CEOs of owner-managed and mid-sized companies are often very knowledgeable and focused on functions like sales, operations, logistics, engineering, customer service etc.
Which makes sense because those functions are highly visible and obviously crucial to the overall success of the enterprise. In addition, it’s probable that the CEO built their career in one or more of those areas and so will be something of a subject matter expert in those disciplines.
By way of contrast, the accounting function is often treated as a poor cousin to the other corporate functions, and the CEO may not be nearly as fluent in accounting and finance as they are in other areas.
Which sometimes means that they are not getting what they’re paying for. Like any other discipline, there are metrics that measure how well an accounting department is operating.
We’ve created a tool that will help owner-managers objectively assess the value they’re receiving from their accounting departments. This survey breaks down the accounting function into three categories: basic accounting, financial analysis and forecasting, and the overall value the department brings to the enterprise.
Here’s the link to the survey: https://www.osbornefinancialsearch.com/accounting-finance-performance-evaluation/.