, it is mostly completed and only requires further consultation with the supervisor, along with additional enhancements from time to time. I have decided to proceed with the second prototype of the system, which is the audit trace system. The database structure, together with the coding for the pages, has been completed, and further improvements will be made. I plan to conduct a consultation with the person in charge of this system next week, this is to ensure that the system functions properly for both users and administrators. On the other hand, I have been given the appendix of the Zakat Distribution Agency guidelines to gain a better understanding of the procedures and processes involved in zakat distribution. Besides that, I was also informed about a recent case involving waqf land that needs to be resolved by the audit unit. I am fortunate to have been shown the report currently being prepared by the head of the unit, which includes details of th...

I have received comments and suggestions to enlarge and improve the overall appearance of the system, including increasing the size of the wording to make the content more visible and easier to navigate. I believe this enhancement is important to ensure users feel comfortable and find it convenient to complete their tasks when using the system. Therefore, I made the necessary improvements, and the system is now clearer and more user-friendly. In addition, I conducted several tests while inserting the procedure steps and identified an issue that needed to be resolved, which I successfully managed to fix. Furthermore, in preparation for the audit of zakat collection, Encik Rosli asked me to gather information and familiarise myself with the responsibilities and job processes of the amil, who are responsible for collecting zakat and distributing it with proper authorisation. I also gained knowledge about the role of corporate agents involved in the collection process. After conducting so...

Today, I presented the progress of the system to Encik Rosli, the supervisor, for his reference. There have been several additions to the system’s functions, along with the supporting documentation. The audit procedures included in the system were extracted from the official documents provided by Encik Rosli to ensure that the content accurately reflects the actual procedures previously carried out by the unit and is suitable for their use. After the discussion, I immediately began making improvements to the system to ensure that it will be fully functional, with all the required features and enhancements, by the end of the internship. Through this session, I was able to gain valuable feedback on the system development, which helped me better understand the expectations and practical requirements needed by the unit. I realised that referring to actual documents and existing procedures is important to ensure the system developed is accurate, relevant, and applicable in a real working en...

The response letter, together with the appendices, has been completed and only needs to be sent to the Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif (KPE), both in hardcopy and softcopy. After completing the tidying up of the softcopy, the unit sent the document to the relevant party, and thus the process of preparing and sending the response letter is completed. I continued developing the system, as the current audit schedule consists of several phases and procedures, which makes it a bit complex to present on the screen. I aim to design an interface that is easy for users to navigate and work through, even when there are multiple phases and procedures within a single task. I also referred to the provided reference materials to develop the appropriate audit procedures to be included in the system for each specific task. Through this task, I was able to gain a better understanding of the overall process involved in preparing and finalising an official response letter, including the importance of accuracy an...

The response letter, along with its appendices, was completed yesterday. However, after Encik Rosli met with the higher management to present and discuss the response letter, several amendments were required. These changes were mainly due to the removal of certain appendices that were considered irrelevant or unnecessary to be included. I was prepared to assist in completing the required amendments for the appendices, and I was given the trust by the unit to handle the tagging and arrangement of the appendices, which will later be attached to the letter. We managed to complete the task within the day and successfully finalized the full report to be distributed to the relevant officers after going through several rounds of amendments and checking. As for the system development, I encountered an issue with MySQL, which was loading very slowly. After several attempts of restarting and debugging, I decided to reinstall XAMPP, and fortunately, I managed to resolve the issue and continue wi...

Referring to the last exit conference meeting that was held last week, a response letter needed to be prepared. I had the opportunity to assist the unit by tagging the appendices of evidence or corrective actions with the relevant previous audit findings in the letter. Through this task, I was able to understand the audit findings and the context of tasks that were not properly followed, as well as identify areas that could be improved. This experience gave me exposure to the audit work carried out in the office, including the procedures involved and the preparation of related documents. After that, I was also given the opportunity to attend a Hari Raya celebration at Kompleks Darul Hidayah, a centre that supports converts. I was able to observe the environment there while also getting to know other officers. All officers of MAIDAM work well together and maintain good relationships despite being from different offices and departments, which reflects a strong spirit of togetherness wit...

I started the day by brainstorming ways to incorporate the audit procedure into the system. I plan to make the procedure easily accessible and avoid the need to input it repeatedly. The general audit procedures will be the same for every audit task, but the specific procedural steps will differ depending on the task, as the scope of coverage varies. During the enhancement process, I faced some difficulty in making this new feature work properly, and I feel that it is not as efficient as it could be. Therefore, I will continue improving the system. I was also exposed to the audit procedures and work processes required to audit land endowment (transfer of property ownership), and I used this as input for the procedures in the system. In addition, I was provided with the Undang-undang Negeri Terengganu Enakmen 1/2016 Enakmen Wakaf (Terengganu) 2016 and the Peraturan-peraturan Pendaftaran Wakaf (Terengganu) 2019 to gain a deeper understanding of the audit procedures and the aspects ...

I began my day by conducting the final test on the system before starting the briefing with the supervisor. Throughout the explanation, I received several questions about the system and discussed its aspects together with the supervisor. Once the briefing was completed, he provided feedback on what could be added to further support the work in the unit. He suggested that it would be better to include the audit processes that need to be carried out for each specific task in the schedule. I think this is a great idea, as it allows the schedule to be supported with proper documentation and clear steps for conducting the audit process, along with the estimated time required to complete each task. The supervisor also provided me with a list of audit tasks, the initial schedule, and the audit procedures that need to be carried out to complete the work. Overall, the current system is already good with its detailed scheduling, but it can be further enhanced by adding proper documentation of t...

I started my day by continuing to improve the audit scheduling system in preparation for the system briefing next week. By going through and testing the system repeatedly, I was able to identify weak areas that could be improved and fix parts of the code that did not run properly or did not produce the intended results. After all the testing, I believe I have prepared the system well enough for it to be functional for this first phase of the system briefing, where I can receive recommendations, suggestions, and comments from the supervisor and other unit members. This briefing makes me feel nervous but also excited about future enhancements that I can make, while figuring out what I can contribute to them. From today’s work, I learned the importance of testing a system thoroughly to identify weaknesses and ensure it functions as intended. The process also helped me improve my problem-solving skills, especially in fixing errors in the code. I realized that preparing early before a brief...

Today, I continued developing the scheduling system. I checked every page of the system to identify any mistakes or unsuitable content. I also reviewed the consistency of the page design and the overall system workflow. In addition, I tested the system from a user’s perspective by going through the data input and output processes along with the required validations. I also verified whether the inserted and retrieved data were correctly stored in the database. I believe there are still improvements that can be made to enhance the system’s efficiency and make it more distinctive compared to existing systems. Besides that, I consulted my supervisor, Encik Rosli, regarding the system. We discussed having a briefing session next week, so I will focus on preparing and completing the system as much as possible to present it to the Internal Audit Unit. On the other hand, I also consulted the unit assistant, Encik Sahar, regarding the idea for the audit trace system. From this discussion, I ob...

Today was filled with preparations for the Hari Raya celebration, which started from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Since the morning, everyone worked together to prepare for the festive event involving the whole agency. The event was held on the second floor, which is the same level as the unit I am working with. All departments on this level acted as the event host and collaborated in setting up the photobooth, banquet tables, and food. The workload became manageable as everyone helped each other. The event started in a lively atmosphere, with Raya songs playing and people enjoying the food together. It was a memorable experience, and I also had the opportunity to take a photo with one of the invited VIPs together with my Internal Audit Unit. After the event finished, we worked together again to clean up and ensure the venue returned to its usual condition. Despite the busy preparations, I also had the chance to discuss the audit workflow that I have been learning during my studies with my su...

After revising the draft again, several improvements were made, including additional tables and pages to ensure the scheduling system functions effectively and supports the unit in streamlining their tasks. New process flows were introduced, along with further enhancements identified throughout the development process. At this stage, I will continue focusing on the development of the audit work scheduling system and have selected it as my main project. Once completed, I plan to proceed with the development of an audit trail system. Due to the Hari Raya celebration tomorrow, I also assisted in preparing decorations and setting up the photobooth for the event together with the IT department. This experience helped strengthen our bond while also giving me the opportunity to observe how a statutory government body manages event preparation, including task division and workflow coordination. This experience allowed me to improve both my technical and soft skills. From the system development...

On the 8th day, I assisted the unit in preparing documents for today’s meeting by linking the appendix to the evidence of audit findings. Then, I reviewed the system draft, rechecked the required database tables, and examined the data flow between pages. This helped me gain a clearer understanding of the system and identify additional tables and pages needed for it to function properly. This experience improved my attention to detail and enhanced my understanding of the importance of proper documentation and well-structured system planning in ensuring a smooth and efficient workflow. 

Today went as usual as I continued working on my report and adding features to the system. The system is functional, but not completely good yet, as there are still many improvements that can be made to make it more convenient, efficient, and distinct from the usual systems used. Furthermore, I also had the opportunity to attend a Raya celebration at Yayasan Pendidikan Maidam at their office. It was a great experience as I got to meet and get to know various officers from different departments while enjoying our time together. In addition, I had the chance to consult with an assistant from the Internal Audit Unit about another type of system. He explained a system they have proposed to the Information Technology department and discussed whether it could be developed through in-sourcing. The system is related to maintaining an audit trail when they are questioning their clients. I have taken this into consideration and compared the feasibility of both systems to decide which system I s...

Today, one of the interns from the Information Technology (IT) unit will be completing her internship tomorrow. Therefore, the IT unit, together with the Internal Audit Unit, organized a farewell ceremony. We had a great time eating and chatting, which strengthened the bond among members from different departments. After the session, we resumed our work, and I continued working on the report and system development. One of the unit assistants also asked about the system’s progress and provided suggestions for improvements, as well as ideas for further development, as the system is still in progress. From today’s experience, I realized the importance of building good relationships in the workplace, as it helps create a positive and supportive working environment. The feedback and suggestions given also helped me understand how my system can be improved and made more practical for users. This experience has increased my confidence and motivation to continue developing the system more effe...

I started my day by resuming my study on Government Procurement 4.2 (Letter of Acceptance, Government Orders, and Government Indent for Procurement), as it covers a wide range of topics. After that, I studied waqf (Islamic endowment) to prepare myself for the upcoming research audit, the date of which will be decided later, as the internal audit unit is currently settling previous audit findings. Then, I continued working on my reports to refine my points and further develop the project system. Based on their daily conversations and my observations of how they handle and prepare tasks, I was able to learn and gain a better understanding of the procedures that need to be carried out, as well as the documents required for internal and inter-departmental circulation. This provided me with valuable real-life knowledge beyond what I have learned in the classroom. From today’s experience, I realised the importance of having a clear understanding of procedures and proper documentation i...

I started my fourth day by reviewing my draft project and continuing to work on it. The Senior Assistant explained to me the use of Treasury regulations and circulars in auditing files for various departments in the government statutory sector. Today, I focused on reading and studying contract-related documents, including Treasury Act 169D, Government Procurement 2.10 (Direct Purchase for Supplies and Services), Government Procurement 2.11 (Direct Appointment and Requisition Works), and Government Procurement 4.2 (Letter of Acceptance, Government Orders, and Government Indent for Procurement). Specific exposure was given to me, as these matters will be discussed in a meeting scheduled for next week, and I can take this as a real-life example for future reference. I have also been informed that there will be an upcoming audit on wakaf, where I will be able to experience the actual audit process.  The Head of Unit also mentioned about about the sampling process, and I decided to revi...

On my 3rd day, I began reviewing the report guidelines to start working on my report. I drafted an overall structure and jotted down points for each topic that needs to be covered. By going through the entire report guideline, I was able to gain a clearer understanding of the system I can develop, as well as identify features and enhancements that I can include to create a better project. I also ensured that the content of the report and the system I will develop align with the guidelines provided. For next week, the Internal Audit Unit will have a follow-up meeting with the Financial Unit regarding the previous audit that was conducted, to review and discuss the actions taken based on the audit findings. This procedure aligns with the audit process of obtaining audit feedback ( maklum balas audit ). From this day, I learned that proper planning is important before starting a report. Reading the guidelines helped me understand what needs to be done and gave me a clearer direction. I ...

On the second day, I began to gain a clearer idea of the type of system I want to develop. I observed the staff’s workflow and asked them about the challenges they face in their daily tasks. After discussing with the company supervisor, he agreed that it is a great idea and approved me to proceed with developing a work scheduling system. He also mentioned that the Internal Audit Unit does not currently have a system in place, and it would be beneficial if I could develop one that aligns with their needs and can replace the existing schedule, which is currently created manually using Excel worksheets. This system will display the overall audit plan schedule and assigned tasks, and will be accessible via a website for ease of use. It will also allow updates to be made and viewed by all members of the unit. At this stage, I have developed an initial draft of the system and consulted with the supervisor to further enhance it and identify any necessary improvements to its features. This ta...

I started my first day of internship by reporting for duty at the MAIDAM office at 8:00 a.m. I was required to fill in the Act 88 form (Official Secrets Act, Appendix E). Then, I was assigned to my department, the Internal Audit Unit, where I had a brief introduction session with all the unit members, including the Information Technology team, who share the same office space. In the Internal Audit Unit, there are four members consisting of a Head of Internal Audit, a Senior Assistant, and two Assistants. After that, I began familiarizing myself with the scope of work and audit procedures in the department by reading the Internal Audit Manual, Treasury Instructions, flowcharts, and audit procedure manuals. I was also assisted in downloading the attendance application for clock-in and clock-out purposes and was given an access card. In addition, I was given a small task to suggest improvements that could enhance the overall efficiency of the workflow, as well as to provide any genera...