ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES USES OF ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES ▪ In planning – Preliminary analytical procedures ▪ Substantive tests – to obtain corroborative evidence ▪ Completion phase – Overall review of the financial statements. IN PLANNING – PRELIMINARY ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES ▪ Enhancing the understanding the business ▪ Identifying areas that may represent specific risks relevant to the audit. ▪ Determining the nature, timing and extent of FAPs ▪ Required SUBSTANTIVE TESTS – TO OBTAIN CORROBORATIVE EVIDENCE ▪ Evaluating the reasonableness of financial information. ▪ Obtaining corroborative evidence relating to a particular assertion. ▪ To detect a material misstatement. ▪ Not required COMPLETION PHASE – OVERALL REVIEW OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. ▪ Identifying unusual or unexpected account balances that were not previously identified in planning and substantive testing. ▪ Assisting in determining whether or not the auditor has the ability to issue the report. ▪ Required ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES ▪ Horizontal and trend analysis, ▪ Vertical analysis, and ▪ Ratio analysis. STEPS FOR ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES ▪ Develop expectation regarding financial statements. ▪ Compare the expectations with the financial statements under audit ▪ Investigate significant unexpected differences to determine whether financial statements contain material misstatements ▪ Inquiries ▪ Corroboration ▪ Other applicable procedures DEVELOP EXPECTATIONS REGARDING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS USING ▪ Prior year's financial statements ▪ Annualized interim financial statements ▪ Anticipated results such as budgets, forecasts, or projections ▪ Typical Relationships among financial statements account balances ▪ Industry averages ▪ Non-financial information COMPARE THE EXPECTATIONS WITH THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS UNDER AUDIT ▪ The auditor compares the expectations with the recorded amounts to identify whether or not there are unusual or unexpected relationships or fluctuations. INVESTIGATE SIGNIFICANT UNEXPECTED DIFFERENCES ▪ Defining significant differences is a matter of judgment. The auditor focuses on identified fluctuations and relationships that are inconsistent with other relevant information or deviate significantly from predicted amounts. ▪ Where there are unusual fluctuations and relationships, the auditor ordinarily begins with inquiries of management, followed by ▪ Corroboration of management's responses ▪ Consideration of the need to apply other audit procedures based on the results of management inquiries TREND ANALYSIS ▪ Trend analysis is the process of comparing the data from one period to one or more comparable periods including both comparing to prior period data and comparing to the projections based on the changing patterns in the history data. ▪ Trend analysis may include comparing ratios from one period to another or evaluate the relationship between data, both financial and non-financial, from one period to another. RATIO ANALYSIS ▪ Ratio analysis is the process of examination of various ratios of the company by comparing them to one or more comparable periods or to other companies in the same industry. ▪ Ratios are usually formed from two or more accounts or balances in the financial statements. In this case, using ratios with trend analysis can help auditors to identify unusual or unexpected changes in relationships between accounts or balances. ▪ Also, by comparing account balances to industry data, auditors can be alerted to any significant difference that could lead to the company’s issue. ▪ For example, if the company has much longer payables days comparing to industry data, it may indicate that the company is having liquidity or cash flow problems. This would alert auditors to question the company about going concern issues. RATIO ANALYSIS ▪ Comparing account balances in the current period to one or more comparable periods ▪ Comparing account balances to the company’s budget and forecasts ▪ Comparing account balances of the company to other companies in the same industry or comparing to the industry average. ▪ Evaluating the relationship of one account balances to other account balances with the predictable pattern ▪ Evaluating the relationship of account balances to non-financial data 1