Which of the following would NOT be classified as an analytical procedure?

Analytical procedures are techniques used in auditing that involve the evaluation of financial information by studying meaningful relationships among both financial and non-financial data. The procedure that is identified as not being classified as an analytical procedure is the projection of an error rate against statistical samples.

This choice is focused on statistical sampling techniques and the specific estimation of errors, which typically falls under substantive testing rather than analytical procedures. Analytical procedures generally involve comparisons and ratios derived from financial data to assess whether account balances appear reasonable based on expected patterns or relationships.

The other options all reflect different forms of analytical procedures. Estimating payroll expense based on workforce data utilizes historical data and workforce statistics to project payroll costs, indicating a relationship and reasonableness check. Computing inventory turnover rates takes two key financial figures (cost of goods sold and inventory levels) to ascertain how efficiently inventory is being managed, allowing for comparative analysis. Similarly, developing expected sales based on historical trends analyzes past performance to forecast future sales, demonstrating the relationship between past and future data.

Thus, the classification of the projection of an error rate does not align with typical analytical procedures, which focus on evaluating estimates or benchmarks rather than sampling error calculations.