Sample workflow audit report: an accounting firm on Xero Practice Manager and Xero
This is what the A$990 audit gives you, written for a made-up accounting firm so you can see the format before you pay. The firm, the names and every figure are invented. Your report uses your own.
A sample, not a client. Every number on this page is made up to show the format.
- Invoice CheckWorth building: 7 of 48 invoices billed below recorded time
- Enquiry and Quote Follow-upWorth building: proposals wait for a follow-up
- KPI ReportNot worth building at this size
Delivered 5 working days after access
The business and what I looked at
Every report starts with what was reviewed, so you can check the findings against your own records.
Sample: the review
| Item | Sample detail |
|---|---|
| Business | Sample Advisory (sample), a made-up accounting firm: 11 staff, 2 partners, 6 accountants and 3 in admin |
| Software | Xero Practice Manager for jobs, time and invoices; Xero for the firm's own accounts; Outlook for email |
| Reviewed | Four weeks of work: 96 jobs with time recorded, 48 invoices raised and 18 new-client proposals sent |
| Conversations | A 60-minute call with a partner and the practice manager about how work really flows |
| Access | Read-only access to Practice Manager and Xero, agreed in writing before the review started |
How the work flows today, and where it slips
From the first enquiry to the paid invoice, with the hand-overs where time or money is lost.
Sample: the flow today
| Step | What happens | Where it slips |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiry | New-client enquiries arrive by email and the website form. A partner replies | Fine at today's volume |
| Proposal | A partner sends an engagement letter. Follow-up is from memory | 7 of 18 proposals had no follow-up within a week |
| Job and time | Staff enter their time at the end of the week | Unbilled time is hard to see until invoicing |
| Invoice | The practice manager checks about 12 invoices a week against recorded time and the agreed fee | About 5 hours a week of checking. 7 of 48 invoices were billed below recorded time, with no note |
| Monthly numbers | The partners ask each of 9 staff for their figures by email and add them up by hand | About 4 hours a month |
The top 3 automation candidates
Each one has a verdict, what it is worth, a fixed quote and the point where a person approves. A "not worth it" is a finding too.
Sample: the top 3
| Candidate | Verdict | Why (sample figures) | Fixed quote | Where a person approves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Invoice Check | Worth building | Seven of 48 invoices were billed below the time recorded, with no note: A$2,560 in four weeks (the table below). Plus about 5 hours a week of checking | A$3,900, 2–3 weeks | The practice manager approves every flagged invoice before it is issued |
| 2. Enquiry and Quote Follow-up | Worth building | 7 of 18 proposals had no follow-up within a week. A drafted follow-up on day three closes that gap. No dollar figure is claimed: the firm did not record why proposals were lost | A$4,900, 3 weeks | A partner approves each drafted follow-up before it is sent |
| 3. KPI Report | Not worth building at this size | Collecting the monthly figures takes about 4 hours a month. That is time, not dollars, and it is too little to justify A$4,900. One shared sheet that each person fills in is enough. Look again if the firm doubles | No quote: not recommended | Not applicable |
Sample: the seven invoices billed below recorded time, at standard rates
| Job | Time recorded | Billed | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAS and GST review, Harbour Cafe (sample) | A$1,200 | A$780 | A$420 |
| Bookkeeping catch-up, Ridge Plumbing (sample) | A$1,260 | A$900 | A$360 |
| Tax return and workpapers, Kerr Family Trust (sample) | A$2,100 | A$1,560 | A$540 |
| Payroll set-up, Bay Dental (sample) | A$840 | A$560 | A$280 |
| Year-end review, Lantern Studio (sample) | A$950 | A$760 | A$190 |
| Advisory session and follow-up, Fox Fabrication (sample) | A$1,350 | A$900 | A$450 |
| Monthly management accounts, Pine Hardware (sample) | A$1,120 | A$800 | A$320 |
| Total, 7 of 48 invoices | A$8,820 | A$6,260 | A$2,560 |
On these sample figures the Invoice Check pays for itself in about 2 months, if the firm bills every gap. Some gaps may be deliberate write-offs, and the practice manager decides each one. The gap is A$2,560 in four weeks, which this sample treats as a month. With the optional Care plan at A$350 a month, that leaves A$2,210 a month against the A$3,900 build, before software and AI usage, which the audit estimates. The A$2,560 is cash. The 5 hours a week is time, and is not added to it. Hours saved and dollars saved are counted apart. Beside them are the running costs: optional support from A$350 a month, and software and AI usage paid to the providers. Running costs (software and AI usage) are estimated in your audit, before you commit to a build.
What your software can already do
Before any build, a real report lists what your practice software and Xero already do that you are not using, so you never pay for a build you do not need. If a setting solves the problem, the report says so and the quote drops off the list.
The next step, if you want one
The report is yours whether or not you build with Works Better. If you sign a build within 30 days, the A$990 comes off its price in full.
- Each build has written acceptance criteria and 30 days of fixes.
- Nothing is sent or paid without a person approving it.
- Builds run in accounts in your name, so your data stays in your systems.
Other sample reports, each for a made-up business:
Run a practice yourself? See how I fix one workflow for accounting and bookkeeping practices.
Accountant or bookkeeper with a client who re-keys the same data every week? How a referral works, and what stays yours.
Get your own report in 5 working days
A free fit check by email first. The A$990 Workflow Audit is the next step, credited to your build.
Get a free fit check by email The next step after the fit check: the A$990 Workflow Audit
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Send the form with your software, the workflow, your team size and your timing. I reply by email, usually with a question or two, and tell you whether it's a fit. No call needed. If it is, the next step is the A$990 Workflow Audit.
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I read every enquiry myself and reply by email to the address you gave, .
Next, I reply by email, usually with a question or two, and tell you whether it is a fit. No call needed.
If it is a fit, the step after that is the A$990 Workflow Audit.
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