Why using spreadsheets to manage your workflows is a terrible idea
If you’re serious about running a scalable and profitable accounting firm (and not lose your mind in the process), you need to ditch spreadsheets as a tool for workflow management.
There are few tools more flexible than a spreadsheet. You can design and tweak one to perform almost any function. But workflow management is not one of them—particularly if you have any ambition to grow your accounting firm.
If you are attempting to manage your firm’s workflow in a spreadsheet, you probably already know it’s a bad idea.
You may have spent hours in Excel crafting things carefully, only to quickly get frustrated and start feeling unproductive. You might think it’s just you. That you just need to put some extra time aside to iron out the bugs and train your team to use it properly.
You’re wrong—no amount of time can mould a spreadsheet into an effective tool for workflow management.
Because collaboration is a nightmare, automation is basically non-existent, customization is complicated, there is no accountability, deadlines can’t be enforced, and you can’t switch between your macro work and the micro tasks. The list goes on and on.
To put it simply, spreadsheets are terrible for workflow management in an accounting firm.
If you’re serious about running a scalable and profitable accounting firm (and not lose your mind in the process), you must invest in a dedicated workflow management tool.
Work smarter, not harder
Spreadsheets don’t do enough for you. A dedicated accounting workflow management solution will take care of those low value and repetitive actions, so you can work smarter, not harder.
The ability to automate the process of assigning tasks to colleagues and updating progress statuses on individual pieces of work is simply not realistically possible using spreadsheets.
And so, you will always be completing manual tasks that will eat away at your time.
For example, in a spreadsheet, you need to create a new role manually for every single client job. You then need to carefully choose the right team member to assign it to, make sure the statuses, work type and notes are applied and identify the due dates. And that doesn't even factor in the individual tasks, process milestones and other stakeholders involved.
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