Case study

Layton Layton & Tobler cuts audit sample selection time by 50% with Analyze

By automating data ingestion and risk‑based sampling, the firm shifts hours from spreadsheet prep to higher‑value testing and review.

Executive Summary

Layton Layton & Tobler LLP adopted Thomson Reuters Analyze to eliminate spreadsheet‑heavy sampling and standardize documentation across engagements. By ingesting QuickBooks data in minutes, Analyze applies risk‑based and random selection automatically and consolidates evidence into a single workpaper. The firm reports a 50% reduction in time spent on sample selection over more than 30 engagements, faster reviews thanks to unified source, and better staff experience as auditors focus on substantive testing rather than mechanical tasks.

The Opportunity: Moving beyond spreadsheet busywork

Before Analyze, the audit team exported client data into Excel, built pivot tables, generated random numbers in separate files, and reconciled selections across multiple spreadsheets. The process consumed hours, introduced opportunities for error, and delayed the start of substantive testing.

As a reviewer, audit partner Brad Guichard faced added friction tracing selection logic and data lineage spread across files. The firm needed a consistent, defensible way to plan and document sampling that would shorten cycle times without sacrificing audit quality.

50%

reduction in time spent on sample selection — teams generate samples in Analyze instead of building spreadsheets

30+

engagements in the first six months using Analyze — demonstrating rapid adoption and repeatable value

The Solution: Automated ingestion and risk‑based sampling

Analyze connects directly to QuickBooks (online or desktop) or accepts uploads, standardizing full‑population data in minutes.

“It's a big time-saver. Instead of taking things from QuickBooks into Excel and building pivot tables, we can pull everything into Analyze and get our samples that way. Just in sample selection, it's probably saved us 50% of our time.”

Brad Guichard
Audit partner, Layton Layton & Tobler LLP

From there, the platform surfaces anomalies and enables both risk‑based and random selection while documenting criteria, parameters, and randomization details automatically. "Analyze automatically picks out things that might be post-dated, posted by someone who isn't the bookkeeper, or entered on off days – the items we might not have flagged before when we were just pulling a random sample from one spreadsheet," Guichard explained.

With selections and source lineage consolidated, Brad can quickly open a single file to see exactly what was chosen and why.

“As a reviewer, it's easier to just open one file and see where everything came from, how the sample was chosen, how many were selected, how the random numbers were generated - instead of digging through three different files.”

Brad Guichard
Audit partner, Layton Layton & Tobler LLP

The Outcome: Faster cycles, sharper risk focus, and better staff experience

Implementation has streamlined kickoff: teams request ledger and subledger data, standardize it once, and immediately segment populations by risk to drive targeted procedures. Review time drops as evidence and rationale are centralized, reducing back‑and‑forth and rework. Equally important, automating mechanics has improved the staff experience. "It's nice to take the mindless, busy work off our hands,” he added. “My staff isn't burdened down spending hours getting to the actual testing. They can focus on the work that matters."

The firm consistently achieves a 50% time savings in sample selection while capturing higher‑risk items earlier in the process. "It saves staff hours and lets people focus on the actual testing rather than the busy work involved in selecting samples and transactions," Guichard said.

Company Overview

Layton Layton & Tobler LLP is a Las Vegas–based CPA firm established in 1971, providing accounting, auditing, and tax services to businesses and individuals across diverse industries in Southern Nevada. The firm emphasizes long‑term relationships and service grounded in technical expertise. (lltcpa.com)

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