A. Community Rehabilitation Services
Expectations
1.
Reports
a. Monthly:
Milestone
Completion Report
Client
Summary Reports to VR Counselors
Monthly Data Disc to CRSU
Tracking Form
Reports to DD (if applicable)
Additional requests from
Technical Assistant (TA)
Quarterly and Yearly:
Summary report to Technical Assistant
b.
Quarterly:
Reports should include current information and new goals for the following areas:
§ Marketing (for the agency,
programs, clients, and referral sources)
§ Training
§ Quality Assurance and Data
Collection
§ ES Productivity
§ Billing statistics/Progress
towards quality & quantity – Milestone Billing Report
§ Other issues
2. Meeting and Training Attendance
Project Directors are
required to attend mandatory quarterly meetings, which are set up by CRSU. The meetings usually last two days and are
at varied locations. You will receive
notification of these meetings about 3-4 weeks in advance.
Additional training and
meetings available to Project Directors and their staff will be scheduled as
needed. You will receive notification
of these from your TA.
As the Project Director you
may request additional training for yourself and your staff. You may also make a request for your TA to
provide additional training to your staff in specific areas such as:
§ Marketing
§ Client staffing: problem solving
§ Training techniques
§ Handling team meetings
§ Dealing with unrealistic
goals
§ Handling inappropriate
behavior
§ Staff job performance issues
§ Working with families
§ Programmatic issues
§ Disability specific
3. Time Management
One necessary quality of all
Project Directors is organization. You
must be able to organize yourself as well as large groups. You should be able to hold the group in
control, and be able to adapt easily to last minute change of plans. You need to be able to think on your feet
and problem solve quickly.
While most good managers
plan their weeks in advance, it is well known by most long term Project
Directors that reprioritization occurs when problems inevitably arise.
Organizing by time frames seems to work best.
Prioritize what deadlines need to be met. Then prioritize the remaining duties in order of need. Remember to always be consistent. This will help staff to learn to problem
solve on their own and also let them know what you expect. They will learn they can count on you, and
be able to anticipate your responses.
As a Project Director your
time will always be filled with busy work.
It is important to make yourself available to your staff. Do not allow this to be their excuse for not
completing work or notifying you of pertinent issues. Make it clear it is their job to let you know they need some of
your time. Good Project Directors
always keep an open door policy. It is
equally important to schedule weekly staff meetings so that the group may
gather together and problem solve as a whole.
This enhances group support and helps you to keep in touch with key
issues. Be sure staff rotate certain
job sites so that a single staff person will not have to continually miss staff
meetings due to covering the same site each week. At times it is also necessary to schedule individual meetings,
especially when your group is too busy to meet for regular, weekly staff
meetings. Having job coaches complete
surveys regarding their needs from you helps you to know areas where they may
need help or education. It helps them
to be better job coaches with a clearer understanding of how the company processes work, and it helps you to be a
better supervisor by having a better understanding of your employees needs.
Job Coaches need to schedule
themselves in advance for the upcoming week, and also need to be able to switch
gears with little or no warning. They
need to be able to juggle various job sites and problem solve as they go
along. The need to be able to be
creative while on the job. Keeping a
professional appearance and manner at all times helps to define their role to
both the client and the employer.
Keeping job coaches well informed assures their confidence while out in
the field.
Job Coaches need to turn in
their schedules to you one week in advance, and notify you of any changes that
occur. If they are consistently having
problems in a certain area it is time for a meeting; otherwise, problems can multiply past the manageable
stage. Job Coaches should schedule
approximately 4 hours per week for paperwork and meetings, and approximately 4
hours per week for marketing time.
(This is dependent on your agency needs.) Some agencies have a designated
Job Coach whose only job is to market.
If your program requires Job Coaches to market for themselves, then they
should plan for more marketing time in their weekly schedules. Job Coaches also need to have good judgement
skills in determining the amount of assistance a client may need. Being able to project how much time will be
needed weekly on each job site will allow for better scheduling.
4. General Suggestions
§ Know what is expected from
CRSU. If you are unsure, ask your
technical assistant. If it helps, make
a list.
§ Make sure the DRS counselors
with whom you work agree on the paperwork required for each milestone billing.
Your technical assistant can facilitate this. If in doubt, ask the counselor.
§ Set up individual packets
for each milestone.
§ Train staff in correct
completion of paperwork.
§ Set up Milestone tracking
form for individual job coaches (Attachment 1A) and for program overview
(Attachment 1B).
§ Set deadlines for staff
paperwork completion.
§ Set consequences if goals or
deadlines are not met.
§ Establish staff training
schedules for
a. New
hire required training
b. New
methods and procedures
c. Disability
specific
d. On-going
skill polishing
§ Produce monthly reports and
use to monitor program quality.
§ Use unannounced job site
visits to monitor service quality and job coach performance and to identify
training and procedural needs.
§ Establish marketing
protocols, including marketing packets, follow-up procedures and documentation.
§ Collect employer support
letters to assist with marketing.
§ Train staff to follow up
with thank you notes to employers after marketing contacts or for other
appropriate occasions.
§ Develop new client referral
sources.
a. Meet with local school personnel (public
schools, vocational technology center and colleges).
b. Attend support groups for consumers
and/or families.
c. Keep
in contact with DRS counselors.
Entrepreneur Magazine
August 1998 Issue
Time Bandits
Are Administrative tasks eating you alive? Here's how to cut them down to size.
By Jacquelyn Lynn
Office administrative functions rank among the top
three most time-consuming tasks for 81 percent of the small-business owners
surveyed last year by Comprehensive Business Services, an accounting franchiser
based in Mission Vag, CA. In fact, more
than half those surveyed spend 15 or more hours each week on tasks that don't
generate income for their businesses.
That's a tremendous amount of lost potential and revenue. What's the solution? First, says Charles White of Comprehensive
Business Services, take an inventory of how you're spending your time. List one item at a time and then review
them, keeping these thoughts in mind:
Be sure the
task is essential. Will your business suffer if
you aren't doing some of the things you've been doing?
Systematize
the task. "Analyze the procedure and create a
step-by-step formula for getting it done", says White. This forces you to develop the most
efficient way of doing the work.
Delegate. Systematizing makes delegating much easier and more
effective. Look within your
organization for people who can take over tasks, and give them the necessary
authority for getting the work done.
Outsource. When you don't have the necessary skills for particular tasks
within your company, outsource the work.
"Outsourcing is a common way to delegate necessary functions that
have no direct bearing on generating sales", says White. "Outsource in areas where there's a
particular expertise required that you don't have. For example, advertising and accounting functions are commonly
outsourced".
Consolidate. When outsourcing, consider a source that can handle a number of
related tasks. For example, you may
look to your accounting firm to not only prepare your taxes and create standard
financial reports, but to handle payroll and provide case-flow management
assistance. This allows the source to
get to know your company and to act more as a consultant than simply a
task-performer.
Contact Sources
Comprehensive Business Services, (800) 323-9000,
http://www.comprehensive.org
adapted from material on-line
http://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/sbainfo/run-a-business/rec.txt
HOW SUCCESSFUL ARE YOU AT MANAGING PROCRASTINATION?
by Mershon Shrigley
Almost never = 0
Sometime = 1
Half the time = 2
Usually = 3
Almost always = 4
1. When tempted to put off
tasks, I set deadlines for myself, including a starting time.
POINTS _____
2. I watch for
procrastination in my team and help them overcome it.
POINTS _____
3. When facing problems of
procrastination, I "go public" by announcing my deadline or goals to
others, asking them to help my stay accountable.
POINTS _____
4. I practice self-rewards
when progressing toward a deadline or completing a difficult task.
POINTS _____
5. When fear of being wrong
influences me to put off decisions or actions, I remind myself of the benefits
of timely actions and also recall, "its not brain surgery".
POINTS _____
TOTAL _____ Take this exercise again in a few months and
note improvement!
HOW TO STOP PROCRASTINATING
If the above test helped you
realize that you are a procrastinator the following information will help you
overcome this common ailment.
Define you goals and give
yourself deadlines. Be specific. Don't just resolve to increase sales, set a
goal to make three sales calls a day for a month.
Welcome accountability. When you decide to do something, let others
know your plans. Ask them to help you
stay accountable.
Break down complicated
tasks. A large task can look overwhelming which immediately causes
procrastination to set in. Set
deadlines for each portion of a large, complicated project. This will reinforce your efforts as you
complete the job.
Give yourself positive self
talk. Remind yourself how
proud/relieved/successful you'll feel when a project is completed, how good it
will feel to "cross it off your list" and be able to move on to
something more enjoyable.
Make sure the benefits of
completion outweigh the benefits of procrastinating. If they don't, maybe you need to reevaluate the project, is it
worthwhile, does it coincide with my overall goals?
There are always times when
we feel like procrastinating. If we
understand our patterns of procrastination, we'll be less likely to put off
those things that really matter or are keeping us from success.
Remember, leaders didn't get
there by procrastinating. They are
leaders because they stay focused, ignore distractions, plunge right in and let
others know of their projects, plans, and goals. They are accountable to themselves and others.
__________________
This article is an excerpt
from The Business Woman's Advantage, an e-mail newsletter for women with the
entrepreneurial spirit. For more
information contact the publisher, Mershon Shrigley, president, Shrigley &
Associates, a marketing/communications organization specializing in
newsletters, at Shrigley85@aol
_________
The preceding article is
locate in the Business Know-How Forum on America Online. The forum contains
extensive information on starting, marketing, growing and managing home offices
and small businesses. You can reach the
forum on AOL from keyword Business Know-How.
Project Directors closely
monitor budget and staff to assure a successful program. Revenue and expenses must balance and, hopefully,
not only allow for surplus funds to keep programs operating when contract funds
have been expended or revenues are down, but also to allow for growth. You must determine your operating costs such
as salaries, expenses, overhead, travel, administration, supplies, insurance,
etc. Projections of revenue and
expenses should be made for the total contract year. Know how many referrals you need to receive to keep the program
operating effectively. Know how many
clients can be served at each program service level with current job coach
staff numbers. There are many times
where job coaches may need to rearrange who serves each client in order to be
cost effective with their time.
For internal tracking
milestone, a twelve month projection can be used for both the project director
and job coaches alike (see Appendix – Budget Forms). This will show each client's projected time frames for goal
completion. This can be adjusted as
needed. You can use a floating column
after the current month you are tracking that will tally the total billings for
that month for you.
Give your staff a monthly
due date for milestone paperwork to be turned in to you. Have blank packets for each milestone set up
for easy access when needed. This will
help them learn the contents for each milestone and get them in the habit of
organizing for future due dates.
Develop a check off sheet (see Appendix – Budget Forms), with
requirements for each milestone listed by packet so that job coaches may double
check themselves to make sure all parts of the packet are completed. This also gives them easy access to
answering some of their own questions.
It
is important to train staff to problem solve independently. When they come to you with a problem they
should also come with possible solutions rather than expect for your to solve
their problems. If they come with
possible solutions it not only trains them in appropriate decision making but
also allows them to have some control in the chosen solution.
External tracking of the program is a must. Regular contact with employers helps you to evaluate job coach performance and dependability. Job site visits, which are regular and unannounced, should be made to get a true reading of what really happens on the site as well as assure job coaches are meeting performance standards expected by your organization. Job site visits should be viewed as a regular part of the job of the Project Director and not as checking up on job coaches.
A job coach rating form (see
Appendix – Budget Forms) can be used to evaluate job coach performance from the
employers standpoint. This allows us to
evaluate how well we are meeting employers’ needs and shows the employer we
have confidence in ourselves and believe in doing a good job. This form should be given to the employer by
the job coach along with an addressed, postage paid envelope for confidential
return to the Project Director. The
form should be reviewed with the job coach who was evaluated on the form. Well trained job coaches know the importance
of quality control. This evaluation can
be used to correct problems as well as give praise for a job well done. In the case where more than one job coach is
at the same site, they should all be evaluated.
Every agency has a
budget. The Project Director may or may
not have the responsibility to create the budget, depending on the agency's
policy and practices. However, you should
have a copy, and at a minimum the following line items should be included, salaries
for the Project Director and any middle management staff, hourly wages,
overtime if any, and benefits to include taxes, fringe benefits, sick leave,
and vacations; additionally, other items include training costs, supplies,
mileage, postage, printing cost, photocopy, meeting expense, lodging, meals,
and any miscellaneous expenses.
Every manager should know
what monthly expenses are incurred for their area in order to ensure the
project is generating the appropriate amount of revenue from the Milestone
billing.
Annually, the manager needs
to project the number of Milestones needed monthly to know how much revenue can
be generated. This can be accomplished
by using a spreadsheet program such as Excel.
If what you project does not match, or exceeds the monthly expense of
the program, work with the numbers until you reach it. The Assessment and Placement milestones are
the keys to managing the milestone revenue.
(See Appendix – Budget Forms)
1a. Internal Tracking
A manager must develop
several tracking systems in order to know where you are going and what you have
accomplished.
Using a spreadsheet program
you can set up a grid type chart (see attached). On this chart, list the consumers name, and the name of the first
two milestones to be accomplished then, list dates and count the number of
weeks and record the anticipated dates that future milestones are expected to
occur. This same process can be used
for Employment & Retention programs.
When you refer to the annual
spreadsheet print out, you will know if you are going to be on target for the
month. For example: If the annual plan projects two placement
milestones in a month and three closure milestones, then you should accomplish
this. Plot it out on the grid. Monthly, as you add new consumers
milestones, then continue to project and list dates of completion for the
remaining milestones. Repeat this
monthly as the milestones are completed.
In order to remain on track,
use your grid and monthly, distribute to staff a list of what milestones they
can expect to be completed. By doing
this, staff knows who is responsible for turning in appropriate paperwork, the
manager knows if the projects revenue lines up with expenses, and no milestones
are skipped.
If you use your grid and
have kept it accurate by recording completion date of milestones and plotted
the other milestones you can look at the grid and project what milestones are
due each month.
DRS sends you a form to keep
track of the contract dollars used for each month. It is simple to complete.
At the end of each month you subtract the total amount billed from your
contract. This gives you a monthly
contract balance.
Each month you subtract your
billed amount from the previous months remaining balance. Then mail the Milestone Completion Report,
the budget report, and the disk of milestones completed to your Technical
Assistant, by the 10th of the month. (Make sure that each report you
send to DRS is clearly marked with your project name and the month and year the
date represents.)
At the end of the contract
year, you are required to submit an end of the year report thirty (30) days
after the contract ends. Included in
the report is a list of the milestone completed and closures, a list of consumers,
where they went to work, job title, wages, number of hours worked, date of
employment, and your average cost per closure.
Your narrative should discuss how your project did compared to what your
bid or contract projected you would do. If you did meet or exceed expectations
discuss why, if you did not well explain why.
Explain what changes or modifications you will make to either maintain
or increase the results. The
information DRS is most interested in is closures and cost per closure.
The
year end report is easy to put together using your projected milestone
grid. You can easily count the number
of each milestone accomplished and count your closure. Using a spreadsheet program you can easily
prepare this grid and also list consumers names, date of employment, hours
worked, wages, etc. This information
can be taken from the milestone placement report.
The
rest of the report is based on your experience and knowledge of the year.
2. RECORD KEEPING
An appropriate record-keeping system can determine
the survival or failure of a new business.
For those already in business, good record-keeping systems can increase
the changes of staying in business and the opportunity to earn larger profits. Complete records will keep you in touch with
your business's operations and obligations and help you see problems before
they occur. This publication explains
the characteristics of and procedure for establishing a good record-keeping
system.
THE NEED FOR
GOOD RECORDS
Accounting records furnish substantial information about
your volume of business, such as how present and prior volume compare and the
level and status of accounts receivable.
In addition, good accounting records help to accomplish the following
tasks.
Control Expenses
Accounting records detail the amounts owed to
suppliers and other creditors so that you can plan the availability of cash to
meet your obligations. Such records
also provide information regarding expenditures and allow you to establish
controls over them. At all times, you
must be aware of your individual expense requirements and how they relate to
the overall picture.
Fulfill Payroll Requirement
Payroll is one of the largest expenses in a small
business. Adequate payroll records
should meet the requirements of the
§
Internal Revenue Service
§
State department of revenue
§
Local department of revenue
§
Workers' compensation laws
§
Social security requirements
§
Unemployment insurance requirements
For each of these categories
you are required to provide annual reports and summaries. In addition, you must provide employees with
the W-2 forms needed to file federal and other income tax returns. In order to provide this detailed
information, it is essential for you to maintain good accounting records.
Determine Profit Margin
Good accounting records will
indicate a business's level of profit, and provide specific information on the
profitability of certain departments or lines of goods within your
business. In most cases, you can avoid
losses if you maintain current records and analyze the information from your
records on an ongoing basis.
Improve Cash Flow
Good accounting records
provide detailed reports of case availability, both on hand and in the bank,
and of case shortages or the diversion of case. Since cash is your most liquid asset, you must carefully account
for it.
Measure Performance
Finally, good business
records help you measure your business's performance by comparing your actual
results with the figures in your budget and those of other similar businesses.
REQUIREMENTS OF A GOOD SYSTEM
The following criteria are
essential to a good record-keeping system:
§
Simplicity
§
Accuracy
§
Timeliness
§
Consistency
§
Understandability
§
Reliability and completeness
There are several
copyrighted accounting systems that can be purchased and adapted to the
individual business, or you may find it is better to use a system specifically
designed for your business and one that meets the above mentioned criteria.
METHODS OF ACCOUNTING
There are two basic methods
of accounting: cash basis and accrual basis.
The method you choose will depend on your type of business. Cash basis is the simpler method. It is mainly used by service businesses that
do not maintain inventory or startup businesses that do not offer credit. The accrual method is used by businesses
that provide for credit sales or maintain an inventory.
Cash Basis Method
In case basis accounting,
you record sales when cash is received and expenses when they are actually
paid. Using the cash basis method is like
maintaining a checkbook. Under this
method, accounts receivable are not recorded as sales until they are
collected. Accounts payable are not
recorded as expenses until the account is paid. Bad debt, accruals and deferrals are not appropriately recorded
under case basis because they are examples of outstanding credit (business
notes). The case basis method is not
appropriate for businesses that extend credit.
Accrual Basis Method
In accrual basis accounting,
you report income or expenses as they are earned or incurred rather than when
they are collected or paid. Record
credit sales as accounts receivable that have not yet been collected.
The accrual basis also
provides a method for recording expenditures paid in a single installment but
covering more than one period. For
example, interest may be paid semiannually or annually, but it is recorded on a
monthly basis.
The accrual method satisfies
the matching concept, i.e., matching income with related expenditures. Consequently, it can provide a clear and
accurate view of business operations for a given period.
THE ACCOUNTING CYCLE
The accounting cycle can be
described as follows:
1. A business transaction
occurs, giving rise to an original document that is recorded in a book of
original entries called a journal.
2. The totals from the
journal are summarized and reported in a book of accounts, known as a general
ledger.
3. The general ledger
contains the individual accounts maintained by the business.
4. The individual accounts
are listed in the form of debits and credits, known as the trial balance of the
general ledger.
5. From this trail balance,
after making certain adjustment, you prepare the business's financial
statements.
General Ledgers
The summary and totals from
all journals are entered into the general ledger. A general ledger is a summary book that records transactions and
balances of individual accounts, and is organized into five classes of
individual accounts, as follows:
1. Assets - A record of all items that the
business owns.
2. Liabilities - A record of all debts the
business owes.
3. Capital - A record of all ownership or
equity.
4. Sales - A record of all income earned for a
specific period.
5. Expenses - A record of all expenditures
incurred during a given period.
When the trial balance is
prepared, these classifications are easily recognized.
Trial Balance
At the end of the fiscal
year or accounting period, the individual accounts in the general ledger are
totaled and closed. The balances of the
individual accounts are summarized in the financial statements.
Financial Statements
The main types of financial
statements are the balance sheet and the income statement, also known as the
profit and loss statement. The balance sheet is a report of a business's
financial condition (assets, liabilities and capital) at a specific moment in
time and the income statement is a summary of profit and loss for a specific
period of time, generally a month, quarter or year.
Other statements may be
prepared. For example, a cash flow
statement identifies the sources and applications of cash. Statements may also be prepared to indicate
manufacturing expenses or other special areas that are of interest to you.
Percentages
Percentages are used in
financial statements to show the part of each sales dollar used by the various
expenses. Percentages are especially
helpful for comparing current year financial statements with those of prior
years to determine business trends.
Percentages are also helpful for comparing your figures with those of
other firms in the same line of business.
HOW TO ANALYZE YOUR RECORDS
To chart the progress of
your business, you should become familiar with various forms of financial
statement analysis and measurement.
Financial statements
indicate which items need more attention.
For example, profits may be too low or rent unnecessarily high. Perhaps there is a way to use the business
vehicles more efficiently, to increase inventory turnover or to reduce long
distance telephone bills.
In analyzing financial statement,
carefully examine all items that do not seem realistic. Answer the following questions:
§ Why
are certain expenses at a particular level?
§ Are
there any ways to reduce or avoid certain expenses?
§
Should you incur all of your expenses?
§ Does
the level of profit justify your investment, time and effort?
Financially significant
items should be analyzed regularly. For
example, examine payroll as a percentage of total administrative expenses. Keep in mind that, if your business is a
proprietorship, your salary is not a payroll expense; however, if your business
is a corporation, your salary should be a payroll expense.
Analyzing Payroll Expenses
In justifying payroll and
other expenses, answer the following questions:
§ Are accurate records maintained for time spent on various
jobs and functions?
§ Is the eight-hour day of each employee accounted for
appropriately?
§ When employees are paid overtime, is the additional expense
reflected in charges to the customer?
§ Is the level of payroll expense appropriate for your type of
business?
§ Are you billing on a guaranteed price basis for billing, does
actual time spent exceed time estimated for the job?
§ When using guaranteed price basis for billing, does actual
time spent exceed time estimated for the job?
§ Do employees work with a minimum of wasted effort and time?
§ Are you operating at maximum efficiency? What strategies can be implemented to
maximize efficiency?
Payroll and Taxes
Current Internal Revenue
Service (IRS) regulations require that you withhold federal income tax and
social security (FICA) from each employee.
You must remit the amount for taxes to the IRS on a quarterly, monthly
or more frequent basis. A detailed
reporting system for payroll will help you make timely tax payments.
Gather specific information
about each employee on individual employee record cards. All employees should fill out federal Form
W-4, which indicates their filing status and the number of exemptions they
claim. Use this information to compute
the federal withholding and social security (FICA) deductions for each payroll
check.
Prepare Employees Quarterly
Federal Tax Return (Form 941) by totaling each employee's withholding for
federal taxes and social security. File
Form 941 with the IRS.
Each payroll period, total
the accumulated withholdings of both federal taxes and social security for all
employees. If this total exceeds $500
for any month, you must deposit this amount by the 15th day of the following
month in a depository bank (an authorized financial institution or a federal
reserve bank). Generally, when the
total exceeds $3,000, you must deposit this amount within three business
days. Any overpayment in taxes is paid
back to you quarterly.
At the year's end, you are
required to prepare not only the information normally required for that
quarter; but also summaries of each employee's total earnings and withholdings
for the year (Form W-2). Provide this
form to each employee and the IRS.
Petty Cash
Sometime a petty cash fund
is needed to purchase small items required on a day-to-day basis. If this is necessary, draw a check to petty
cash for a nominal amount.
Problems often arise when
cash is easily available; therefore, if possible, avoid a petty cash fund. However, very often the convenience of
having a small amount of case available will facilitate the smooth operation of
your business. Be sure to balance this
fund monthly, based on the case balance plus receipts for all expenditures.
Insurance
Most businesses have several
types of insurance. For each policy,
you should have the following information:
§
Clear statement of the type of coverage
§
Names of individuals covered
§
Effective dates and expiration date
§
Annual premium
Review your insurance
policies on a regular basis. In
addition, annually consult an insurance specialist, who will review the total
insurance package to determine what coverage is appropriate and ensure that
premiums remain in line with prior quotations.
Business Equipment
Keep an accurate list of
permanent business equipment used on both a regular and stand-by basis. The list should describe the equipment and
provide serial numbers, date of purchase and original cost. Keep the list available for insurance or
other purposes. You will also need this
information to prepare accurate depreciation schedules.
FINANCIAL STATUS CHECKLIST
What You Should Know
Daily
1. The balance of cash on
hand
2. The bank balance
3. Daily summaries of sales
and cash receipts
4. Any errors or problems
that have occurred in collections
5. A record of monies paid
out, both by cash and by check
Weekly
1. Accounts receivable
(particularly those accounts that appear to be slow paying)
2. Accounts payable (be aware
of the discount period mentioned above).
3. Payroll (be aware of the
accumulation of hours and the development of the payroll liability)
4. Taxes (be aware of any tax
items that are due and reports that might be required by government agencies)
Monthly
1. If you engage an outside
accounting service, provide records of receipts, disbursements, bank accounts
and journals to the accounting firm.
This will allow the firm to maintain good records and present them to
you for review, consideration and support in decision making.
2. Make sure that income
statements are available on a monthly basis, and certainly within 15 days of
the close of the month.
3. Review a balance sheet
that indicates the balance of business assets and the total current liability.
4. Reconcile your bank
account each month so that any variations are recognized and necessary
adjustments made.
5. Balance the petty cash
account on a monthly basis. If you
allow this account to extend for a longer period, it may create substantial
problems.
6. Review federal tax
requirements and make deposits.
7. Review and age accounts
receivable so that slow and bad accounts are recognized and handled.
INFORMATION RESOURCES
U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA)
The SBA offers an extensive
selection of information on most business management topics, from how to start
a business to exporting your products.
This information is listed
in "The Small Business Directory". For a free copy contact your
nearest SBA office.
SBA has office throughout
the country. Consult the U.S. Government section in your telephone directory
for the office nearest you. SBA offers
a number of programs and services, including training and educational programs,
counseling services, financial programs and contract assistance. Ask about
§ Service Corps of Retired
Executives (SCORE), a national organization
sponsored by SBA of over 13,000 volunteer business executives who provide free
counseling, workshops and seminars to prospective and existing small business
people.
§ Small Business Development
Centers (SBDCs), sponsored by the SBA in partnership
with state and local governments, the educational community and the private
sector. They provide assistance,
counseling and training to prospective and existing business people.
§ Small Business Institutes
(SBIs), organized through SBA on more than 500
college campuses nationwide. The
institutes provide counseling by students and faculty to small business
clients.
For more information about
SBA business development programs and services call the SBA Small Business
Answer Desk at 1-800-8-ASK-SBA (827-5722).
Other U.S. Government
Resources
Many publications on
business management and other related topics are available from the Government
Printing Office (GPO). GPO bookstores are located in 24 major cities and are
listed in the Yellow Pages under the "bookstore" heading. You can request a 'Subject
Bibliography" by writing to Government Printing Office, Superintendent of
Documents, Washington, DC 20402-9328.
Many federal agencies offer
publications of interest to small businesses.
There is a nominal fee for some, but most are free. Below is a selected list of government
agencies that provide publications and other services targeted to small
businesses. To get their publications,
contact the regional offices listed in the telephone directory or write to the
addresses /below:
§ Consumer Information Center (CIC), P.O. Box 100, Pueblo, CO
81002
The CIC offers a
consumer information catalog of federal publications.
§ Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Publications Request
Washington, DC 20207
The CPSC offers
guidelines for product safety requirements.
§ U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
12th Street and
Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250
The USDA offers
publications on selling to the USDA.
Publications and programs on entrepreneurship are also available through
county extension offices nationwide.
§ U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)
Office of Business
Liaison
14th Street and
Constitution Avenue, NW
Room 5898C
Washington, DC 20230
DOC's Business
Assistance Center provides listings of business opportunities available in the
federal government. This service also
will refer businesses to different programs and services in the DOC and other
federal agencies.
§ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Public Health Service
Alcohol, Drug Abuse and
Mental Health Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
Drug Free Workplace
Helpline: 1-800-843-4971. Provides
information on Employee Assistance Programs.
National Institute for
Drug Abuse Hotline:
1-800-662-4357. Provides
information on preventing substance abuse in the workplace.
The National
Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information: 1-800-729-6686 toll-free.
Provides pamphlets and resource materials on substance abuse.
§ U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
Employment Standards
Administration
200 Constitution Avenue,
NW
Washington, DC 20210
The DOL offers
publications on compliance with labor laws.
§ U.S. Department of Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
(IRS)
P.O. Box 25866
Richmond, VA 23260
1-800-424-3676
The IRS offers
information on tax requirements for small businesses.
§ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Small Business Ombudsman
401 M Street, SW
(A-149C)
Washington, DC 20460
1-800-368-5888 except DA
and VA
703-557-1938 in DC and
VA
The EPA offers more than
100 publications designed to help small businesses understand how they can
comply with EPA regulations.
§ U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
FDA Center for Food
Safety and Applied Nutrition
200 Charles Street, SW
Washington, DC 20402
The FDA offers
information on packaging and labeling requirements for food and food-related
products.
For More Information
A librarian can help you
locate the specific information you need in reference books. Most libraries have a variety of
directories, indexes and encyclopedias that cover many business topics. They also have other resources, such as
§ Trade association
information
Ask the librarian to
show you a directory of trade associations.
Associations provide a valuable network of resources to their members
through publications and services such as newsletters, conferences and
seminars.
§ Books
Many guidebooks,
textbooks and manuals on small business are published annually. To find the names of books not in your local
library check "Books in Print", a directory of books currently
available from publishers.
§ Magazine and newspaper
articles
Business and professional magazines provide information that is more current than that found in books and textbooks. There are a number of indexes to help you find specific articles in periodicals.
In addition to books and
magazines, many libraries offer free workshops, lend skill-building tapes and
have catalogues and brochures describing continuing education opportunities.
How to Cut
Costs
by Gene Siciliano, CMC, CPA
_________________________________________
Tough times are a good time to implement a permanent
cost-control program.
In a tight economy, there is general recognition
that "business as usual" won't do, and managers need to find ways to
get by with less of everything. Often overlooked, however, is the similarity
that should exist between management in a recession and managing a mature
business in the best of times.
The best cost-cutting program is a program of cost
control and work prioritizing which functions equally well in good times and
bad. The most difficult of recessions
can give managers the opportunity to install cost-cutting programs with
credibility and with the support of those affected.
Deciding
which costs to cut is just as important as determining how much to cut. Cutting across the board is never the right
approach -- it's only a question of how much unnecessary damage this does. A
better approach is to attach the problem by grouping functions, department, and
projects into one of the following four categories: 1) Select areas where cost cutting will not stop recovery or
affect critical current programs. Cut
these sharply or eliminate them entirely.
2) Select activities that must be retained but can be delayed or cut
back into an inactive state for four to six months. 3) Determine where money can be spent more effectively in areas
that can't be cut back. 4) Finally,
consider investing in new or existing projects that can benefit the
cost-control program and be of continuing value in a recovery.
Involving you staff. Cost control will never be accomplished by
one person, no matter how dedicated, because costs are not incurred by any one
person. For this reason, it's important
that the entire staff is aware of the need and rationale for the program. Accordingly, the entire staff should keep
the cost-control guidelines in mind in their daily jobs, because that's when
the real cost-control decisions are made.
Establish with key subordinates a cost-control goal
they can shoot for as a team.
Management must provide the parameters, but employees should feel like
they helped decide on the specific objectives.
The goals, guidelines and progress should be
publicized. Staff memos, the company
newsletter, bulletin boards and staff meetings can all be used. The staff must be conditioned by positive
reinforcement to thinking in new ways.
Recognition will reduce normal resistance to cost control. Using the
budget. The best single tool for cost
control, in good time or bad, is still the budget performance report. It's important the budget is credible and
the line items are understood to know which budget items are affected when the
company is committed to spending money.
It is necessary to get the details from the
accounting department to help understand why the budget or cost objective was
exceeded. Manage the budget line by
line, not in total. Don't be satisfied
with the month's performance simply by staying within the overall department
budget, because it could lead to the following common trap.
Personnel costs. This continues to be the largest
controllable element in most budgets.
It is also the most sensitive area in which to reduce costs without
harming morale or the company's recovery prospects. It must be tackled, but with some guidelines and priorities in
mind.
First, suspend all planned staff additions,
including replacements for previously filled positions that have become
vacant. Immediately cut back on
staff-related costs, possibly including travel, training seminars, etc. These serve not only to reduce costs but
they also reinforce the message of cost-control consciousness that you are
trying to promote. Then review the
performance of existing staff and use this opportunity to lay off or terminate
the sub-standard performers. Perhaps
their performance was not bad enough to discharge them in normal times, but
these are not normal times, and everyone recognizes that -- especially if your
staff awareness program is in place.
This provides an opportunity to improve productivity.
Next, the major time-consuming assignments a staff
is performing on a routine basis should be looked at. The impact on the company's performance, if each assignment was
not done at all for four to six months, should be determined. If its absence can be tolerated, stop doing
it. It is surprising how many tasks
will not need to be reinitiated after that time, because they were based more
on habit than need. At the least, the
demands on your staff resources during the most difficult period ahead have
been reduced.
What is remaining, in terms of staff and workload,
should be reviewed and redistributed as necessary, reorienting the organization
structure if warranted. Here is an
opportunity for investing in fruitful areas.
At this point, selective hiring to address high-priority functions that
were unreassignable can be considered.
The staff should now be more productive and the workload more
relevant. If cost-control objectives
have been communicated downward, employees should know that too. The staff should be more willing to take on
these more important tasks in exchange for the ones that were
discontinued. Finally, carefully
selected promotion and salary increases in return for substantial expansion of
responsibility conveys the recognition that so often brings out the best in the
top employees.
Neither cost control nor productivity can be
accomplished meaningfully in an overnight program to save money. Both take time, hard work and persistence in
good times and bad. The payoff is the
potential for strong and immediate improvement in the coming economic recovery,
a way of managing all resources more professionally and more productively, and
a permanent change in how an organization deals with hard times.
C. HOW TO PREPARE YEARLY REPORT
AND NEXT YEAR’S PLAN
At
the end of each contract year, the program manager must report on program
activities and accomplishments and plan goals and objectives for the next
fiscal year.
The
process of reporting and planning gives a common direction and helps achieve
outcomes. When determining your strategy for planning, identify your needs and
your desired outcomes. What direction are you going and what are you going to
do to get there? Evaluate your past plans
and activities. Identify your strengths and weaknesses. Determine if those objectives that have not
been met are still valid or functional.
Remember
to keep your Plan simple and flexible, you may use the following format when
developing your plan.
I.
MISSION: Defines the program’s purpose, whom the
program is serving and why the program is needed.
II.
GOALS: Defines the program’s outcome; what the
program is to accomplish.
III.
OBJECTIVES: The specific and measurable steps you plan
to take in order to accomplish your goals.
Four to five well thought out objectives are better than a numerous
amount.
IV.
ACTION
STEPS: The steps you plan to take to
accomplish your objectives.
V.
CONTROLS: Are there benchmarks in place to review
progress of achieving the objectives.
Some
basic managerial considerations are:
1.
What
activities are required for objectives?
2.
What
is cost of activities?
3.
Costs
vs. existing resources
4.
Changes
to improve productivity
In
order to make effective decisions you must identify problems, generate alternatives,
evaluate the alternatives, choose the best alternative, and decide method of
implementation and evaluation.
CRSU
uses project evaluation as a management tool:
to identify resources needed, qualify and justify existing programs,
design better controls and establish feasibility of different methods. You, as
project manager, can use your plan in the same manner within your
agency. The plans that you develop are not only for CRSU to monitor and
evaluate your program, but also, and just as importantly, for your development
of quality techniques and advocacy of the supported employment program within
your agency.
Here
are just some of quality program
issues to consider:
I.
Staffing
a.
Status
of ES training – have they been through Job Coach training
b.
Are
there areas in which training is needed i.e. Disability, Medication, Behavior
Intervention, Marketing, etc.
c.
Turnover
rate and reasons
d.
Salaries
and career opportunities
e.
Morale
f.
Who
is effective, who is not—why and how do
you know?
II.
Staff
Development
a.
What
kinds of training opportunities do you make available
b.
Are
all staff qualified/or in the process of—Do
you give follow-up training
c.
Are
you supportive of creativity and giving promotional opportunities
d.
Do
you have an open door policy
III.
Client
Services
a.
Number
of referrals and people in client pool
b.
Are
referrals appropriate
c.
How
long does a client wait for services/and or
placement
d.
Are
you receiving referrals from all available sources
e.
What
are costs from entry to assessment to placement to stabilization
f.
Average
severity of disability
g.
Wage
amount
h.
Client Satisfaction – how do you know this?
i.
If
a client loses a job – how long before employed again
IV.
Paperwork
a.
Organized?
b.
On
time?
c.
Accurate?
V.
Contract
a.
Are
you hired to full staff—are you utilizing all designated FTE’s
b.
Is
your billing supporting program costs
VI.
Budget
a.
Do
you have one? You need to know what your program costs are and revenue it
generates
b.
Is
it realistic?
c.
Do you advocate with administration to keep
them informed
VII.
Technical
Assistance
a.
Are
you receiving the technical assistance you need
b.
Are
you keeping the technical assistant aware of what’s helpful and what isn’t?
VIII.
Program
Marketing
a.
How
many contacts are made? By whom?
b.
What
is success rate
c.
Do
you seek enough situational assessment sites while marketing
d.
Is
there job variety
e.
Do
you market for the individual client – or just to get a job
f.
Are
your employers satisfied? How do you
know?
g.
Do
you pass along jobs/companies you can’t use to other providers?
IX.
Intra-agency
Relationships
a.
Do
you inform and meet with facility director on a regular basis
b.
Is
your vocational program well entrenched in your facility
c.
Do
facility goals include maximum
d.
Do
you have budget control and/or input
X.
Interagency
Relationships
a.
Are
all players involved/value oriented and on good working terms
b.
Do
you act as a consultant for other supported employment projects and agencies
c.
Are
there other persons/agencies who should be involved
d.
Are
you remembering to recognize good work
Keep
quality assurance in mind at all times. Identify areas that need improvement.
Describe concrete steps to correct or remedy problems and increase service
quality. Make sure there are
measurements of progress. (Use the Manager’s Report.)
The
end of year report and next year’s plan are due by August 14th each
year.
February 1999, Volume 3,
Issue 2
"The only man who makes
no mistakes is the man who never does anything."
"Dare to Dream
Again" by Chris Widener Copyright 1998
"Far better it is to
dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure,
than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much,
because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor
defeat." Teddy Roosevelt
Do you remember when you
were a child and no dream seemed too big?
Some of us thought we would walk on the moon; some dreamed of riding
with Roy Rogers; others imagined stepping to the plate in a big-league
game. Every one of us, when we were
young, had a common trait - we were dreamers.
The world hadn't gotten to us yet to show us that we couldn't possible
achieve what our hearts longed for. And
we were yet still years from realizing that in some cases we weren't built for
achieving our dream (I realized about my junior year of high school that I was
too short and to slow to play professional basketball. The dreamer is always the last to know).
Eventually we started to let
our dreams die. People began to tell us
that we couldn't do the things we wanted.
It was impossible. Responsible
people don't pursue their dreams.
Settle down, get a job, be dependable.
Take care of business, live the mundane, be content. Do you know what I say to that? Hooey!
It is time to dream again!
Why? Here are just a few reasons:
Avoiding regret. The facts are in, and someday we will all
lie on our deathbed looking back through the history of our lives. We will undoubtedly think about what we
wished we had done or accomplished. I
for one don't want to regret what could have been, what should have been. So I am deciding today to pursue my dreams.
Making the world a better
place. All of the great accomplishments
that have ever happened began with a person who had a dream. Somebody rebuffed the nay-sayers and said to
themselves, "This can be done, and I am the one who will do it." And in many instances they changed the world
for the better. It isn't just the
Martin Luther King's and J.F.K's either.
Think of all the people we have never heard of who have started things
large and small that help people world-wide every day.
The world needs people like
you to dream of something great and then to pursue it with all of your
heart. Maybe you belong to a business,
school, or organization that started out with good intentions but has settled
into the same ol' same ol'. Shake them
up and remind them of how they could really help people if only they would
dream!
Personal and family
fulfillment. One of the things that
happens when we stop pursuing our dreams is that a little piece of us dies and
we become disheartened, if only in that
area of our lives. Stepping up and
pursuing your dream rekindles that passion and zeal that everyone has the
capacity for and lets us experience fulfillment. Having a purpose puts the zip in our step and the zing in our
emotions!
Leaving a legacy. How will your children remember you? As one who sought all that life had to
offer, using your girts and talents to their fullest extent, leading the family
with a zest for life, or as an overweight couch potato who could have
been? Our children need to see that we
dream; that we search for something better.
They in turn will do the same!
So where do we start? Here are some ideas:
Reconnect with your dream. Set aside
some time to let yourself dream. What
have you placed on the backburner in order to live the status quo? Settle on one or two dreams that you can and
will pursue. Don't come up with too
many. That will only deter you further.
Decide that you will do it. This may
seem elementary but many people never decide and commit fully to their
dream. They simply keep
"Thinking" about it. Tell
other that you are going to do it. This
puts you on the record as to what you are dreaming about. It makes you accountable. It will help you do it if for no other
reason than to avoid embarrassment!
Develop a step-by-step plan. This is
absolutely essential. You must sit down
and write out a few things:
A timeline. How long will it take to the
end?
Action steps. Point-by-point what you will
do and when you will do them.
Resources you will need to draw from. What
will it take? Who will need to be
involved for help or advice?
An evaluation tool. You need to evaluate from time
to time whether you are progressing or not.
A celebration. Yep, when you are done you should already
have planned what you will do to celebrate.
Make it big!
I have found that there is
no better time than now. So, set aside
some time today to get started on your dream.
Follow the action plan and set your sights for the top of the mountain! You will be glad you did!
About the Author...
Chris Widener is the
President of Made for Success, a company devoted to helping you succeed and
achieving your dreams. For your FREE
subscription to the Made for Success Email newsletter, simply send an email to
chris@madeforsuccess.com with "subscribe" in the subject line. Also, be sure to visit the Made for Success
website at www.madeforsuccess.com
What is Totally Organized?
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professional organizing firm started by Janet Taylor, Professional Organizer
and Personal/Professional Coach.
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