alan anderson, author at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

give your audit teams tasks that increase business acumen

business-mindedness helps you identify risks.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

i’ve previously described a task i have teams perform at the end of an audit. after everyone shares their insights about what they learned about that client and their operations, i ask everyone to complete this phrase:

“if i were running this business, i would ______________.”

more: are you using the right business model? | give advice while remaining independent | the new formula for an accounting business | don’t risk losing good employees for bad clients | four questions to make your firm more successful as a business | say adios to audit fee pressure | deliver more audit value by getting out of the conference room | six essential elements in audit planning | before the audit: more than just planning | five crucial attributes for successful audit leadership | put the ethics code to work for your clients and your firm | is audit in crisis because of definitions?
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here are a few of the ideas i’ve heard audit teams come up with in that exercise:

audit & assurance

are you using the right business model?

own your expertise and price it accordingly – yes, even in audits.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

those firms that value the chargeable hour above all risk losing their best team members. the ones who want to think, innovate and come up with creative ideas that add value to the client and the firm will leave.

more: give advice while remaining independent | stop mixing up your v’s and losing your best people | how to upgrade c and d clients | can a service center model solve audit staffing shortages? | move to advisory and assurance with relevance | use eight audit exit items to deepen client relationships | know your three audit w’s | planning lays the foundation of audit relevance | are you correctly identifying the relevance intersection?
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when audits are billed out on a flat-fee basis, is an hourly rate still relevant? tracking time isn’t a revenue system if it does not impact what the client pays you. the billable hour is nothing more than a cost accounting system. production is what the client pays for, so measuring that, plus instituting measures for accountability, more closely mirrors what brings money in the door.

audit & assurance

give advice while remaining independent

find the magic 20 percent that could create clients for life.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

the pillars of our ethics are objectivity and integrity, and our profession has chosen independence to measure our objectivity as cpas. we can still offer advice and insight to our clients and remain objective. we cannot, however, act in the capacity of management. our clients must decide which ideas to use and implement them.

more: stop mixing up your v’s and losing your best people | empower your team by dumping c and d clients | eleven types of audit clients and which to fire | don’t take on audits in an industry you don’t understand | how ‘business expert cpas’ get their own business wrong | exceptional audit client service demands effective communication | five ways to prevent audit bottlenecks | how do we drive relevance in audit? | lack of relevance drives audit commoditization | four basic understandings every auditor must master
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the tricky part comes when something we recommend fails. for example, let’s say a client asks for software advice, and they choose one of the three options we suggest. but that package isn’t working. now, can we be objective enough to admit that the advice we gave them and they paid for was wrong? do we have the integrity to tell the client they must write off the cost of that capitalized software? can we be objective enough to face the possible negative consequences and not just protect ourselves?

audit & assurance

stop mixing up your v’s and losing your best people

when you take a value-based approach to your firm, you measure success in two ways.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

more: empower your team by dumping c and d clients | the new formula for an accounting business | don’t risk losing good employees for bad clients | four questions to make your firm more successful as a business | say adios to audit fee pressure | deliver more audit value by getting out of the conference room | six essential elements in audit planning | before the audit: more than just planning | five crucial attributes for successful audit leadership | put the ethics code to work for your clients and your firm
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

my associate corey told me about his experience and why he left his last firm. see if this sounds familiar:

audit & assurance

empower your team by dumping c and d clients

keeping bad clients can do more harm than you might think.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

have you ever sat down with your team to get their honest opinions about what it’s like working with each one of your clients? this is an essential exercise if you want to build an empowered team. their experiences with the same client and people may differ vastly from yours. clients may treat the audit partner with respect but not the staff.

more: the new formula for an accounting business | how to upgrade c and d clients | can a service center model solve audit staffing shortages? | move to advisory and assurance with relevance | use eight audit exit items to deepen client relationships | know your three audit w’s | planning lays the foundation of audit relevance | are you correctly identifying the relevance intersection? | traditional audits don’t deserve premium billing | turning audit & accounting into assurance & advisory | stop sending the wrong message to audit teams
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

your team wants to do quality work, but they may struggle to deliver if the clients don’t honor their end of the agreement.

audit & assurance

the new formula for an accounting business

productivity isn’t the same as putting in the hours.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

getting the right clients and projects goes a long way toward building a profitable and successful firm. but that’s only part of being business-minded about your firm. cpa firms have followed the same overall business model for generations, based on billing clients for the hours worked on a file. while that has been successful and has allowed many partners to achieve great wealth, a few forward-thinking firms are successfully challenging that model.

more: how to upgrade c and d clients | eleven types of audit clients and which to fire | don’t take on audits in an industry you don’t understand | how ‘business expert cpas’ get their own business wrong | exceptional audit client service demands effective communication | five ways to prevent audit bottlenecks | how do we drive relevance in audit? | lack of relevance drives audit commoditization | four basic understandings every auditor must master | wanted: great audit mentors | closing the audit expectations gap
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

many firm owners obsess about chargeability and realization rates. but that’s missing the big picture: the only thing your revenue model needs to accomplish is bringing in enough cash to cover your expenses with leftover profit. we know how much we’re paying the staff working on the audit, and we need to collect two to three times their salaries for that work. that will give us the cash we need to pay them and all our other expenses, plus a return to the partner, and make up for the weeks when they’re not as busy or are in cpe or taking pto.

that’s why, instead of obsessing about chargeability and realization rates, a better way to measure success for your firm is by looking at your collected rate. read more →

audit & assurance

how to upgrade c and d clients

use relationship building and a little bit of detective work.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

ideally, if you’re practicing business-mindedness, you only keep the a and b clients. if a client is below that level, you must consider whether that client is salvageable. if the answer is no, you need to exit the relationship.

more: eleven types of audit clients and which to fire | don’t risk losing good employees for bad clients | four questions to make your firm more successful as a business | say adios to audit fee pressure | deliver more audit value by getting out of the conference room | six essential elements in audit planning | before the audit: more than just planning | five crucial attributes for successful audit leadership | put the ethics code to work for your clients and your firm | is audit in crisis because of definitions?
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

for c and d clients, you want to try to grow them into a or b clients by developing a relationship with them. if they don’t reach that level within three years, they can be passed off to another firm. there’s always more than enough work to go around with a and b clients.

audit & assurance

eleven types of audit clients and which to fire

bad clients can bring turmoil by increasing the likelihood of regulatory scrutiny, legal troubles and reputational damage.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

in the realm of auditing, client selection is a critical decision that can significantly impact the health and harmony of your team and your firm. auditors should be highly selective about their clients because engaging with entities that lack ethical standards, have complex or opaque financial practices, or demonstrate a history of compliance issues can lead to substantial risks and challenges.

more: don’t risk losing good employees for bad clients | can a service center model solve audit staffing shortages? | move to advisory and assurance with relevance | use eight audit exit items to deepen client relationships | know your three audit w’s | planning lays the foundation of audit relevance | are you correctly identifying the relevance intersection? | traditional audits don’t deserve premium billing

exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

when we discuss the types of clients that our teams find challenging to work with, we can divide them into these categories:

audit & assurance

don’t risk losing good employees for bad clients

keep the right kpis and the right clients, and you’ll keep the right staff.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

audit in the future will be much different than in the past. it’s going to require different skill sets. in the future, we need to teach more thinking and interpretive skills. the ticking and tying can be automated, but we’ll need people to interpret the anomalies that the bots and automation tools kick out. they’ll need to develop a deeper understanding of the industry, the client, and general business sense to discern whether an anomaly is just a mistake or a sign of something more profound.

more: can a service center model solve audit staffing shortages? | don’t take on audits in an industry you don’t understand | how ‘business expert cpas’ get their own business wrong | exceptional audit client service demands effective communication | five ways to prevent audit bottlenecks | how do we drive relevance in audit? | lack of relevance drives audit commoditization | four basic understandings every auditor must master | wanted: great audit mentors | closing the audit expectations gap
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

as the owner of a business myself, i understand the need to ensure there is enough cash coming in to keep the lights on and everyone paid. but sometimes, firms take on work just to keep people busy all year round. a prime example of this is ebp audits, which seem quick and easy but have their own risk factors. doing only one or two a year can be especially risky for your firm.

audit & assurance

can a service center model solve audit staffing shortages?

providing superior client service eliminates the perception of audit as a commodity.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

most firms have abysmal project management, which makes it nearly impossible to see if there’s any room to take on extra work. plus, piling all the work into busy season means your people already work far beyond 40 hours a week. and, if you’re relying on timesheets as a measure of capacity, you may not be capturing the time your staff eats because the work is taking more than 40 or even 60 hours in a week to complete.

more: don’t take on audits in an industry you don’t understand | four questions to make your firm more successful as a business | say adios to audit fee pressure | deliver more audit value by getting out of the conference room | six essential elements in audit planning | before the audit: more than just planning | five crucial attributes for successful audit leadership | put the ethics code to work for your clients and your firm | is audit in crisis because of definitions?
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

during the 2020-21 covid-19 pandemic, some audit firms had to lay people off, or reduce work hours as projects got canceled or curtailed. but the long-term trend for years has been a shortfall in talent that will only get worse. burnout from overwork is the number one cause of employee turnover.

audit & assurance

don’t take on audits in an industry you don’t understand

don’t try to wear too many hats. pick your specialty area and become a guru.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

industry expertise is essential for businessmindedness. for me, the primary ingredient for building a successful audit practice is to avoid taking on work that you don’t understand. too many firms say they can audit any balance sheet, but that’s when they can get into trouble. many firms get sued because they made a bad business decision. they thought they could take on this unique industry and get it right. if you dabble in any industry, you will put your firm and yourself at tremendous risk.

more: four questions to make your firm more successful as a business | move to advisory and assurance with relevance | how ‘business expert cpas’ get their own business wrong | say adios to audit fee pressure | eight items to cover in the audit exit to deepen client relationships and prove value | know your three audit w’s | planning lays the foundation of audit relevance | how do we drive relevance in audit? | before the audit: more than just planning | are you correctly identifying the relevance intersection? | lack of relevance drives audit commoditization
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

when the u.s. department of labor looked at the quality of employee benefit plan (ebp) audits, they found plenty of problems. that 2014 study found “a clear link between the number of employee benefit plan audits performed by a cpa and the quality of the audit work performed.” almost half of the firms the dol looked at performed only one or two ebp audits per year, and 75 percent of those had deficiencies. over half of those (56%) had five or more deficiencies.

audit & assurance

four questions to make your firm more successful as a business

where on the spectrum of accounting firms do you want to operate?

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

many firms limit their consideration of businessmindedness to the narrow focus of growing their top line. however, generating sufficient revenue to cover costs and generate profit is only a baseline measure for businessmindedness.

more: move to advisory and assurance with relevance | how ‘business expert cpas’ get their own business wrong | exceptional audit client service demands effective communication | five ways to prevent audit bottlenecks | how do we drive relevance in audit? | lack of relevance drives audit commoditization | four basic understandings every auditor must master | wanted: great audit mentors
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the inward component of businessmindedness concerns how the firm operates. this includes the kinds of projects and clients the firm takes on. to provide relevance, you need to consider whether your firm can deliver on relevance for a particular engagement or client and whether that work makes sense for your firm.

audit & assurance

move to advisory and assurance with relevance

relevance protects you from technological obsolescence.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

the days of delivering an audit report months after year-end are numbered. how relevant is an audit report when it’s months after the fact? even when we move to continuous audit – which will happen sooner than you think – it will still be historical information. but what will make it more relevant is that it will be delivered more timely, even if we don’t change much about how we perform the audit.

more: how ‘business expert cpas’ get their own business wrong | say adios to audit fee pressure | eight items to cover in the audit exit to deepen client relationships and prove value | know your three audit w’s | planning lays the foundation of audit relevance | how do we drive relevance in audit? | before the audit: more than just planning | are you correctly identifying the relevance intersection? | lack of relevance drives audit commoditization | five crucial attributes for successful audit leadership | traditional audits don’t deserve premium billing | four basic understandings every auditor must master
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

if you’re taking the time to understand the workings of the business, how that business works in relation to the industry, and how it serves its customers, you’re on the path to providing true relevance. that’s how you move into advisory and assurance. if you provide that baseline level of relevance and then build more real-time techniques and tools, you can expand on that knowledge base of the industry and the operating environment. then you can give your clients even more advice and suggestions for what they do.

here’s what you’re looking for: alan anderson

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