Efficient Finance and Accounting Operations: 2019 Best Practices and Updates

Why Attend

Stop what you are doing, take a step back, and look at how you perform your work. You will probably agree that things are currently effective, but could be more efficient. This course will provide you with the tools and techniques necessary to enhance all the building blocks of accounting and finance. From accounts payable and cash management to budgeting and financial statements, we will show you best practices in tools and techniques that will make your job easier and help you deliver more value. The course will also cover behavioral concepts related to the day-to-day accounting and finance operations.

Course Methodology

This course uses a mix of exercises, workshops, group case studies, and presentations. Additionally, some time will be devoted to learning practical tools in Excel for reporting, analysis and reconciliation. Conceptual ideas, rules, and best practices will also be discussed in accounting, finance, budgeting and general reporting.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Identify the main elements of a vision for finance and accounting
• Evaluate and improve accounts payable process
• List the key best practices in receivables, inventory and cash management
• Assess the budgeting process in their organizations and recommend improvements
• Apply MS Excel reporting and analysis techniques for a faster accounting and finance operations
• Develop an enhanced understanding of the behavioral concepts related to the day-to-day finance and accounting operations

Target Audience

Professionals in the field of finance and accounting, managers, supervisors, and finance professionals who desire to understand, apply and implement practical tools to enable them to run the finance and accounting departments more efficiently.

Target Competencies

• Analytical skills
• Accounts payable management
• Accounting and managing accounts receivables and inventory
• Preparing financial statements
• Budgeting
• Excel reporting and analysis

Course Outline

• The importance of best practices
  • Effectiveness versus efficiency
  • Functions of management
  • Finance and accounting vision and mission
  • Customer service survey
  • Purposes and processes of finance and accounting
• The accounting cycle and financial statements
  • The accounting processing cycle
  • Overview of key financial statements
    • Income Statement
    • Balance sheet
    • Cash flow
  • Applying best practices in Accounts Payable (AP)
    • Accounts payable life-cycle
    • AP common inefficiencies – areas for improvement
    • Centralized versus decentralized AP
    • AP/supplier portal
    • Electronic expense reporting
    • Online purchasing catalogue
    • Document management system
  • Applying best practices in Accounts Receivable (AR), inventory and Cash
    • AR Life cycle
      • Accounting for the allowance for doubtful accounts
      • Four dimensions in managing AR
        • Credit policy
        • Billing
        • Collection
        • AR segmentation
      • Inventory life-cycle
        • Costing methods
        • Valuation and presentation of inventory
        • Best practices in inventory management
      • Best practices in cash management
    • Best practices in fixed assets and budgeting
      • Fixed assets life-cycle
      • Capitalizing versus expensing
      • Tracking fixed assets
      • Budgeting approaches
      • Tips in creating efficiencies in budgeting process
    • Reporting best practices using MS Excel
      • Consolidating your data
      • Validating data for accuracy
      • Using pivot tables
        • Preparing periodic reports in no time
        • Performing efficient and accurate reconciliation
        • Bank statement reconciliation
        • Payroll reporting and analysis
        • Accounts payable reporting and analysis
        • General ledger reporting, reconciliation and analysis
        • Budgeting reporting and analysis
        • Invoice analysis and reporting
        • Creating flash management reports
      • Essential behavioral concepts for enhancing Finance and Accounting (F&A) operations
        • The new set of skills for F&A
        • Clean desk policy
        • Peak performance time
        • Successful meetings
        • Communication skills
        • Reviewing and authorization matrix
        • Cross training and back up strategies