本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛I. by lastdayofschool (Pokmon Ranger)
As “discussion is highly expected”, I add some points to the closing process
and share my personal experience with XDJM who are in need. 请toysrus 等
经验丰富的大虾们轻松一笑, 不要放过我的不足之处。:)
0. Facilitation of month end reporting
“Since the business runs in a dynamic environment”, particularly when
the team faces situations like changing work force or increased business
activities, I would treat monthly financial reporting process as a mini-project.
It seems to be more efficient to send out the modified document with milestones
to team members and other parties who provide you backup information several
working days before the month-end. Using MS Project or other tool(s) could
help teammates to report work progress and give feedback to each other.
It helps if you have team member not based in head office.
1. Payroll
On monthly basis, payroll administrator may also administrate, reconcile,
journal-enter other remittance items including WCB, employee RRSP, employee
stock purchase plan, etc. If a company has manufacturing function, another
pro-core closing activity is production bonus calculation (workers wouldn’
t be energetic next month without bonus paid).
2. Invoicing
If you have consignment with the third parties, “comparing shipments to
invoices” becomes a heavy role. Most likely you need to work with inventory
personnel and corresponding sales representative on this task.
3. Payable
Some companies have corporate credit card payables, cash payables to directors
and employees and other non-trade payables. Carefully schedule the timelines
of closing off these accounts to eliminate the waiting period.
4. Inventory
Cost accountants may write a book for you on how to close off inventory.
Which industry you work in and what systems you use determine the workload
of inventory close. In manufacturing and other industries that could carry
large amount of physical inventory, financial reporting facilitator usually
plans an extra day or more on inventory close. Physical inventory count specialists
might give you a hand to improve efficiency.
5. General Ledger
Addition: update/adjust accounts such as financial instruments and equity
II. by 7y7 (醉里吴音)
补充几点: 我的month end closing tasks 是在以上7点之后才开始的, 算是故事的
下集.
我的职责本是Decision support, 基本不参与月底结算. However, corporate requested
additional information since mergers & acquisitions. I'm familiar with ERP
data flow and report writing since I have been heavily involved in the implementations.
So, I ended up with designing and maintaining some temporary to long term
solutions during month end reporting. (很抱歉, 本来习惯尽量在中文论坛用中
文, 但是谈到工作很多词不知怎么翻译才好, 只能夹花着胡说了)
背景: 国际企业, Canadian Corporate finance, 基本就是个夹心饼干, 一边close
local book, 一边prepare month end reporting package to corporate. 前辈把
close local book部分说的很清楚了, 我就写一点后半部工作.
- 因为公司行业特征和总部在欧洲, 我们出好几套报表: 1- local legal book, 2-
local managerial reports, 3- IFRS reporting (corporate legal book), 4- Business
warehouse (corporate managerial reports).
-- 1- local legal book基本上就是G/L, 数据多而结构简单, 是一切报表的出发点
. 基本是accounting group负责.
-- 2- local managerial reports根据加拿大内部管理部门随时调整, 尤其是Sales几
乎一年一个重组, 搞得我们在后面狂奔改ERP structure / reports不说, 还要保证
调整后的数据和G/L reconcile, 这是我月底工作的第一步.
-- 3- IFRS reporting, 公司总部对各部门, 各种费用的定义另有一套规定, 还涉
及一些internal allocation, inter-company adjustment, 这部分在SAP的另一个
COPA module里做, 数据来源最复杂, 出了问题如大海捞针, 这是我月底工作的另一
个重要内容. 我很幸运, 从头到底参与了SAP implementation, 对数据结构比较了
解且有充分access调数据, 每月基本能把数据对齐(IFRS也是legal reporting, 非
对齐不可). 有朋友公司SAP技术支持外包, 内部super user 能用的功能很少, COPA没
有一个月能reconcile的, 因为用做managerial reporting数字差一点高层并不太介
意, 但对一个负责任的FA来说就很难受了, 真真是无语凝噎...
这一部分报上去, 如果不被打回来修改, 加拿大的G/L才算真正close了.
-- 4- Business warehouse, 是corporate的managerial reporting tool. 因为legal
reporting 时间很紧, 不可能包括太多细节, 通常只汇报1 set of data. BW则是个
大型数据库, multidimensional (货币, 产品, 市场, 大区, 各种费用, etc), 因
为是供高层决策用, 各种费用的定义又和上面各不相同, 只关心和产品直接有关的
费用. 要把这套报表跟前几者reconcile, 也是件人仰马翻的活.
- 伺候完上面的头头, 接下来伺候本地头头: 出Executive reporting package给VP
& CEO, managerial reporting package 给各中小头头. 很多时候把报表递到他们
鼻子底下都懒得看, 有时(通常是年底)忽然发现有完不成预算危险, 一群人抓着财
务要求最新报表. 这一块是我的正职, 帮助各部门经理理解财务数据, 也努力理解
他们的business case, 理解数字后的故事乃至政治斗争, 是件很有趣的事情.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
As “discussion is highly expected”, I add some points to the closing process
and share my personal experience with XDJM who are in need. 请toysrus 等
经验丰富的大虾们轻松一笑, 不要放过我的不足之处。:)
0. Facilitation of month end reporting
“Since the business runs in a dynamic environment”, particularly when
the team faces situations like changing work force or increased business
activities, I would treat monthly financial reporting process as a mini-project.
It seems to be more efficient to send out the modified document with milestones
to team members and other parties who provide you backup information several
working days before the month-end. Using MS Project or other tool(s) could
help teammates to report work progress and give feedback to each other.
It helps if you have team member not based in head office.
1. Payroll
On monthly basis, payroll administrator may also administrate, reconcile,
journal-enter other remittance items including WCB, employee RRSP, employee
stock purchase plan, etc. If a company has manufacturing function, another
pro-core closing activity is production bonus calculation (workers wouldn’
t be energetic next month without bonus paid).
2. Invoicing
If you have consignment with the third parties, “comparing shipments to
invoices” becomes a heavy role. Most likely you need to work with inventory
personnel and corresponding sales representative on this task.
3. Payable
Some companies have corporate credit card payables, cash payables to directors
and employees and other non-trade payables. Carefully schedule the timelines
of closing off these accounts to eliminate the waiting period.
4. Inventory
Cost accountants may write a book for you on how to close off inventory.
Which industry you work in and what systems you use determine the workload
of inventory close. In manufacturing and other industries that could carry
large amount of physical inventory, financial reporting facilitator usually
plans an extra day or more on inventory close. Physical inventory count specialists
might give you a hand to improve efficiency.
5. General Ledger
Addition: update/adjust accounts such as financial instruments and equity
II. by 7y7 (醉里吴音)
补充几点: 我的month end closing tasks 是在以上7点之后才开始的, 算是故事的
下集.
我的职责本是Decision support, 基本不参与月底结算. However, corporate requested
additional information since mergers & acquisitions. I'm familiar with ERP
data flow and report writing since I have been heavily involved in the implementations.
So, I ended up with designing and maintaining some temporary to long term
solutions during month end reporting. (很抱歉, 本来习惯尽量在中文论坛用中
文, 但是谈到工作很多词不知怎么翻译才好, 只能夹花着胡说了)
背景: 国际企业, Canadian Corporate finance, 基本就是个夹心饼干, 一边close
local book, 一边prepare month end reporting package to corporate. 前辈把
close local book部分说的很清楚了, 我就写一点后半部工作.
- 因为公司行业特征和总部在欧洲, 我们出好几套报表: 1- local legal book, 2-
local managerial reports, 3- IFRS reporting (corporate legal book), 4- Business
warehouse (corporate managerial reports).
-- 1- local legal book基本上就是G/L, 数据多而结构简单, 是一切报表的出发点
. 基本是accounting group负责.
-- 2- local managerial reports根据加拿大内部管理部门随时调整, 尤其是Sales几
乎一年一个重组, 搞得我们在后面狂奔改ERP structure / reports不说, 还要保证
调整后的数据和G/L reconcile, 这是我月底工作的第一步.
-- 3- IFRS reporting, 公司总部对各部门, 各种费用的定义另有一套规定, 还涉
及一些internal allocation, inter-company adjustment, 这部分在SAP的另一个
COPA module里做, 数据来源最复杂, 出了问题如大海捞针, 这是我月底工作的另一
个重要内容. 我很幸运, 从头到底参与了SAP implementation, 对数据结构比较了
解且有充分access调数据, 每月基本能把数据对齐(IFRS也是legal reporting, 非
对齐不可). 有朋友公司SAP技术支持外包, 内部super user 能用的功能很少, COPA没
有一个月能reconcile的, 因为用做managerial reporting数字差一点高层并不太介
意, 但对一个负责任的FA来说就很难受了, 真真是无语凝噎...
这一部分报上去, 如果不被打回来修改, 加拿大的G/L才算真正close了.
-- 4- Business warehouse, 是corporate的managerial reporting tool. 因为legal
reporting 时间很紧, 不可能包括太多细节, 通常只汇报1 set of data. BW则是个
大型数据库, multidimensional (货币, 产品, 市场, 大区, 各种费用, etc), 因
为是供高层决策用, 各种费用的定义又和上面各不相同, 只关心和产品直接有关的
费用. 要把这套报表跟前几者reconcile, 也是件人仰马翻的活.
- 伺候完上面的头头, 接下来伺候本地头头: 出Executive reporting package给VP
& CEO, managerial reporting package 给各中小头头. 很多时候把报表递到他们
鼻子底下都懒得看, 有时(通常是年底)忽然发现有完不成预算危险, 一群人抓着财
务要求最新报表. 这一块是我的正职, 帮助各部门经理理解财务数据, 也努力理解
他们的business case, 理解数字后的故事乃至政治斗争, 是件很有趣的事情.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net