checklist: the 10 questions you need to ask.
by penny breslin
it’s not just the numbers
i’ve developed a series of questions to assess someone’s aptitude for being on a team. each person in your firm who is a possible member of the back office support (bos) team needs to answer these questions. that includes you, as you are a potential team member.
more: which kind of team do you have? | you don’t have to do everything | what do you want advisory services to be? | meet the new bos | why ai is not the enemy
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ask others in your firm or people you work with outside your firm to give you feedback on these questions as they see you and the other potential members of your team. their responses will give you a second filtering of your potential as well as others you would like on your team. notice these are not questions relating to the competencies in accounting functions. the assumption is that you and your people already possess those skills.
today’s young graduates in accounting and young entrepreneurs are used to teamwork, and they prefer it. there is much to learn and little time to adapt the knowledge. sharing the task of learning with a team – you, your employees, your clients and the apps and ai – makes this a doable proposition.
with the coronavirus pandemic, we now have interactive virtual learning taking place at a higher rate. we may all find this a bit challenging but consider young children now learning in a virtual environment. some struggle, some get by and some thrive. different learners all, but all can learn. the newest graduates who will be coming to your firm have experienced this virtual learning and they have adapted in their own way. just think one year and one event has changed how we perceive learning into the next decade. the pandemic also changed business in the same ways.
questions to ask of yourself and others in your firm:
- are you a good team player?
- do you enjoy working as part of a team?
- do you prefer to work alone? why?
- how do you respond to a team member who is not pulling their weight?
- are there any things you don’t like about being part of a team?
- how do you define sharing information with other team members? what does that look like?
- have you any examples of things you’ve done to ensure that your role within a team was a positive one?
- have you had an experience of being part of a team that didn’t get along? what did you do?
- what does your ideal team look like?
- what would you do if a team member was rude/not meeting deadlines/going behind other team members’ backs/aggressive?
your team doesn’t need to work alone. there are reputable groups of boss, accountants and bookkeepers who use social media to connect, annual meetings and webinars to discuss and share information. listen to your peers, then act in the best interest of your firm and your clients.
team members and job descriptions
from my experience building bos teams around the world, at a minimum, there should be three members of the team to cover the four aspects of this function along with the leader who is the coordinator. remember the four aspects:
- steward
- operator
- strategist
- catalyst
who within your firm has already shown they can be a team player? be honest; if this is not something you yourself enjoy, then stop here … stay where you are. playing well with others – either people or technology – is important. you really must like this aspect in order to do it well and maintain it.
once you have identified the members of your team, it’s time to divide up the roles they’ll fill.
accountant/bookkeeper or bos leader (bosl)
the bosl’s function with the client back office (cbo) is to:
- establish the scope of engagement
- set up meetings on a regular cadence with cbo either via phone or in person to review monthly/weekly/quarterly or annual reports, future movement of the company with projections
- maintain the relationship with cbo
the bosl’s function with the bookkeeper manager (bkm) is to:
- go over scope of engagement
- revisit scope with bkm on preset repeat visits
- assist the bkm in obtaining source documentation when needed
the bosl function with the preparers (prp) is minimal and based on the ability of the bkm to oversee the prp.
bookkeeper manager (bkm)
this is the person who will figure out the processes plus understand the goals that you and the client are trying to achieve. an mba is a plus for the person in this role. this role does not require a cpa. do not duplicate yourself. you don’t need more of what you already bring to the table. instead, add to the development of the bos team. finding people who can add to the overall team and who also want to grow is important.
you may set up some initial procedures based on knowledge you gain from the client, but the actual day-to-day will become the main concern of the bkm. processes change, and with ai, they change often and fast. this person needs to be aware of the changes and be open to new technologies. give this person the opportunity to learn often.
the bkm’s function with the bosl is to:
- review initial scope of engagement
- set time for first on site or virtual meeting with cbo
- set a repeat task to review cbo scope with bos
we have clients in san diego, boston, salt lake, philadelphia, seattle, toronto, spain and israel. we have only met face to face with our clients located in san diego. all others we have communicated with and set up via zoom and we maintain communication via slack. we always make sure that the businesses have a tax accountant we can communicate with and who is aware of the level of work we are performing.
the bkm’s function with the cbo is to:
- gather initial source documents that the bos leader may not have obtained; train the client on how to use apps for collection of source documents from this point forward
- finalize cbo procedures and show the client how they are to use these procedures
- fill in client checklists or assign creation of checklist to prp
- review the current paper flow in the cbo office and find bottlenecks and where technology can replace paper flows
- train cbo on preferred method of information capture
the bkm’s function with the prp is to:
- assigns tasks; these are either repeat tasks or one-time tasks
- review prp tasks and work
- answer questions as well as communicate questions to either bosl or cbo
preparer (prp)
the preparers (prp) often have little contact with the bosl and cbo. they will be managed by the bkm, who will assign tasks. their key responsibilities are the completion of the assigned tasks – typically data review/entry – and keeping the source documents organized.
client (cbo)
the client (cbo) communicates with bos and bkm and typically presents to prp as a task, the source documents and cbo procedures. the cbo has an accounting data file hosted on a saas system or asp/cloud or under the bos firm.
implementer and documenter
this person works as a connector between all members of the team(s). in firms where the bkm does the task work, this is usually office staff who support the bkm to take the onus of source document collection off their desk. they can be trained to document and update procedures as they change. if they are good, they can also implement the apps and manage some training of the cbo.
these job descriptions cover a larger firm but can be condensed to the sole accountant/bookkeeper building a vertical bos. the main takeaway here is that these are distinct aspects of performing accounting and bookkeeping services that occur every day, but other than the prp role, these have no real accounting function (but are the functions that bookkeepers and accountants allow themselves to get stuck with) as they are all peripheral. however, these functions are needed in order to complete the accounting tasks. never forget the ancillary aspect of any work you take in. it’s not magic. there is always a push and a pull and to not know the workings of that is a slow painful experience.
sup
sup – team leader on provider outsource side – is needed only if the bos team preparers are at or managed by a third party. the supervisor (sup) functions as the first line of communications with prp for training, schedules, overall work review and backup protocols for exceptions. when issues arise with prp work, it is the sup’s responsibility to troubleshoot with bkm or bosl. sups will review prp work during initial setup or if problems occur. sups are used if a bos firm is outsourcing large amounts of data review/entry to a third party.
here is a diagram of our teams:
the client is at the top of this organization chart. as the number of bos-type clients you take on grows, so too will your team. you may even have more than one team, especially if you develop multiple verticals. this method of organization allows team members to see potential for upward movement and give a sense of long-term possibilities with the firm.
when you are building teams, adding an administrative assistant can be very helpful. this could be an entry-level prp prior to their being assigned client work. it could be an intern or your current office admins. this administrative person can schedule internal meetings, track training and/or handle internal non-client-facing work for the whole team. you want to keep yourself, your bkm and prps focused on actually doing work for and with the client. keep them away from answering phones, answering emails and doing minor research. your admin can handle much of this and be the team’s gatekeeper.