A QUALIFIED assurance opinion or statement indicates that the assessment encountered some limitations, and outside of those limitations, a positive or negative statement can be offered. This type of opinion acknowledges that there are constraints that affected the scope or completeness of the assessment, but within the areas that could be reviewed, the assurance provider can still offer a conclusion. It is a way to communicate the assurance provider's findings while being transparent about any limitations that were encountered.References:
* IIA Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing
* AICPA Auditing Standards