Accountants Just Want to Solve Problems
Source: CGMA Magazine
In this article, Jack Hagel shares results of an online survey in which accountants and other finance professionals revealed that they gain the most job satisfaction when solving problems—even more so than when working with numbers.
Paul McDonald, senior executive director for Robert Half Finance & Accounting, which conducted the survey, explained that accountants contribute in many ways to the success of a business, including assisting with regulatory compliance, recognizing growth potential, and providing strategic guidance.
McDonald also noted that companies today deal with massive volumes of data, and that accountants can “mine” that data, identify trends, and make projections. They can also uncover potential issues and make recommendations for resolving them.
Joe Michel, vice president of finance at Constellation Brands, in New York, explains that the evolution of accounting and finance roles means that in addition to having technical skills, these professionals also need to understand operations and technology, and have the ability to contribute creatively.
Accountants can also help implement new business software solutions by:
- Evaluating and choosing a software solution
- Putting together a requirements list
- Ensuring an unbiased evaluation takes place (with the right people)
- Testing the system
- Documenting business use cases
- Conducting beginning-to-end walk-through and documentation processes
- Facilitating a go-live readiness meeting
For the complete article, read “Accountants prefer problem solving over number crunching, survey says.”
From CGMA Magazine, March 20, 2015, www.cgma.org.