Bookkeeping Software Selection Checklist
Table of Contents
Evaluate Your Organization
Size.
How many employees does your organization have?
Structure.
Who needs access to financial reports?
Revenue.
How much money does your company make in a year?
Growth outlook.
Do you expect revenue to increase in coming years?
Vendor accounts.
How many vendor accounts to do you support?
Payroll.
Is it outsourced or handled in-house?
Purchase orders.
Do you need PO support?
Accounts payable.
What is your AP workflow?
Accounts receivable.
What is your AR workflow?
Evaluate Your Bookkeeping Software Users
User base.
How many people will be using the bookkeeping software?
Tech savvy.
Will your staff require extensive training?
Accounting background.
Will the software users be accountants or lay people?
Transparency.
Will upper management be using the software?
Evaluate Your Bookkeeping Needs
Current software.
What bookkeeping software do you currently use?
Strengths.
What does your current software do well?
Deficiencies.
What critical needs does your current software not meet?
Future.
What special features will you need in coming years?
Evaluate Potential Bookkeeping Software Solutions
Initial cost.
How much will the software and licenses cost?
Training.
How much does it cost and how is it delivered?
Expandability.
Can you add users without incurring additional costs?
Technology.
Is the software hosted, or does your company need servers and IT staff?
Update path.
Does the license include all available updates?
Reporting.
Does the software provide the reporting you need?
Integration.
Can the bookkeeping software work with other applications?
Workflow.
Will you need to change the way you do business to fit the software?
Download or Print this Bookkeeping Software Selection Checklist
Get a printable version of this checklist in your preferred format: PDF, Word, Excel, or print directly from your browser.
Presented by:
Adam Hughes
Stats
Views
54
Views: 54
Uses
16
Uses: 16
Tasks
29
Tasks: 29
Introduction
Details
Bookkeeping Software Selection Tips
- Pick a software package that best fits your situation today and can also adapt to your needs in the future. Don’t become locked into a package with limited features just to save a little money, but you also need to guard against overspending on software with fancy features that your company will never use.
- Try before you buy. When possible, spend some time evaluating each potential software package in your own setting, making sure that your key users exercise all of the most important features. Most vendors offer a trial version of their systems for free, though you may have to ask for a trial license key.
- Talk to peers at other companies or institutions who have recently purchased bookkeeping software to get their insights into which systems they considered and why they made the decision they ultimately did.
Who it's for
This Bookkeeping Software Selection Checklist is for teams that want consistent execution, less rework, and clear ownership.
- Standardize quality - run the same Bookkeeping Software Selection steps every time, regardless of who executes
- Save time - reuse a proven Bookkeeping Software Selection workflow instead of rebuilding processes from scratch
- Improve accountability - assign owners and see what's done vs. what's pending
- Onboard faster - use the Bookkeeping Software Selection checklist as the SOP and training guide
- Coordinate across roles - handoffs are clear and everyone works from the same source of truth
How to use it
How to use this Bookkeeping Software Selection Checklist:
- Start by saving it - save as a Template if you'll reuse it, or as a Checklist if it's a one-off project.
- Customize it once for your workflow - remove what doesn't apply and add your team-specific steps.
- Assign ownership and execute - set owners/due dates where needed and track completion as work happens.
- Reuse without rebuilding - when Bookkeeping Software Selection comes up again, start from your saved version and run it with clear ownership.