Interim solution: immediate takeover of local accounting

Short-term takeover of the local accounting department of a German subsidiary of a satellite communications company due to the retirement of the incumbent finance manager

Responsibility:

  • Prepare the accounts in local GAAP (German HGB)

Mission:

Taking over the duties of the incumbent and preparing the tasks for handover to a new employee who had yet to be found

  • Posting of incoming invoices in DATEV (local accounting platform) and corresponding creditor management
  • Management of the asset register in DATEV
  • Reconciliation of bank accounts in the group ERP (Oracle Fusion)
  • Prepare VAT return
  • Posting payroll in the group ERP

Finalization of the 2021 audit and preparation and closing of the 2022 audit

Measures:

  • Converting the paper-based invoice verification and posting process to a digital process
  • Introduction of continuous processes to distribute the workload throughout the month

Successes:

  • Significant efficiency boost which reduced the full time position to a 50% FTE

Special Challenge:

  • The existing processes had been ingrained for years and were entirely built around the circulation of paper documents.
  • The infrastructure dictated by the group (those functions and processes mapped in Oracle Fusion) cannot be altered. This means I had to create suitable workarounds using local tools