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 Have you ever thought about documenting your accounting procedures within the office? When managers write out an agency's procedures, they often miss this area, usually considering only property and casualty. Think about it. Do you have only a part-timer, or one or two people in accounting? If one person is more knowledgeable than the other, would you feel comfortable if that person had to leave for any reason? Finally, do you have written procedures in the event of a change in this area? Plan now to document procedures in the accounting area, to reassure yourself that you're prepared in the event of an unexpected change.
YOUR BACKUP
Think about your backup person-the person who would assume responsibilities if your main accounting person fails to show up. Who is this person? Someone who's just handling the day-to-day data-entry work, not really knowing the crucial information related to your financials? An agency principal who, to be honest, is out of his or her depth in this area? Make sure your backup person is totally familiar with all areas of the accounting department. Make sure it's a person you can trust, and get this person involved in documenting the accounting procedures.
WRITTEN PROCEDURES
Once you've decided to document your accounting procedures, consider your alternatives. You can either write procedures on your own or get outside help. If you choose to do your own documentation, start with an outline developed from the accounting area. Assign each accounting person to describe three different procedures per week in rough draft form. Review these procedures with your accounting person(s) and the appropriate backup person. Type them up every week until the project is complete.
If this sounds like too much trouble, think about getting outside help. Contact associations to get names of individuals who can help, and get started immediately. Whichever way you decide to go, written backup will give you peace of mind.
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