According to Wikipedia – A workflow consists of a sequence of connected steps. For control purposes, workflow may be a view on real work under a chosen aspect, thus serving as a virtual representation of actual work. The flow being described may refer to a document or product that is being transferred from one step to another.

Due to the nature of CPA firms and their processes, workflow tools can be very beneficial. They can be used to create status reporting, standardized processes, and business processes with fewer lost or delayed transactions.

Status reporting: If an employee delays something (project, task, or even a document) everyone will know it. Some companies use it as motivational force.

Standardized process: It may not seem like a big deal but in accounting firms people generally don’t like that. Setting up the technology is the easy part. The change management on the other hand needs a lot more attention, dedication and work. People in the organization need to be committed to following the Workflow processes; otherwise the software will NOT work.

3 Major Types of Workflow:

  • Document Workflow: The process of managing document organization and links to a document using properties, comments and 3rd party data pointing to a document
  • Engagement Workflow: Brings clarity to the way CPA firms engage with their customers and what to expect at every phase.
  • Business Process Workflow:  The way the business is conducted – usually defined using terms like: roles, tasks, transitions etc.

Challenges: It is not easy to come up with a Workflow solution that fits all requirements and it is suitable for all businesses, so one does not exist! The problems start with the fact that Workflow means different things to different people and different groups track different types of activities. This results in having multiple workflow applications. It is not uncommon at all to see multiple Workflow solutions being implemented within one company.

The ideal Workflow system is one that integrates Document Management, Accounting, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) into one. Such a system will likely never see the light of day…Tools and systems are getting better every day, but they are not perfect!

Mapping Workflow: The very first step is to outline or map the process in its current state, or create the so called AS-IS process. Later, after getting management support the TO-BE chart is created. This is the process in its desired state. Have to be extremely careful when doing the TO-BE chart – start with a small area of the business, otherwise many internal “enemies” could quickly be formed. Change is not easily accepted especially when it comes with the threat of losing a job.

Simple Workflow Toolkit: MS Excel is probably the most wide-spread Workflow tool in the world simply because it comes on almost every computer and people are very familiar and feel comfortable using it. That does not mean that MS Excel is the best tool for Workflow charting and process diagraming. MS Visio offers very good and flexible options and it has the capability to integrate with MS SharePoint. For the premium price of about $900, MS Visio Premium will allow you to export/import Workflow diagrams directly into SharePoint (How cool is that?).

MS SharePoint does offer some very basic Workflow capabilities that are very easy to setup. Creating a 3 tier workflow within SharePoint is a breeze – everyone can do it. The problem is that 3 tier workflow is usually not enough for most CPA firms out there. For more complicated scenarios one would have to use a free tool provided by Microsoft (SharePoint Designer). The catch is that some programing experience would be necessary.

 

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