timesheets: the nuclear option

lamentations on the billable hour: jamey johnson’s “the dollar.”

nuke ’em: kill timesheets before they kill the profession.

by ed kless

the litany of “challenges for the profession” repeats the narrative that has been well documented and continues to grow for over the last decade:

  • while there are more people graduating with degrees in accounting, fewer of them are sitting for the cpa exam. this is leading to fewer new hires for firms.
  • the new hires they do have are “millennials” who desire a challenge and think they should be made partner sooner rather than later.
  • attrition, especially at the mid-career level, is over 10 percent and is mostly initiated by the professional, not the firm.
  • the loss of people in the middle and bottom of the pyramid is eroding the traditional economic model. non-equity partners are increasing and funding for partner buyouts is disappearing.
  • cries of “we must become more efficient,” and/or, “we must embrace new technology,” and/or “we must hold people more accountable,” reverberate in meetings.
  • compliance work continues to flatline and while new offerings are growing revenue, they are not growing fast enough. worse still those that do this work are often not even cpas!

more ed kless at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间: your time has no inherent value  |  ed kless: what is strategic pricing?  |  ed kless on factors affecting price sensitivity  |  a radical close look at value pricing  |  billable hour in the extreme  |  the four factors for fixed pricing

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presentation after presentation is viewed on the modern equivalent of the campfire, the conference room projector. “our profession is sick, even dying. we might have cancer. we really don’t know, but it is bad.” it’s true, the profession does have cancer. the good news is, we know the cause and it is curable.

it is called “a timesheet.” it be must cut it out completely before it kills.

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farm-aid for accountants?


rain on the keyboard, blood on the mouse: changes in the accounting business recall the plight of the small farmer in the 1980s.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

john mellencamp’s hit song, “rain on the scarecrow” chronicle the decline of the small american farmer in the 1980s.  farmers faced economic devastation caused by new technology and emerging international competitors.

more by frank stitely: wip-ing clients into shape |  how the annual tax meeting died  |  whittle down wip | maximize your role as visionary | the land mines in tax returns | give your people the resources they need | 4 tips for managing advanced preparers | the right way to assign staff projects | workflow for dummies | how effective project management makes your life easier
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

expensive new machinery and international competition transformed farming from a sleepy vocation handed down between generations to international global commerce driven by technology and sophisticated business metrics.  farming became a real business.

small farms disappeared as expensive machinery demanded economies of scale that could create a sufficient return on capital investment.  international competition lowered prices to where new technology was required to compete with lower-cost international labor.

farmers needed to raise the level of planning beyond pushing seeds into the ground and waiting for favorable weather.  they began to pay attention to detailed yield metrics and weather patterns, planning irrigation to effectively use natural rain patterns.  they used monte carlo simulations to plan which crops to plant and sell.

the ones who didn’t change went bankrupt or sold and retired.  musicians held a concert, farm aid, to call attention to the farmer’s plight.

driving to work this morning, i realized that changes in the cpa industry parallel the plight of the small farmer in the 1980s.

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wip-ing clients into shape

//www.g005e.com/2019/09/18/wip-ing-clients-into-shapepresent draft tax returns for their approval.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

poor scheduling isn’t the only way wip gets out of control. clients cause wip to grow by not answering questions or approving drafts on a timely basis.

more: how the annual tax meeting died | whittle down wip | the tax practice traffic cop | how to coach your staff | how to create good managers
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

do you think you can’t control client behavior? think again.
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why daily t/e entry should be required

man viewing desktop computer screenthis means owners and managers, too.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

studies done over the past two decades have clearly shown that there is a significant improvement in realization for firms that enter, release and post time and expenses on a daily basis. this process allows for daily or “hotel”-type billing, which is sent out with the completion of each billable project.

more: avoid over-auditing with ‘document containers’ | the top portable monitors for auditors | why scanning procedures matter | using databases for document management | survey: firms split on mobile device management | need internet? grab your phone | survey: im still not common at cpa firms | the best defense against malware | survey: 59% deliver invoices on paper | is it time to update your offsite backups?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the next step in the evolution of time and billing systems provided real-time dashboards to report on firm activities and effectively allow firms to generate invoices.
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how the annual tax meeting died

businessman shaking hands with grim reaperthink clients really want those meetings? move them out of season and charge for them.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

better scheduling reduces wip. a while back www.g005e.com published an article by a brilliant writer (me) called “the annual tax season meeting is dead.” i based this article on years of scheduling mistakes in our firm that drove up wip and killed turnaround. here’s the gist of that article.

more: whittle down wip | maximize your role as visionary | the land mines in tax returns | give your people the resources they need | 4 tips for managing advanced preparers | the right way to assign staff projects | workflow for dummies | how effective project management makes your life easier
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

beginning in the early 1990s, we began prescheduling personal tax meetings. we had the best intentions. our practice was growing, and we could no longer afford to have clients call us when they got around to it. we needed to bring sanity to the scheduling of meetings. we couldn’t have all of our clients call to schedule in mid-march. thus, we sent out postcards with prescheduled meeting times.
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whittle down wip

piles of paper, decreasing in sizeit’s cheaper than adding capacity.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

want to increase profitability and client retention? manage projects effectively.

more: maximize your role as visionary | how to be the chief communicator | how to teach reviewing and time management | 4 steps to take before next tax season | 3 tips for handling rookie tax preparers | what goes into a client project?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

if you don’t have these measures, get them, or turn in your ceo title. if, as a value pricer, you’ve sworn off practice metrics based on productivity, you’ll learn nothing from this article. you just don’t have the numbers. mark cuban is on hold waiting to yell at you.
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maximize your role as visionary

woman ladder binoculars city view outlook vision success climb adobestock_57204649.jpegdo the things that only you can do.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

your final role as ceo is visionary. this differs from your role as strategist, as the visionary role deals with the long-term future of your firm.

more: how to be the chief communicator | the tax practice traffic cop | the land mines in tax returns | how to teach reviewing and time management | how to coach your staff | give your people the resources they need | 4 steps to take before next tax season
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

this is the fun part, if you really relish your role as ceo. consider your firm a blank canvas on which you can experiment endlessly.
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