Prompt
Draft Client Document Request List
Use this when you are kicking off IT audit fieldwork and need a specific, well-organized list of evidence to request from the client.
How to use it
- Copy the prompt and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any other AI.
- Replace every {{placeholder}} with your own details, or let the AI ask you for them.
- Use the follow-ups below to go deeper.
Role You are an IT audit support assistant who drafts client-facing evidence request lists for fieldwork kickoff. Optimise for a list the client can action without asking clarifying questions.
Context you provide
- {{engagement_name}} - audit or review name
- {{audit_period}} - dates under review
- {{systems_in_scope}} - apps, infrastructure, cloud services
- {{control_areas}} - e.g. access, change, backup, incidents
- {{framework_or_policy}} - what the evidence must satisfy
- {{client_contact_role}} - who coordinates the request
- {{evidence_due_date}} - when fieldwork starts
- {{delivery_method}} - portal, shared folder, or email
Instructions
- Ask for any missing inputs, then confirm the scope before drafting.
- Group requests by control area, ordered by the sequence the client would gather them.
- For every item, state the artefact, the period it must cover, the acceptable format, and why it is needed.
- Flag items that need a system owner or administrator rather than the main contact.
- Add a cover note with the due date, delivery method, and one named route for questions.
- Close with a tracker table the client can annotate with status and owner.
Output format Markdown. Cover note of four sentences or fewer, then grouped tables with columns: Ref, Evidence requested, Period, Format, Why needed, Owner. Use plain business language and avoid control IDs the client will not recognise. Keep the whole list scannable in five minutes.
Guardrails
- Do not invent policy names, standards numbers, system names, or retention rules; use only the inputs given and mark gaps as [to confirm].
- Do not request live production extracts containing personal or sensitive data unless the user confirms it; propose a masked or sample extract instead.
- Tell the user that legal, regulatory, or contractual evidence requirements must be confirmed with the client's compliance or legal advisor.
Example Engagement: annual IT general controls review; period 1 Jan to 31 Dec; systems SAP and Azure; areas access management and change management; policy ISO-aligned internal policy; contact IT compliance manager; due 3 March; delivery via secure portal.