CFOs and Accountants Versus Users: An Impasse and Standoff

I’ve heard a hundred reasons,

been part of the debate.

Users of accounting information suffer.

Let’s save them before it is too late.

CFOs claim they’re not the problem.

They say, “Walk a mile in our shoes.”

But their information is inaccurate,                                                                                                                                       

So, it is the users who lose.                                 

Users demand better information.

They want their organization to win.

But accountants continue their traditional ways.

So, the odds of them changing are thin.        

And now longer poem lines:                             

What the users need to do is persuade the CFO and accountants to change,

But they will need evidence to support their backing.

The accountants are competent with closing the books and external financial accounting.

Their skills with internal management accounting to provide insights is what is lacking.

If the CFO and accountants do not provide progressive management accounting,

then without its superior cost information, they and their organization will lose.

Progressive CFO and accountants have an opportunity to bring higher value to their organization.

The challenge is financial accounting or management accounting? Which emphasis will the CFOs choose?

If the CFO and accountants attain progressive thinking,

then there is a possibility and hope they can achieve it.

That is, they can implement methods like activity-based costing (ABC).

But if they remain comfortable with an archaic system, there is little chance they will leave it.

If the users are provided the progressive management accounting information they deserve,

then imagine how much faster the users can run.

What a wonderful vision of the future.

With much better information to make decisions, the users can finally have fun.

If the status quo remains in place,

then the users will not have the kind of information they need to know.

But if the CFO and accountants remain obstinate and not change,

then all we ever hear from them is “no”.