Developing Training Programs for a CPA Firm
Situation
A large and rapidly-growing CPA firm needed to train several hundred staff, managers, and principals in the application of the risk assessment auditing standards, SAS 104-111, to the particular audit practices and flows of the firm in an efficient and effective manner. While finanSight was working with the firm to develop the course, the client expressed a deeper need for firm-wide curriculum-based training to drive consistency, compliance and efficiency across the practice.
Issues
Like many CPA firms the client had grown its partner base through a mixture of internal promotions, external admissions, and acquisitions, and the diversity of experience, while healthy for the business and client service, had led to a divergence of application of audit procedures across the firm. This meant that the sophisticated proprietary audit tools used across the firm were not driving efficiency and effectiveness to the desired level, and significant opportunity for national networking and coordination lay untapped.
Outcome
finanSight worked with the client and delivered the following solutions:
- 8 hour training program for immediate firm-wide roll-out to address the SAS 104-111 need;
- Collaboration with the firm's national training office to establish a core curriculum;
- Partnering with design teams from across the firm in the design and development of over 10 training classes covering almost 100 hours of training as the foundation of the firm's in-house training curriculum;
- Limited delivery of the training across the firm, and focus on training internal trainers within the firm for all classes;
- Partnering with the firm to assist in the development of internal resources to take over course maintenance, and future course development;
- Partnering with the firm in ancillary projects, such as facilitating a strategic retreat for senior management, designing and developing content for national conferences, and assisting in design and development of process efficiencies in the practice.