Planning cycle
Where a commission sits in the year you already run
Accounting and advisory teams do not need a new calendar. They need panels that arrive in the weeks when cash is discussed, when the budget is still being argued, and when drawings are about to be voted. This page is the map we use before we agree a panel list.
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01
Spring budget, still on one sheet
Most practices agree a year-ahead P&L in March or April, then never look at it except as a variance dump. We draw a budget panel that keeps six to ten lines, with a written threshold for explanation. If the budget file is still last year’s office, we wait. A planning dashboard commissioned in this window usually includes the variance panel as panel two, after cash.
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02
Weekly cash through the thin months
The 13-week cash panel is for wages, VAT, and the known large bills — not a second cash book. Advisory teams use a quieter version with the client’s name in the title. We prefer this panel to be reprintable from two exports; otherwise it dies in May.
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03
Lock-up before anyone rings the bank
WIP and aged debt belong on one sheet, with the same age bands and names on the oldest column. Practices that only discover lock-up when the facility is reviewed are the ones who later ask for a wall in the accounts corridor. The formula is written down before we draw; we will not invent days.
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04
Drawings before the bonus conversation
A monthly drawings panel, with names, prevents the March surprise. Tax reserves sit as a claim on cash if the practice holds them. We will not anonymise rows to spare a partner a look at their own rate.
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05
The client meeting, twice a year
Advisory boards are timed to the planning conversations you already sell: year-end, and a mid-year check on cash and tax dates. The board stays on the table after the meeting. The accounts production file stays on the adviser’s machine.
Commission against a meeting, not against a blank year
When you write, name the next meeting the pack must serve. We will tell you whether four weeks is honest, or whether the figures will not be ready. If you already know the commission, start from the list; if you only know the meeting, start from a briefing.