Fast Closing: Monthly and Year-End Accounts
Executive Finance Program
5-day intensive focused on accelerating close cycles, improving accuracy, and strengthening control. Templates and an implementation roadmap included.
Limited seats
Senior-level cohort
Certificate
Senior-level cohort
Certificate
What you will leave with
- A fast-close blueprint tailored to your finance function
- A closing calendar and checklist pack you can implement immediately
- KPI set for speed, quality, and control
- Templates for reporting packages and stakeholder communication
- An implementation roadmap for the next 60–90 days
Who this is for
Finance managers, controllers, management accountants, senior accountants, and GL, AP, and AR professionals responsible for close quality, timing, and reporting.
Ideal if you want to
- Shorten close cycles without losing control
- Improve accuracy and reduce rework
- Standardize close routines across teams
Not for
- Entry-level accounting roles
- Software-specific ERP training
- Theoretical updates only
Program objectives
By the end of the program, participants will be able to:
- Describe the impact of fast closing on company-wide operations
- Develop a closing process improvement plan
- Identify departmental requirements for financial reporting
- Provide faster and more accurate data for monthly and year-end closing
- Enhance communication with internal and external customers
- Apply best practices and strengthen monthly closing procedures
Show full program outline
Fast Closing Defined
- Importance and benefits of fast close
- Hard, soft, and virtual close
- Elements of soft close
- Vision of finance and accounting function
- Activities and purposes of finance and accounting
The Finance Function as an Added Value
- Usefulness of financial information
- Defining finance function stakeholders
- Disconnect between finance and internal users
- Tools to identify needs and measure report user satisfaction
Redesign of the Finance Function
- The paradigm shift
- Top information deficiencies
- Tools to identify the need for a redesign
- Reasons for process redesign
- Three steps to carry on process improvement and finance function redesign
Planning the Fast Close Process
- Setting up a plan for a fast close
- Pre-close process and activities
- Implementing the plan and staying in control
- Finance process redesign tools and techniques
- Cost and cycle-time charts
- Process maps and value analysis
- Identifying process bottlenecks
- Organizing fast close resources needed
- Shifting close activities
- Selecting key performance indicators (KPIs)
- Continuous improvements in closing process
Applying Best Practices in the Close Process
- Enhancing the operating cycle
- Procurement and disbursement: AP, T&E, inventory, payroll, costing, commissions
- Billing and collection: AR and billing, collections, cash management
- Administration and reporting: GL, budgeting, fixed assets, financial reporting
- Elements of the close reporting package
Registration
Request a seat. We confirm availability and send invoice details.
We respond within 1 business day.