Usually these phrases pop up when there is an issue—there might be confusion around who is responsible for a certain task, a new staff member might not know the expected format for a monthly report, or you may find yourself completing the same task for the tenth time this quarter, when most of it could be automated.

How often do you wonder, “why don’t we have a standard process for this?”

By documenting current best practice that must be implemented throughout your firm's workflows, standardizing your processes will make tasks more efficient, consistent, easier to manage and higher in quality. It is undisputed that standard processes are a good idea, but putting them together—and doing it right—is not easy.

Standardizing processes take time and require ongoing effort to sustain. Without self-discipline from yourself and your team, it can be easy for staff to fall back on old ways of doing things.

How does it impact you?

Without standard processes, simple tasks can be difficult and time-consuming. A new staff member will need to be physically shown how your firm does certain tasks (often over and over again). It may take them months—or longer—before they get a handle on your firm’s ‘way of doing things’.

Your firm may have some standard processes, but if they’re not well-defined and adhered to, they are practically worthless. It’s not simply a matter of jotting down some notes on each task and then filing them away—all processes need to be continuously reinforced and followed by everyone.

Accounting firms struggle to standardize their processes because the effort and resources required aren’t invested. It may not be viewed as a priority right now, but the longer this is put off, the harder it will be—not to mention the consequences of not having them in place will be dire.

To ensure your firm is well-equipped to grow—and operate at its most efficient—it’s essential that processes are standardized and documented in detail, ensuring everything is repeatable and following best practice. The initial investment this requires to set up to will continue to repay your firm for years to come.

What can you do about it?

Make it clear who owns what All staff members have ownership over something. A manager may own the client relationship, but junior accountants might be responsible for certain tasks for that client. Before documenting any processes you should look at who already owns what.

A standardized process needs to clarify the ownership of work, and bring this together—defining where one staff member’s responsibility may end, and another’s begins. Any staff member must not only be aware of what they own themselves but also what others are responsible for. If your firm has a transparent work culture already, then you have an advantage—if most of this is already known by your whole team, it’s just a matter of documenting it.