7 Workflow Solution Questions Workbook

ACCOUNTING
TAX
FINANCE
7 questions to help you identify the best
workflow solution for your organization.
Workflow in a New Corporate Tax World.
www.xcmcorporate.com

Here’s the big question:
Is the process you have right now an adequate
workflow system?
It’s a question that needs continual asking. Many organizations fall
into the “status quo bias,” that comfortable feeling of managing
through a known solution, even knowing it is woefully inadequate.
The potential risks involved with trying something new are always
an obstacle to overcome, but the risks involved with complacency in
the new corporate finance and accounting world are revenue killing.
Top performing organizations embrace change and look to
innovate through technology. The first step is to determine if your
organization is ready for a better solution for your workflow
process management.
This workbook poses questions that will assist you in identifying
your workflow solution needs. At this point, you may be
considering a workflow solution because it offers benefits, like
increased visibility and productivity, that can impact the quality of
work and how it gets completed.
The questions are designed to help you build your internal
business case and create momentum in finding the solution
that’s right for you.
7 questions to ask about finding the right workflow solution for your organization. PAGE 1
Organizations that use workflow
tools will be able to do work
more efficiently; they’ll be able
to communicate to constituents
more clearly; and in general their
productivity will go up because
there is less overhead in managing
the projects.
Randy Johnston
CEO
Network Management Group, Inc.

Workflow’s far-reaching benefits.
A workflow solution can help your organization achieve
business-wide initiatives, as well as impact the quality of the
product you move from department to department. The benefits
are far-reaching. The following questions get to the heart of
important business goals.
1. Has your tax, accounting or finance department experienced
extended deadlines, errors or quality issues?
o Yes o No
Site specific incidents and their consequences:
2. Do you want to standardize your process and procedures
within your department? Across departments?
o Yes o No
In what process / department do you see the most potential
for increased efficiency?
of high-performing organizations plan
to make additional investments in
workflow in the future.
of high-performing organizations
currently use a workflow solution.46%
70%

3. Do you want to move toward a digital, paperless work
environment?
o Yes o No
What are the benefits of going paperless for your company?
7 questions to ask about finding the right workflow solution for your organization. PAGE 5PAGE 4
of high-performing organizations report
half their business is paperless–supporting
a digital working environment.
of organizations saw going paperless as
one of their biggest technology challenges.
80%
12%

Building a business case for a workflow solution.
Now that you have answered a few questions and have drilled
down into the business needs, the following questions will help
you with specific departmental requirements.
In any web-based solution implementation which is a departure
from the current process, there must be specific objectives outlined
to garner company-wide buy-in. Listing the objectives can help
clarify your rationale and secure the needed budget to make
the required investment.
To help define the business case for workflow process
management, we have outlined some specific goals.
The right workflow solution should help you balance tasks to
make sure your team’s output is where you want it to be.
4. Do you have a balanced workload among your staff?
o Yes o No
Having a solution that can give you a snapshot of how jobs are
progressing can offer insight into where employees are feeling
overwhelmed, even if they are not willing to admit it.
In what areas can you achieve a more balanced workload for
your team?
PAGE 6 7 questions to ask about finding the right workflow solution for your organization. PAGE 7
An effective workflow solution
for corporate tax, accounting
and finance departments should
facilitate task completion, project
management and schedule
adherence, as well as provide
a three-dimensional view
of corporate procedures and
accountability within and
across departments.

Multiple process solutions within an organization can lead to
communication deficiencies and hinder the view of job status.
5. Is there a better opportunity for coordination within and
across departments?
o Yes o No
When job completion is dependent on tasks being passed
between departments, the last group to touch a project usually
gets the blame when things go awry. Having a workflow solution
allows for better inter- and intra-department coordination.
In what ways would better department coordination benefit
your project workflow?
of organizations stated
“Managing Workflow”
as a Top Business Challenge.30%
of organizations said examining
processes and workflow inefficiencies
were top factors in controlling costs.61%

Your workflow solution should help you see who the high
performers are, where bottlenecks occur and offer insights to
ensure the team is functioning optimally.
6. Would you like improved accountability across the board?
o Yes o No
Identifying bottlenecks is only the first part of making a
process more efficient. Alleviating those through process
improvements is where having a documented workflow can
help you evolve.
How would having more accountability among your tax,
accounting and finance departments improve efficiency
and productivity?
With more and more need to
streamline operations, the
time has come to implement
a workflow solution that
meets all the needs of today’s
busy organizations.

Choose a workflow solution that puts visibility at a premium and
allows for analysis and, more importantly, insight.
7. Could your organization benefit from real-time visibility into
work status, scheduling and reporting?
o Yes o No
Would it be beneficial to come into work every morning and
have a dashboard view of where every job stood in process?
Most (if not all) managers would answer in the affirmative –
so find the solution that not only fits your needs, but one that
goes above and beyond to include benefits you may not have
outlined in this worksheet.
Are the workflow solutions providers you’ve been researching
checking off all of your boxes?
Closing thought.
If you have checked the “yes” box for any of these questions,
it’s a good time to start considering software for workflow process
management. The next question is, which one?
PRODUCTIVITY
ENABLEMENT
Visibility Control
Accountability Flexibility

Visit www.xcmcorporate.com or
call 781-356-5152 for more information.
XCM Corporate Solutions is a division of XCM Solutions, the world’s
leading accounting and finance workflow platform. XCM Corporate
Solutions works with your existing technology systems to coordinate
tasks between people and departments, with the ultimate goal of
improving organizational efficiency in a paperless environment.

7 Workflow Solution Questions Workbook

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