You’ve just been given the task of writing a new procedure that documents an existing business process.  You make sure you understand, and you close with, “I’ll get on this process right away.”

That’s when your boss says, “Process? Did I say ‘process’? I meant processezzz! Plural!”  And before you can blurt out, “What do you mean?”, the boss says you need to develop procedures for all accounting processes, not just the one.  Oh, and he wants them by the end of the month!

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Small and medium-sized businesses rely on a steady, consistent stream of incoming cash – customers paying for goods and services with cash, checks, and credit cards. Many retail and service businesses have multiple people conducting cash transactions throughout the day. Creating a cash policy and cash procedure for important cash handling processes like cash drawer management, end of day closing, or cash in deposits, can be vital to protecting the life blood of your business. (more…)

Everywhere in your organization people are carrying out business processes to make things happen. It doesn’t matter if the processes are well defined, poorly documented or if the staff is trained. If things are getting done - it is because people are executing business processes. (more…)

What is the difference between a well-conceived and well-written accounting policy and a poorly conceived and poorly written accounting policy?  Of course, the needs of every organization are different, and the most important element of an accounting policy is that it helps the organization. Last week we mentioned the importance of gathering accounting policies into the accounting manual.  Now let’s review some important points to consider when crafting policies. (more…)

The question “What should be in your accounting manual?” should first be answered by another question: “Why do you need an accounting manual?” Whether you are looking to purchase a pre-written accounting manual or create your own accounting manual from scratch, these are two important questions to answer. (more…)

When you hear the phrase “internal control system required by Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Section 404,” do you automatically think of policies and procedures?  Simply having accounting policies and procedures does not indicate an internal control system.  Well-written accounting procedures that document well-defined accounting processes, however, are an important component of the internal control system you are building.  (more…)

It has been more than five years since most provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 took effect (in mid- 2003). Many publicly traded companies, however, still seem to struggle with developing a confident understanding of compliance. (more…)

Question of the Month: How do policies and procedures fulfill requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley and other financial regulations?

This month’s highlight was the release of the Finance Policies, Procedures & Forms manual. Our newest product is the result of a nearly year-long effort of intensive research, writing, editing, and reviewing. The Finance Manual was finally ready for production and shipping last week. We are very pleased with this new product, and the response from our customers, to date, has been tremendous. (more…)

ISO 22000 Food Safety
Policies & Procedures

Establishing policies and procedures for Food Safety Management System (FSMS) issues like hazard analysis, HACCP Plan Management, Food Safety Records, or Receiving and Inspection is now easier than ever using the new ISO 22000 Food Safety Policies, Procedures, & Forms from Bizmanualz. (more…)

Final in Cash to Cash Cycle Series

In the past four weeks, we’ve brought to light four key areas in which you can save $250,000 each — for a total of $1,000,000. Point by point, we’ve shown you just how cash flows through these areas, making up the Cash to Cash Cycle. (more…)