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Stop working harder and start fixing the bottlenecks that keep your month-end close stuck in a nine-day cycle.
This course provides a systematic framework for reducing month-end close times by identifying and eliminating process inefficiencies rather than increasing headcount or software spending. It introduces the Close Clock model, which categorizes accounting delays into wait, match, chase, and explain, and demonstrates how to prioritize tasks based on a critical path analysis. The material covers practical strategies for setting firm cutoffs, automating routine reconciliations, and optimizing review processes to move the controller off the critical path. By focusing on process design and clear accountability, the course outlines a 90-day plan to transition from a manual, bottleneck-heavy close to a streamlined, efficient workflow.
Topics Covered:
CFO & Board Director
Steven Taylor is an experienced Chief Financial Officer (CFO) based in Australia, with over 18 years of leadership across aged care, healthcare, FMCG, manufacturing, mining, technology, infrastructure, and not-for-profit sectors. Known for his hands-on approach to financial strategy and operational excellence, Steven has built a reputation for helping organisations drive profitability, strengthen governance, and achieve sustainable growth. Steven holds an MBA and is a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Financial Modelling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA). His work focuses on translating complex financial concepts into practical, easy-to-apply strategies for executives, boards, and managers. Passionate about mentoring future leaders, Steven brings real-world insights into his writing, blending financial expertise with a clear, straightforward writing style. His books and guides are designed to be practical tools that deliver immediate value for professionals navigating today's fast-changing business landscape.
Provincial regulators of CPAs in Canada do not require that independent providers of CPD be approved to offer courses. Instead, individual CPAs are responsible for assessing whether a CPD activity meets their requirements, and may take activities from any source provided those requirements are met.
Every course offered on LearnFormula is delivered by a qualified subject matter expert or learning organization, and advances learning objectives that are relevant to the responsibilities or professional competencies of Canadian CPAs. All activities on LearnFormula are quantifiable in terms of hours, and are also verifiable, in that users receive documented evidence of their attendance via a certificate of completion after finishing a course (and this certificate is stored by LearnFormula indefinitely). Nearly 100,000 Canadian CPAs successfully satisfy their CPD requirements via LearnFormula on an annual basis.