Business process cycles we review
A process cycle is named for where it starts and where it ends. Looking at the whole cycle, across departments, shows the hand-offs where most errors and delays occur.
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Order to CashO2C
From a confirmed order through delivery, invoicing, collection and cash application. Reviews look at credit terms, billing accuracy and delay, unbilled work, and how receivables are followed up.
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Quote to CashQ2C
Adds the front end to O2C: pricing, discount approval, proposals and contract terms. The usual gaps are unapproved discounts and contract terms that billing never sees.
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Record to ReportR2R
Journal entries, reconciliations, period-end close, consolidation and reporting. The focus is on close timelines, manual journals, reconciliation quality and review evidence.
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Source to ContractS2C
Identifying vendors, evaluating them, negotiating and signing contracts. Reviews cover vendor onboarding, comparative quotes, approval limits and contract custody.
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Hire to RetireH2R
The employee lifecycle: recruitment, onboarding, payroll, attendance, appraisals, full-and-final settlement. Payroll masters and access removal on exit are the common weak points.
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Idea to MarketI2M
How a new service or product moves from idea to launch: business case, budget approval, development milestones and post-launch review.
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Issue to ResolutionI2R
Customer complaints and service tickets from logging to closure, including credit notes and root-cause tracking. Important for service companies with SLAs.
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Plan to ProduceP2P
Demand planning, capacity and material planning, production and costing. Covers bill of materials, wastage, work-in-progress and variance reporting.
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Lead to ProspectL2P
How enquiries are captured, qualified and handed to sales. The review asks whether leads are tracked, who owns them and what the conversion data shows.
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Claims to SettlementC2S
Claims raised by customers, vendors, employees or under insurance and warranty: validation, approval, accounting and payment.
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Asset to RetirementA2R
Fixed assets from requisition and capitalisation to physical verification, depreciation, transfer and disposal.
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Budget to PlanB2P
Budgeting and forecasting: how targets are set, approved, compared with actuals and revised. Links management reporting to decisions.
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Design to BuildD2B
Project execution from design sign-off to completed build: change orders, milestone billing, project costing and handover.
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Logistics to DeliveryL2D
Dispatch planning, transport, proof of delivery and freight cost. Proof of delivery is often the document that holds up invoicing and collection.
How a cycle review runs
- Scope. We agree which cycle, which entities or locations and which period are covered.
- Walkthrough. We follow real transactions from the first step to the last and talk to the people at each step.
- Assessment. We record risks, existing controls and gaps, and test a sample where testing is in scope.
- Report. Management receives the process map, observations ranked by risk and practical recommendations.
- Follow-up. If asked, we return after an agreed period to check what has been implemented.
Guidance can cover a single cycle or several. See services for how reviews, controls work and documentation fit together.