Your question takes a wide swipe.
I would suggest using your source documents as the basis for your accounting system.
A simple internal control at point of recognition is satisfactory for many enterprises,
both large and small. It's the document at point of origin that is retained as your system.
in addition, budgets are expressly designed to acknowledge the vast majority of
business and who's responsible for what. No surprises is the key here. Hence, your
budgetary process is, in many ways. a forerunner of your systems.
A simple chart of accounts can handle it, along with supporting sub-documentation
like purchase orders, bills of lading. cash requests forms, petty cash subledger, simple
receipt books, month end credit card statements, sales invoice numbers and the like.
Take for example a simple paper form called a purchase order. By incorporating multiple
copies, with each copy serving a purpose is one example of a system.
- Original is sent to vendor
- Copy one is retained by the originator.
- Copy two is sent down to receiving, advising them of what's about to come in.
- Copy three is sent to accounts payable
When the order comes in:
Copy two is sent up to purchasing advising purchase of closing the open P.O.
with or without exceptions.
Copy two is then sent along to accounts payable, noting with our without exceptions.
Copy two is matched with Copy three and is scheduled for authorized disbursements.
Your subledger documentation can have a description space for explanations.
My advice would be to keep the method simple, always build in internal controls
and have accountability the focus of things.
By the way, asking for too much cooperation with the accounting system, from
operations people can make your life miserable. Nonfinancial staffers have their
hands full with just keeping a float with their own business, without having to
dot every "i" and cross every "t" supporting your work. The bottom line here
is to know your enterprise and the people in it, before attempting to design
and set in stone, any so called "system".
