Accountants & Bookkeeping in New York NY

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Accounting has to be automated - any accountant understands that. But not everyone knows what it takes to do this and what is its role in this process. As a consequence - the passivity of the accountant in the implementation of an enterprise automated accounting system, its differences with the leadership. And he - the person concerned and should, if not "steer" the process of installing the system, then at least to actively participate in it. Consider what must draw attention to an accountant in the design and implementation of automated accounting system.
Automating the management of the enterprise is impossible without the automation of accounting. Moreover, it is advisable to start with the latest automation control. This is due to the following factors:
• accounting tasks are structured, have a known and simple algorithm for solving with a predominance of arithmetic operations;
• accounting collects and records information on all business transactions, which is necessary and the rest of the management structures of the enterprise;
• automation of accounting has become an urgent task, since external users of accounting information that accountants should submit their reports (Pension Fund, the tax authorities) need them in electronic form on machine-readable form.
Survey results, published in the press indicate that accountants applying information technology in their practice, have a greater chance of success and the best prospects for the future. A direct connection between literacy in the IT and professional success of this professional. From each third accountant requires possession of computer programs.
Of course, every accountant understands the need to automate accounting, but not everyone knows what it takes to do it, and waiting for the "good uncle" who decides for him all the problems. Ignorance of the foundations of design and implementation of automated systems, lack of understanding of their role in this process generate passive accountant, disagreements with the director and other managers. While the company carried out the project of automation of accounting, accountant sometimes only distantly to monitor this process, whereas it should, if not lead them, they actively participate and influence.
The principle of the first head involves the automation of fixing the responsibility for creating a system for the customer - the head of the company, which is responsible for commissioning and system functions. With automation of accounting, this principle should be clarified: the primary responsibility should rest with the chief accountant. As practice shows, without interest, responsibility, competence in this matter the chief accountant of the creation of a sufficiently well-functioning computerized accounting system is impossible. Conversely, when interest and desire to implement such an accountant is quick and painless. At the head of the company with the responsibility for creating conditions for the implementation of complex, interacting automated accounting system with other management structures, and its inclusion in the overall automated enterprise management system.
Destinations
What should draw the attention of an accountant in the design and implementation of automated accounting system? Before the design must be addressed some common questions.
When introducing an automated system can focus on the existing structure of accounting, this is accompanied by a modernization of working methods of accounting, so that the costs and risks are minimal. The second option - revision of the organizational and functional structure of the unit, the redistribution of responsibilities, development of new information linkages. Effectiveness of the units it may substantially increase. Although this is a long and risky process, requiring extensive analysis and careful consideration.
Choosing the direction of automation of the accounting department of company includes a pre-selection software.
The first area - the use of office programs, such as a package of Microsoft Office, as applicable to small businesses. These programs are available and inexpensive, but require considerable preparatory work - the input form of documents, the development of databases and tables, etc.
The most popular second direction of accounting automation - with the help of specialized application of accounting programs. Their choice is very wide, almost in every more or less information developed region operate companies offering one or another system for accounting. Enterprise this may be convenient, but if the program offers other services: its configuration, deployment, maintenance, training. And although there are many accounting systems, the question of determining the preference is to choose not so much a program as a reliable company, which will have to work the entire period of the program. Possible joint use of accounting and office programs, many of them are compatible.
The third area of automation of accounting - development of software for order through third-party firm or their own units, the IT service. This requires, as a rule, time-consuming and costly and is justified only for large enterprises, provided that the commercially available programs do not meet the needs and requirements of the customer. If you are developing an automated control system, the chief accountant must see to it that have been addressed and the needs of accounting.
Of course, the role of the accountant will be different when choosing a particular direction of automation.
In the first case, an accountant, as a rule, should know and be able to use office programs (small businesses can not hold for the individual worker). In the last version accountant guaranteed attention from the development team. Using lottery accountant accounting program assistance in its implementation, as a rule, is minimal, and often there is a situation where he does not know what to do with purchased software.
The main stages of an automated system are the following:
• pre-project survey and writing the tactical and technical tasks;
• design;
• putting into operation;
• assisting in the automated system.
At the stage of pre-project survey to be carried out formulation of the problem, which lies in the formation of assumptions, the required results for solving the problem and describe its mathematical content. Since the comprehensive automation of accounting is complex and consists of multiple subtasks, must be considered a set of information related to each other components. It is necessary to draw attention to the frequency and time of problem solving, organizing the collection of raw data and send them to treatment. Formulation of the problem should be accompanied by a description of the documents, data sets used in the problem and the benefits resulting from the decision. Information used in problem solving is divided into a constant, which must be stored in the system and used repeatedly, and variable.
The mission statement must necessarily participate actively chief accountant, involving almost all the employees in his department. Formulation of the problem is easier if the company has documents such as accounting policies and the working chart of accounts, job descriptions for each employee, slotting, approved the order and timing of accounting work. Without such documentation, statement of the problem must begin with a study of organizational and functional structure of accounting, distribution of responsibilities, formalized system of reference documents, research information links and routes the information. Before the automation of accounting is necessary to bring it in order to improve. It is necessary to analyze all forms of primary documents used in accounting, to assess their compliance forms, and the possibility of replacing non-standardized forms of uniform, to analyze the details and performance documents.
Bookkeeper must bear in mind that entering information into the computer should be one time. All combined, intermediate, final data should be obtained automatically based on primary data entered. Information is stored in a single database. Arrays are a constant, background information should be ordered, classified.
We put the task
The results of the pre-survey compiled specification. Responsibility for pre-project survey rests with the chief accountant (hereafter simply accountant).
With the automation of accounting with the lottery accounting program requirements and the technical requirements are often not implemented, as well as and does not constitute a project that adversely affects the efficiency created by an automated accounting system.
Terms of reference should, if for setting and implementing accounting program outsourced staff or organization. They should participate in drawing up terms of reference and to sign the document. The result of their work is evaluated according to how satisfied the technical project, and in case of disagreement, it is the basic document for the trial.
Formulation of the problem is needed in any case. If the accounting program is selected, then the formulation of the problem can take into account its structure and features to the required adjustment was minimal. The accountant should be well oriented in this program.
Work on the formulation of the problem, and pre-project study in the automation of accounting most sources describe vague. Listed below are what work, in our opinion, it is necessary to fulfill the accountant.
1. Develop a work plan accounts. Particular attention should be paid to sub-accounts and analytical accounts. For each account, sub-account may be necessary to conduct several types of analytical accounting (most accounting programs allow this). Analytical accounting requires the most preparation, its data are used not only accounting professionals but also by all managers.
2. It is necessary to make local classifiers array constant (background) information (units, personnel, inventory, etc.). The choice of constant information from the directory facilitates the filling of documents. Many classifiers (directories) are used to conduct analytical accounting, ie, the figures in them are the analytical account. Indicators must be organized, divided into groups, assign codes, which should facilitate the search, grouping of information. Systems of classification and coding of information considered in the literature. This work is particularly needed for those arrays quantitative indicators in which hundreds and thousands (materials). Without the proper classification and coding of array is inconvenient to work, which can lead to errors (re-entry and violation of the analytical accounting). It must be done before entering qualifiers in the computer, changing the grouping and codes in the future will be difficult.
3. Analyze and improve workflow for each site accounting for each workstation: the forms of primary documents, figures and details contained in them, the procedure and timetable for their completion. If possible, incorporate the use of standardized forms, since they are designed with automated processing and many of them are already contained in the accounting programs. Forms of documents that the program no need to create and introduce an additional (the majority of accounting programs allow it). It is desirable that the input of primary documents into the computer occurred simultaneously with their formulation or the receipt, then they can print. Your computer must enter all the details of the documents. Should a one-time entry of information, and if the documents related information, it should be noted as an accountant.
4. Many accounting correspondence of the same type, so their input into the computer should be automated, although the cost to provide the ability to manually enter, if need be, any correspondence. But it will be more convenient and more correct, if € Larger part of accounting correspondence will be drawn automatically on the basis of the relevant primary documents, which include many of the accounting program. Should be considered, as will be putting all correspondence.
5. Output documents (registers and reporting forms) are generated automatically based on information entered into the computer. Accounting programs offer a wide range of output forms, if necessary, allow them to change, introduce new ones.
Undertake not to do twice- required for small business classifications, documents, reports, as a rule, are already available in well-established accounting programs, and their settings will be minimal. But for the most efficient automation of the accounting all of the work should still hold, because in the future to change something can be difficult. Particularly important to consider the system of accounts.
If the volume of accounting work is small and the company has enough financial resources, it is possible to envisage the implementation of the work by hand (manually input correspondence, rather than on documents, allocation of overhead costs, closing accounts, etc.).
For maximum effectiveness of existing automated accounting system should automate the work of all its sites. Ledger and circulating-balance sheet should generate automatically. Complete balance, annexes, other reports, many accountants often prefer to hand, even if the program is able to do it myself.
At the entry stage of automated systems in place to specify the details of the company's program, some parameters of an accounting policy to adjust the chart of accounts, which typically has proposed to fill classifications and enter the opening balance (easier on the 1-th of the year or quarter). Entering balances need to make a date on all the analytical accounts, then the balance on synthetic accounts will be received automatically. This is usually a fairly large amount of work, and do they need quickly enough. That is why to enter the opening balance should be prepared as possible to involve not only the routine work of accountancy (which, among other things, have to perform, and their daily duties), and special assistants. At very high volume of accounting work commissioning the new system in action can take place separately at areas of accounting, but only after all preliminary work, as well as plots of accounting are interrelated and constitute a single system.