The Risk of Fragmented Job Responsibilities

Source: Pennsylvania CPA Journal

In their efforts to cope with phenomena such as reduced work schedules for boomers nearing retirement, flex-time for young staff, etc., CPA firms frequently assign responsibilities for specific engagements and projects to more than one person. Inevitably some things fall through the cracks. Two employees each think the other took care of some task, which, as a result, never got done. Consequences may include deteriorating client service and exposure to legal liability.

Here are some suggestions provided in this article on how to remedy this:

• Checklists.
• Oversight managers.
• Better communication.
• More diligent review processes.

Small firms and sole practitioners are not immune. They are susceptible, for example, when work is outsourced to independent contractors.

For the complete article, click here and select “Remember Risk Management with Adoption of New Work Paradigms.”

From Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Spring 2009, http://www.picpa.org/journal/contents/2009/spring.asp.