Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/53322
WORKFLOW A If your fi rm is still using a spreadsheet application to s deployed technologies continue to advance and change within the tax & accounting fi rm environment, the way in which practices track a work product from point of entry through point of delivery is also changing. Many fi rms have successfully made the leap to automated workfl ow tools and now, with two to three years behind them, some best practices are starting to emerge. track the status of jobs as they move throughout the fi rm, it's time to give an automated workfl ow tool a look. Many of these tools have come a long way from their start in the tax outsourcing space, becoming fully functional workfl ow management tools for the entire fi rm. For a workfl ow tool to be embraced by the partners and staff in a fi rm, it needs to be simple to use - not create additional work to accomplish the goal - and there must be a noticeable benefi t surrounding job status. Using my own fi rm as an example, we initially imple- mented our workfl ow tool about four years ago. Since then, we have successfully deployed that tool around every single revenue generating service, involving the delivery of a fi nal work product. It took a number of re-visits to our workfl ow process to get it right, but today, all of our offi ces and nearly 500 partners and staff have the ability to check on the status of any job by simply opening a web browser and visiting a dashboard that can be customized to each of their specifi c needs. Over the years we've developed a few best practices internally, in addition to picking up some best practices from those fi rms that traveled the path before us. Although some of these suggestions may not be a perfect fi t within your specifi c fi rm, many can be tweaked to meet your needs. Take a Global Approach Professional fi rms today deliver many diff erent types of products to their clients, so limiting the deployment of a workfl ow tool to one specifi c revenue stream or product line doesn't make a lot of sense. Although I will be the fi rst 22 February 2012 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com to agree that some departments or product lines may desperately need a workfl ow solution more than others, those that are currently functioning well without one have the ability to function even bet er. For example, many firms have deployed workflow solutions solely in the tax area of the practice, tracking the fl ow of source documents and the work product from point of entry through point of delivery. Since in a majority of fi rms, most staff are engaged in performing tax, accounting and auditing and consulting services, a diff erent workfl ow process needs to be established for each of those deliver- ables. T ese diff erences, as slight as they may be, tend to create ineffi ciencies and hurt overall realization. Take the global approach from the start. Look at every deliverable at your fi rm and examine each of the steps that are important milestones leading up to the delivery of that work product to the client. Deploying a workfl ow solution globally will allow the partners and staff to collaborate on all engagements and will standardize the workfl ow process, regardless of deliverable. Don't Get Too Deep When tracking the fl ow of work throughout the fi rm it is important that such tracking does not go too deep. In other words, keep the view high level at 30,000 feet! If you micro manage the fl ow of work and at empt to identify every single point of touch, you could be set ing yourself up for failure. Step 1: Identify point of entry and point of delivery for every product/service that you wish to track. Step 2: Spend time identifying the points Be s P t rcic at e – Bes t P rctic a e –