Archive for January, 2012
Six Sigma And Finance
The success of Six Sigma implementations depends on the ability of the implementation teams to identify and alter systems that are responsible for the efficiency of a business process. For successful implementation of Six Sigma concepts and methodologies, organizations need to increase coordination between all the teams involved in the implementations. Consistent support and guidance from senior management is also necessary for ensuring the success of Six Sigma initiatives.
Six Sigma Implementations And The Finance Department
Six Sigma implementations do help in reducing operational costs, but an organization cannot afford to make strategic decisions based on vague assumptions. Organizations need to measure the monetary value of benefits that is being derived through the implementations. The task of assessing the financial spin-offs of the implementations is often entrusted to the finance department that assesses the improvements in relation to the organization’s bottom line.
The finance department utilizes project tracking software that measures the improvements being made and generates reports showing the financial payoff. The software is used all throughout the implementation process and the data collected is stored for future referrals. This is important because Six Sigma programs aim at continuous quality improvements, normally a 30%-60% improvement in around 6 months. Data available from past implementations makes it easier to deploy new Six Sigma concepts and methodologies in an organization.
Selecting The Most Suitable Finance Personnel
For ensuring that the financial functions are successfully carried out, organizations need to select only the most experienced employees. Outsiders can also be hired for this purpose but it is always better to opt for existing employees as they have a better understanding about the organization’s business processes.
If the selected employees are new to the concept of Six Sigma, it is necessary to provide adequate training before allocating them the responsibilities that they are supposed to shoulder. Finance personnel selected by an organization, act as the official scorekeepers and report any deviations that might affect the organization’s bottom line.
Finance And Quality Issues
Quality improvements are one of the main objectives of Six Sigma implementations. However, for producing high-quality goods or services that satisfy customer needs, it is necessary to deploy the financial measurement tools and systems at all stages of the implementation process. At the start of the implementation process, a financial impact analysis is conducted to identify the derivable monetary benefits. During the implementations, the actual monetary value of benefits is assessed and reported to the senior management. During the final stages of the implementations, the actual and planned results are compared to provide the necessary feedback to the quality department.
The success of any quality improvement technique such as Six Sigma can be ensured if the implementations are done in accordance with quantifiable financial results. The financial skills of selected personnel also go a long way in ensuring the success of Six Sigma implementation programs.
Is Your Accounting Or Finance Department Measuring Up Or is it Down For the Count?
Accounting is a methodology by which a company or financial entity measures, discloses, or provides assurance about the financial information of a company that may be used to act as an aid to managers, investors, tax authorities and other decision makers to reach decisions regarding resource allocation. Financial accounting is a branch of accounting that throughout history has required processes to record, classify, summarize as well as interpret and communicate all financial information concerning the business. In other words one can think of accounting as being the “language of business” and accounting forms as the medium upon with that language is communicated.
The heart of accounting is the measurement of financial transactions that are meant to transfer the legal property rights that are performed through contractual relationships. Accounting specifically excludes non-financial transactions because of the need for conservatism as well as principles of materiality. Persons that practice accounting are known as accountants and it is necessary to have a number of different professional bodies that are formed by accountants all across the globe. There are titles given to different accounting personnel such as Chartered Certified Accountants, Chartered Accountants, and Certified Public Accountants.
The use of accountancy methods allows companies to create accurate financial reports and accounting forms that are of great help to managers, regulators, shareholders, creditors and owners. When the day-to-day business transactions are recorded in the books of the company, the method used is known as bookkeeping. The heart of the modern financial accounting system is called the double-entry bookkeeping system.
Double-entry bookkeeping systems require at least two entries for each transaction, one being a debit and, the other a corresponding credit. It is imperative that the sum of all debits exactly equals the sum of all credits and, if it does, then it is a promising sign that the entries have been properly recorded. Such a system first found use in medieval Europe, though some claim that it was practiced much earlier in Ancient Greece.
To get into the profession of accountancy, one would need to attain certain qualifications based on the country in which they intend to practice. An accountant needs to be licensed by a number of organizations, mostly at the state and country level although it is not always a legal necessity for an accountant to be a paying member of any one of the institutions and bodies that are in the business of providing such licenses.
There are different types of accountancy including cost accounting, cash-basis and accrual basis accounting, financial accountancy, fund accounting, internal and external accountancy, management accounting, project accounting, positive accounting, environmental accounting and social responsibility accounting. In addition, accounting principles, rules of conduct and actions can be described with the help of different terms like concepts, conventions, tenets, assumption, axioms and also postulates.
An oft cited criticism of accounting is that it has not changed much and there is need for affecting reforms to keep up with the changing business needs and because of the need to keep accounting relevant to changes in capital assets or production capacity. That is not to say that the basic principles will change; for these should be independent of dynamic economics. Of late, there has been deviation in accounting from economic principles that has ended up with controversial reforms being affected in order to make financial reports more pinpointing of economic realities.