📊 AuditFlow Pro — User Manual

1. Product Overview

AuditFlow Pro is a professional-grade Microsoft Excel Add-in purpose-built for audit firms and accountants. It transforms Excel into a complete audit workstation by embedding audit-specific tools, templates, and workflows directly into the spreadsheet environment auditors already use daily.

What AuditFlow Pro Does

• Automates repetitive audit tasks — GL cleaning, sampling, formatting, tickmarks, and template generation
• Manages the full audit trial balance lifecycle — from raw TB import through Extended TB, lead schedules, financial statements, and audit summaries
• Produces ISA-compliant workpapers — pre-formatted templates for planning memos, risk assessments, going concern, completion memos, and more
• Applies accounting standards — IFRS/IAS workpaper templates with industry-specific overlays for banking, insurance, manufacturing, and 20+ other sectors
• Tracks audit progress — review query logs, annotations, cross-references, sign-off stamps, and time tracking
• Generates financial statements — Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Notes directly from the Extended TB
• Runs analytical procedures — Benford's law, JET anomaly detection, ratio analysis, ageing, and variance analysis
• Supports offline work — all audit data stays in the browser's local storage; no internet needed for core features

Who It's For

• External audit teams (Big 4, mid-tier, and small firms)
• Internal audit departments
• Forensic accounting practitioners
• Accounting firms performing compilation and review engagements
• Pension fund auditors (specialised templates included)

Key Differentiators

2. Installation & Setup

System Requirements

• Excel: Microsoft Excel 2016 or later (Desktop), or Excel Online
• Operating System: Windows 10/11 or macOS 10.15+
• Browser Engine: Edge WebView2 (Desktop) or any modern browser (Online)
• Internet: Required only for login and subscription management; audit features work offline

Method 1: Sideload for Development/Testing

# 1. Clone the repository
git clone <repo-url>

# 2. Install dependencies
npm install

# 3. Start the development servers
npm run dev

# 4. Sideload into Excel
npm run sideload

This starts the Express API server on port 7264 and Webpack dev server on port 3000.

Method 2: Production (Azure-hosted)

To install in Excel:

1. Open Excel → Insert tab → Office Add-ins
2. Choose Upload My Add-in and select manifest.xml
3. The AuditFlow button appears in the Home ribbon tab

First Launch

1. Click AuditFlow in the Excel ribbon → the taskpane opens on the right
2. You'll see the navigation sidebar with all available feature tabs
3. Free features (GL Cleaner, Format, Tickmarks, Sampling, Annotations) work immediately — no login needed
4. For Pro features, click Login and enter your credentials

3. Getting Started

Engagement Context

Before starting audit work, set the engagement context that will be stamped on all workpapers and templates:

1. At the top of the add-in panel, fill in: Client Name, Period End, Auditor, and Reviewer
2. These values persist across sessions and are automatically injected into every template, workpaper header, and generated sheet

Recommended Workflow

4.1 GL Cleaner FREE

The GL Cleaner provides a one-click data quality pipeline that transforms messy General Ledger exports into clean, structured data ready for audit analysis.

How to Use

1. Open the sheet containing your raw GL export
2. Navigate to the GL Cleaner tab
3. Select which cleaning operations to apply:
   • Strip titles/subtotals — removes non-data rows
   • Remove blank rows/columns — eliminates empty rows and columns
   • Unmerge & fill down — un-merges cells and fills the unmerged cells
   • Trim whitespace — removes leading/trailing spaces
   • Standardise headers — maps common GL header variants to standard names
   • Expand section headers — distributes section names into a new column
   • Clean numbers — converts text-formatted numbers to proper Excel numbers
   • Freeze header & apply table — freezes the top row and applies table formatting
4. Click Run Pipeline

Snapshot & Undo

Save Snapshot creates a hidden copy of the current sheet. Restore Snapshot reverts the sheet — a safety net if cleaning produces unexpected results.

Header Alias Map

The GL Cleaner recognises 60+ common header variants:

What the Pipeline Does

1. Scans rows 1–15 to find the best header row (highest alias match score)
2. Handles multi-row headers by collapsing them into a single row
3. Removes rows above the header (report titles, logos)
4. Deletes blank rows and fully empty columns
5. Un-merges all cells and fills down repeated values
6. Trims whitespace from every cell
7. Renames headers to standard names
8. Detects section header rows and creates a "Section" column
9. Parses text-formatted numbers — handles (1,234.56), currency symbols, commas
10. Freezes the header row and converts to an Excel Table

4.2 Format Tools FREE

A collection of 15+ one-click formatting tools for common audit data operations.

Number Tools

Date Tools

Layout Tools

Auto-Fit (column widths) · Add Borders · Clear Format · Highlight Yellow/Green/Red

4.3 Tickmarks FREE

Insert standardised audit tickmark symbols into cells with professional colour coding.

Available Tickmarks

Insert Legend

Click Insert Legend to generate a formatted table listing all 19 tickmarks with meanings, coloured symbols, and professional formatting.

4.4 Audit Sampling FREE

Extract audit samples using three ISA-compliant statistical methods with full documentation.

Method 1: Random Sampling

Selects items randomly using a seeded PRNG (Fisher-Yates shuffle). Inputs: Sample Size and Random Seed (for reproducibility).

Method 2: Systematic Sampling

Selects every nth item from a specified start position. Inputs: Sample Size, Interval, Start Index.

Method 3: Monetary Unit Sampling (MUS)

Probability-proportional-to-size sampling based on cumulative monetary values. Inputs: Amount Column, Sampling Interval, Seed.

Output Options

• Highlight in Place — selected rows highlighted yellow with documentation block
• Create Sample Sheet — new worksheet with method documentation, parameter summary, and extracted sample rows

4.5 Analytics & JET Testing FREE PRO (EATB Variance)

Journal Entry Testing (JET)

EATB Variance Analysis (Pro)

Compares CY vs PY trial balance figures, flags significant variances exceeding materiality thresholds.

4.6 Trial Balance Management PRO

Import Trial Balance

1. Click Download TB Template for the expected CSV format (Account Code, Account Name, Debit, Credit, FS Caption, Note Caption, BS/PL)
2. Populate the template with your data
3. Click Import TB and select the CSV file
4. The TB is parsed, validated, and stored in browser localStorage

Manage Saved Trial Balances

View all imported TBs with line counts, dates, and client names. Click to load as active TB. Export TB writes to the active Excel sheet as a formatted table.

4.7 Extended Audit Trial Balance (EATB) PRO

The EATB combines the trial balance with all audit adjustments — the central audit workpaper.

Sheet 1: "Extended TB" — 15 Columns (A–O)

Sheet 2: "Audit Adjustments"

A journal register showing every adjustment as a self-contained block with status colour coding (green = Passed, amber = Proposed, red = Waived), balance check, and approval row.

Colour Coding

4.8 Audit Adjustments (Journals) PRO

Creating an Adjustment

1. Fill in: Reference (e.g. AJE-001), Type (AJE/RJE), Status (Passed/Proposed/Waived), Description, WP Ref
2. Add journal lines (min 2 — at least one Dr and one Cr): select Account, choose Dr/Cr, enter Amount
3. Click Save Adjustment

Adjustment Rules

• Passed — affects CY Adjusted (column K)
• Proposed — appears in column L only (informational)
• Waived — recorded but excluded from both CY Adjusted and Proposed

4.9 Lead Schedules PRO

Groups TB accounts by FS Caption with PY to CY movement and adjustment columns.

An LS_Summary sheet aggregates all FS Caption groups.

4.10 Audit Summaries PRO

Note-level audit view with CY balances, adjustments, PY comparatives, and variances. Generates AS_{FSCaption} sheets with CY Unadjusted, Net Adjustment, CY Audited, PY Audited, Variance, and Variance %.

4.11 Financial Statements PRO

Income Statement

Revenue (credit sign-flipped), Cost of Sales, Gross Profit, Operating Expenses, Operating Profit, Finance Costs, Other Income, Profit Before Tax, Tax, Net Income. Each line shows CY and PY amounts.

Balance Sheet

Assets (Non-Current + Current), Equity (Share Capital + Retained Earnings), Liabilities (Non-Current + Current). Includes balance check formula.

Notes Sheets

Individual Notes_{NoteCaption} sheets showing account-level detail grouped by Note Caption.

4.12 Materiality Calculator PRO

Calculation

1. Select Basis: PBT, Revenue, Total Assets, Total Equity, or Total Expenses
2. Enter the Basis Amount and Percentage
3. Overall Materiality (OM) = Basis × Percentage
4. Performance Materiality (PM) = OM × 75%
5. Trivial Threshold = OM × 5%

Workpaper Generation

Click Insert Materiality Workpaper for a multi-section Excel workpaper with Benchmark Analysis (5 benchmarks with ISA 320 ranges), Materiality Determination, and Prior Year Comparison.

4.13 Workpapers PRO

Create standardised 9-row audit workpaper headers (firm name, title, client, WP ref, period, prepared/reviewed by) with frozen rows and pre-set column widths.

4.14 Workpaper Builder (Drag & Drop) PRO

Visual drag-and-drop interface for constructing custom audit workpapers from pre-built sections:

• Palette: Header, Objective, Procedure, Data Table, Conclusion, Custom sections
• Canvas: Drag sections to assemble your workpaper layout
• Configure: Set columns, custom headers, free-form text for each section
• Insert into Excel: Generate the workpaper as a formatted sheet
• Save as Template: Reuse configurations across engagements

4.15 ISA Audit Templates PRO

4.16 Accounting Standards Templates PRO

IFRS/IAS workpaper templates with industry-specific overlays. Core standards: IFRS 3, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17; IAS 2, 12, 16, 19, 20, 21, 32, 36, 37, 38, 40.

Industry Overlays

4.17 Test of Details (ToD) PRO

Pre-configured test of details workpapers customised by FS Caption and industry. Includes objectives, pre-populated procedures with assertion mappings ([I] Inspection, [O] Observation, [EI] Inquiry, [R] Recalculation, [RP] Reperformance, [AP] Analytical Procedure), sample detail columns, and conclusion section.

4.18 Audit Annotations FREE

Annotations add coloured cell tints, thick borders, and native Excel cell notes. A registry tracks all annotations with filtering, refresh, and export capabilities.

4.19 Opening Balance Confirmation FREE

Automatically detects and extracts opening balances from GL data for ISA 510 verification. Uses smart column detection with heuristic fallbacks for date, numeric, and amount columns.

4.20 Compliance Checklists PRO

Country-specific and industry-specific regulatory compliance checklists covering Corporate Governance, Tax, Labour, AML/CFT, Data Protection, Environmental, and Industry-Specific regulations.

Risk levels are colour-coded: 🔴 Critical · 🟠 High · 🟡 Medium · 🟢 Low

4.21 Review Query Log PRO

Structured review query tracking with 50 pre-formatted slots and automatic status workflow:

• Open — no response (columns I–K empty)
• Responded — Officer Response filled (column K)
• Cleared — Date Cleared filled (column N)

15-column layout: Ref#, Date Raised, Raised By, Sheet, Cell/Range, Nature, Query, Priority, Date Responded, Responded By, Response, Supporting Ref, Status (formula), Date Cleared, Cleared By.

4.22 Cross-References PRO

Insert Excel hyperlinks between cells across sheets for audit trail connectivity. Includes Batch Mode for multiple cross-references and a Build XRef Index sheet listing all references.

4.23 Sign-Off Stamp PRO

Stamps a professional sign-off block with Prepared by (name + date) and Reviewed by (name + date), formatted with borders.

4.24 Benford's Law Analysis PRO

Statistical analysis comparing leading digit distribution against Benford's expected distribution. Shows observed vs. expected frequencies and chi-square test results. Significant deviations may indicate data manipulation (ISA 520 analytical procedure).

4.25 Duplicate Payment Detection PRO

Scans for potential duplicate payments based on amount, date, and description matching.

4.26 Related Party Search PRO

Searches GL data for transactions with known related parties (ISA 550 requirement).

4.27 Ageing Analysis PRO

Generates ageing analysis (receivables/payables) with buckets: Current, 30, 60, 90, 120+ days. Formatted output with totals and percentages per bucket.

4.28 Financial Ratio Analysis PRO

Key financial ratios with industry-specific benchmarks:

• Profitability: Gross margin, net margin, ROE, ROA
• Liquidity: Current ratio, quick ratio, cash ratio
• Efficiency: Inventory turnover, receivable/payable days
• Leverage: Debt-to-equity, interest coverage, gearing
• Industry-specific: CAR (banks), loss ratio (insurance), PAR>30 (MFIs)

4.29 Bank Reconciliation PRO

Reconciles bank statement balance to GL/cash book balance, identifying reconciling items.

4.30 Confirmation Letters PRO

ISA 505-compliant third-party confirmation letters: Bank, Debtor, Creditor, and Legal. Includes Mail Merge for batch generation from data lists.

4.31 CSV Import & Preview PRO

Import CSV files with preview of first rows and column mapping before full import.

4.32 Completeness Checklist PRO

Audit completeness checklist ensuring all required workpapers and procedures are completed before signing the audit report.

4.33 Assertions Mapper PRO

Maps FS line items to ISA assertions: Existence/Occurrence, Completeness, Accuracy/Valuation/Allocation, Cut-off, Rights & Obligations, Classification, Presentation.

4.34 Findings Log PRO

Structured template for documenting audit findings with reference, description, impact assessment, risk rating, management response, and status tracking.

4.35 Risk & Control Matrix (RCM) PRO

Links business process risks to internal controls with design effectiveness assessment, testing approach, and results.

4.36 Review Notes Template PRO

Separate review notes template for the review process (distinct from the Review Query Log).

4.37 WP Numbering & Sheet Index PRO

WP Numbering generates workpaper reference numbers. Sheet Index creates a Sheet_Index table of contents with WP Ref, Sheet Name (hyperlinked), Description, and Status.

4.38 Workpaper Search PRO

Cross-sheet text search with results showing sheet name, cell reference, matching value, and clickable navigation link.

4.39 Custom Tickmarks FREE

Define custom tickmark symbols beyond the built-in 19. Persists in localStorage. Save to a legend sheet.

4.40 Time Tracker FREE

Floating timer widget for tracking time spent on audit workpapers. Features: start/stop with WP Ref tagging, auto-pause after 15 min inactivity, Insert Time Summary sheet (WP Ref, Date, Duration, Decimal Hours, Total).

4.41 Print Formatting PRO

One-click professional print setup: landscape, fit-to-width, centred content, margins, print area.

4.42 Theme & Branding FREE

Customise the colour palette (navyBg, blueBg, lightBlue, fonts, input/adjustment/audited fills) used across all generated templates and workpapers. Persists in localStorage.

4.43 Pension Fund Templates PRO

5. Subscription & Billing

Plans

Payment

Payments via Paystack (Ghana): Mobile money or card. Plans activate immediately on payment success.

Device Licensing

Each plan has a device seat limit. The oldest device is deactivated when you exceed the limit. Individual = 2 seats, Institution = 10 seats.

6. Data Privacy & Security

Privacy Architecture

Authentication Security

• Passwords hashed with bcryptjs (10 rounds)
• Min 8 chars with uppercase, lowercase, digit, and special character
• JWT tokens expire after 8 hours
• Account lockout after 5 failed attempts (15-minute lockout)
• Rate limiting on auth endpoints (15 req per 15 min)
• HTTPS enforced in production

7. Keyboard Shortcuts

Press ? to display the shortcuts help modal.

8. Settings & Account Management

• Update Email — change login email (triggers token revocation)
• Change Password — requires current password + strength requirements
• API URL — configurable for development/self-hosting
• Theme Customisation — modify colour palette for all templates
• Saved Profiles — save/load engagement context and settings

9. Technical Architecture

Client-Side (Excel Add-in)

• Runtime: Excel WebView2 (Desktop) or iframe (Online)
• Language: Vanilla JavaScript (ES6+), bundled with Webpack
• Excel Integration: All operations via Excel.run(async (ctx) => { ... })

Server-Side (Express API)

• Runtime: Node.js + Express on port 7264
• Database: MS SQL Server (Azure) via mssql
• Auth: JWT (HS256, 8-hour expiry)
• Payment: Paystack API

Database Tables

10. Troubleshooting

"No trial balance data found"

Cause: No TB imported or active TB cleared.
Fix: Trial Balance tab → Import or Load a saved TB.

Add-in panel is blank

Cause: WebView2 failed to load or dev server not running.
Fix: (Dev) Run npm run dev. (Prod) Check internet to the Azure endpoint.

"#REF!" errors in linked sheets

Cause: Extended TB sheet was rebuilt, breaking cross-sheet references.
Fix: Rebuild affected downstream sheets (Lead Schedules, Financial Statements).

"Sign in required" gate appears

Cause: Accessing a Pro feature without login.
Fix: Login with credentials or subscribe to the Pro plan.

Excel operations are slow

Cause: Large datasets or many context.sync() calls.
Fix: Close unnecessary sheets/workbooks. Split very large files (>100k rows).

Paystack payment window doesn't open

Cause: Popup blocker preventing the payment window.
Fix: Allow popups from the AuditFlow domain.