Five to seven business days to see exactly where your hours go.
No fee, no obligation, and no system access to get started. We begin with a conversation about your firm's own numbers, put a dollar figure on every recommendation, and hand you the report whether or not you hire us.
From first call to findings.
- Day 0 · 30–45 min
The numbers call
We walk through numbers you already know, like WIP days, realization and close time, then talk through the two or three workflows they point to. No logins, no forms.
- Days 1–2
A short follow-up list
Only what the call left open, usually under an hour for your operations lead. If something isn't tracked, just say so. That's a finding too.
- Days 2–5
Analysis
We map each workflow and score it on hours, cost, how safely it can be automated, and the capacity it would return. We ask to see a system only if a large figure depends on it.
- Days 5–7
Findings
We walk you and your partners through a written report of 15 to 25 pages, with the cost and return of every recommendation.
The timeline assumes your follow-up list comes back within two business days. If it takes your team longer, the findings move by the same amount. We will tell you where the clock stands at every step.
Every recurring workflow, plus your cash cycle.
We start from the numbers your firm already has. Where something isn't tracked, that's a finding, because untracked work is usually manual work.
- 01Time and costHours each workflow takes, by role, at your fully loaded labor cost.
- 02Automation feasibilityWhich steps can be automated safely, and which need a person's judgment.
- 03Capacity impactHours returned, the clients your current team could add, and what those hours would bill at your rates.
- 04Risk and complianceWhat each change means for data handling, review controls and professional standards.
- 05Realization and utilizationHow much of your standard fees you actually bill, and how much of each person's time is billable.
- 06Cash cycleWIP days, billing lag, AR days and write-offs: how long it takes your firm to get paid for work it has already done.
We start with numbers you already know.
On the first call, we go through your firm's key numbers one at a time and place each against the range we expect for a firm your size. When a number lands in the red, we ask how it's tracked today. The answer is usually a manual process, and that's where the automation goes.
| Number | Healthy | Worth a look | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff utilization | 65–80% | 50–64% | Under 50% or over 85% |
| Realization | 80–95% | 65–79% | Under 65% |
| WIP days | 15–30 | 31–45 | Over 45 |
| WIP write-offs | Under 5% | 6–10% | Over 10% |
| AR days | 30–45 | 46–60 | Over 60 |
| Monthly close | 5–10 business days | 11–20 | Over 20 |
| Non-billable time | 20–30% | 31–40% | Over 40% |
| Client retention | 90%+ | 80–89% | Under 80% |
| Reply to client questions | Under 4 hours | 4–24 hours | Over 24 hours |
These are our working ranges for firms with 15 to 75 people, not published industry benchmarks. Don't track one of them? That tells us something too.
System access is the exception, not the default.
We ask to see a system only when a large dollar figure depends on how the work really runs there, and only after your follow-up list is back. Then it's read-only, limited to that system, and your call. A screen share with someone on your team works instead. We never change anything during the audit.
| System | Examples | What we'd look for | If we ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practice management | Karbon, Canopy, TaxDome, Financial Cents, Jetpack Workflow | Tasks that sit in queues, manual status updates, work that bounces between people | Read-only or observer |
| Document storage | SmartVault, ShareFile, Box | Manual naming, filing and routing of client documents | Read-only |
| Books | QuickBooks Online and Desktop, Xero, Sage Intacct | Manual categorization, reconciliation patterns, reports built by hand | Accountant or read-only |
| Tax software | Drake, Lacerte, UltraTax, ProConnect, CCH Axcess | Manual data entry from source documents, duplicate entry across returns | Read-only, or screenshots |
| Client communication | Email, client portal | Recurring status updates and document requests sent one at a time | Sample review only |
| Spreadsheets | Trackers, workarounds | Every spreadsheet that stands in for a system | Copies or screenshots |
A written report of 15 to 25 pages.
The managing partner should be able to understand the whole opportunity from page one. The rest is the evidence.
We present the findings to you and your partners in a 45 to 60 minute meeting, then send the full report. It also tells you what not to automate, and why.
- Executive summaryTotal annual impact, number of opportunities, timeline, payback periodp. 1
- Current stateTeam structure, labor cost by role, your KPIs (realization, utilization, WIP days, lockup days), workflow inventory, technology review, top five bottleneckspp. 2–3
- Opportunity breakdownOne page per opportunity: current and proposed process, annual cost before and after, capacity freed, feasibility, risk notes. Ranked in a priority matrix: now, later, or not at all.pp. 4–8
- Implementation roadmapPhased plan, from quick wins through training and handoffpp. 9–12
- Financial projectionsImplementation cost by phase, retainer, year-one savings, payback periodpp. 13–14
- BenchmarksWhere your firm stands on automation against industry datapp. 15–16
- Technical appendixProposed systems, integrations, security and data handlingApp.
What the numbers look like.
A summary table from an illustrative firm. Your report uses your firm's own numbers and labor costs, with the source for every figure.
| Process | Staff hrs / mo | Hrs returned / mo |
|---|---|---|
| Bank transaction coding and reconciliation | 340 | 238 |
| Client document intake and filing | 210 | 147 |
| Month-end close checklist | 190 | 76 |
| Document requests and status emails | 120 | 90 |
| Client onboarding | 60 | 39 |
| Total | 920 | 590 |
Try your own numbers.
A rough estimate before the audit. The audit replaces every assumption with your firm's real data.
Two ways to use the same hours, so don't add them together. This is an estimate from your inputs. The audit replaces every assumption with your firm's own numbers, rates and workflows.
A few hours, spread across five to seven business days.
Nothing to prepare before the first call. Each step after it is smaller than the one before, and the last two only happen if we need them.
- 01The numbers call30 to 45 minutes with the managing partner or operations lead. Bring whatever numbers you know offhand.
- 02A short follow-up listOnly what the call left open, chosen from what your numbers flagged. Usually under an hour for your operations lead.
- 03The findings meeting45 to 60 minutes. Bring every partner who would weigh in on the decision.
- 04A call with your staff, only if needed30 to 45 minutes with whoever runs a workflow day to day, if the list leaves gaps.
- 05A look at one system, only if neededRead-only access or a screen share, and only when a large figure depends on it.
Before you book.
Is the audit really free?
Yes. There's no fee for the audit or the report. We earn our fee if you choose to have us build what the audit finds.
Do we have to hire you afterward?
No. The report is yours either way, and you're free to use it to plan the work internally.
Do you need access to our systems?
Not to start, and often not at all. The first call is a conversation about your numbers. We ask to see a system only if a large figure depends on it, and then it's read-only and your choice. A screen share works instead.
Who should attend the findings meeting?
Every partner who would weigh in on the decision, plus whoever runs operations. The findings are easier to act on when everyone hears them together.
See where your firm's hours go.
The audit is free, and you keep the report whether or not you hire us.