Computerized Accounting: Increasing Efficiency and Effectiveness

By computerizing a manual accounting system, I plan to make the accounting work of the business more effective and efficient. The efficiency will be increased by reducing the time it takes to make entries from the everyday transactions. The time will be reduced by eliminating having to enter each number multiple times, as is done with a manual accounting system. With a computerized accounting system each number will only have to be entered once. The system will, then, automatically post the number to the appropriate locations throughout the system. The effectiveness of the system is increased because there are less entries to be made manually. The fewer entries that have to be made manually, the fewer times there are to make an error. The major task that is involved in computerizing a manual accounting system is setting up the system to turn out accurate and reliable information from the data that is entered. This can only be accomplished through careful planning and system design. The system is going to be setup using linked Quattro Pro spreadsheets. Each one of the journals, ledgers, and worksheets that are used in the manual accounting system will be input into the computer to look as much like the original documents as possible. The goal is to make the system as user friendly as possible. Anyone who can use a manual system should be able to use the computerized system just as easily. There are several stages to the completion of a computerized accounting system. First there has to be a manual system to work from for the input data. Then a plan on how to go about designing the system has to be in place. Next each one of the journals, ledgers, and worksheets have to be designed within the system. After the blank documents have been designed, the data from the transactions must be entered. Once the beginning data has been entered, the posting phase has to be undertaken. This is perhaps the most important area because each posting transaction has to be documented for future reference. This is also the area where the most errors can occur that will undermine the systems usefulness. When the project is complete, the system will be able to print out financial statements for the business along with each journal, ledger, worksheet, and documentation page within the system