Practice Management Workflow

One of the more powerful features of practice management software is its ability to manage a firm’s business processes and workflow.  Virtually every firm has, at some time or other, employed various kinds of manual “control sheets” to track and manage record “check out”, processing sequences, and completion deadlines for important cases.  While logistically feasible, manual tracking imposes additional burdens on staff, creates document and deadline control headaches, and introduces many other inefficiencies into the control process. It doesn’t need to be that way. Especially if a customizable and flexible practice management software system is in place at the firm.

A few years ago we had the opportunity to design a customized workflow management system for a rapidly growing CPA firm, using Time Matters as the key tracking tool. The firm had just added a second office in a different state, and found that a paper-based workflow management system was no longer feasible for the number and range of tax returns the firm was processing, all with time critical deadlines.

By mimicking the firm’s manual tax return tracking form in a custom Time Matters record type, we were able to provide the firm with a readily accessible, instantly updateable control sheet that displayed the tax return’s present state of completion, who last worked on the record, what deadlines had been met and what deadlines were looming, and when the last communication with the client had been completed.  With both the client’s prior returns and the current workpapers stored electronically in the system, the control sheet provided everyone working on the return with easy and instant access to all necessary documents related to processing that year’s return, linked directly to the control sheet.  We were also able to link all email correspondence and billing entries to the control sheet, providing comprehensive access to every piece of information related to the return preparation.

Tax Return Control Sheet

The creation of this electronic control sheet within Time Matters facilitated immediate response to any client inquiry on the progress of a tax return.  It also allowed any available staff member to field such an inquiry, without having to track down the specific person assigned to that step in the return.  In addition, all staff deadlines were now being managed through the electronic workflow record. Customized tabs, organized by return status, allowed managers and staff to review current and impending deadlines at a quick glance, virtually eliminating that chance that a critical filing deadline will be missed.

We have created a case study for this project, available as a PDF, for anyone who may want to read a more detailed description of the project, along with screenshots of the various record types created in Time Matters to implement the system. Click here for a copy of the full case study

Interested in seeing how your own firm’s workflow can be improved by leveraging capabilities you already own in your software? Give us a call at 877-357-0555 or email us at [email protected] to review your needs, and learn how we can help you implement a control system that will work for you.

Jack Schaller

Jack Schaller has been active in the field of law office technology since 1989, and has worked with a variety of commercial accounting, legal billing, practice management, and document management software products during his twenty plus years in the software consulting field. During his tenure as a software consultant he has garnered many sales and service awards for his work with legal software products. Jack is a frequent presenter at legal conferences and seminars, and is a regular contributor to TechnoLawyer and other technology publications.