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Workflow & task control
Review and Quality Control Workflow for Accounting Firms
Make review a defined step in every job, not an optional extra when time allows.
Built by a practising Chartered Accountant · Unlimited users · Free for 60 days
Task and subtask templates
Checklists that make every job consistent.
- Premier Books Consultancy
- Cranleys Chartered Accountants
- CJM Accountants
- Towpath Accounting Solutions
- Auditax International
- RS
Quick answer
A review and quality control workflow is a defined step, or set of steps, built into every client job that requires a second person to check the work before it is delivered or filed, using a consistent checklist rather than an informal, ad hoc glance.
What is a review and quality control workflow and why does it matter for UK practices?
It is the built-in step that requires a defined reviewer to check work against a consistent standard before it leaves the practice.
Review is one of the first things to get squeezed when deadlines are tight, because it happens after the technical work is done and can feel like the safest place to save time. In practice it is often where the most costly errors are caught, or missed.
Building review into the workflow itself, as a required step with a named reviewer and a fixed checklist, makes it much harder to skip under pressure than relying on someone remembering to check.
Why does review keep getting skipped?
Review is not a defined step
If review does not appear anywhere on the job itself, it is easy for it to be quietly dropped when time is short.
No fixed reviewer
Without a named second reviewer, work sometimes goes out having only ever been checked by the person who prepared it.
No standard checklist
Different reviewers check different things depending on habit, so quality control itself becomes inconsistent between reviewers.
Review happens too late
When review is left until right before a deadline, there is no time left to fix anything significant that is found.
No record that review happened
Without a documented sign-off, it is impossible to prove after the fact whether a job was actually reviewed at all.
What does skipping review cost an accounting firm?
Skipped review increases the chance an error reaches a client or a regulator undetected, and it removes the audit trail a firm needs if a complaint or professional indemnity issue arises later.
An error caught in review costs a few minutes to fix; the same error found by a client, or worse, by HMRC or Companies House, costs far more in time, reputation and potentially in professional indemnity terms.
Without a documented review trail, a firm defending its process after a complaint has nothing concrete to point to, which weakens its position considerably.
How do you build a review and quality control workflow? Step by step
- 1
Add review as a mandatory step
Make review a required subtask on every job template, so it cannot be skipped without the job appearing visibly incomplete.
- 2
Assign a named reviewer
Designate who reviews each type of job, ideally someone other than the preparer, so a second set of eyes genuinely checks the work.
- 3
Use a fixed checklist
Give reviewers a consistent list of things to check for each service, rather than leaving the scope of review to individual judgement.
- 4
Set an internal review deadline
Schedule review with enough time before the external deadline to allow corrections, rather than leaving it for the final day.
- 5
Record the sign-off
Log that review took place, who did it, and when, so there is a clear audit trail for every job.
- 6
Escalate significant findings
Set a clear route for a reviewer to flag a serious issue to a partner rather than quietly fixing it themselves and moving on.
How does Remindoo help with review and quality control workflow?
Remindoo lets you add review as a mandatory subtask within task and subtask templates, so it appears on every job rather than being an informal afterthought. Roles and permissions let you control which staff can mark a review step complete, keeping sign-off with the right people rather than the preparer alone. Strong task filters let a manager see every job currently sitting at the review stage across the practice, so nothing is quietly bypassed. The task card and detail view keeps the review checklist, notes and any queries together with the job itself, creating a clear record of what was checked and by whom. Real-time notifications alert a reviewer as soon as a job is ready for them, rather than relying on the preparer to remember to ask. Together these features turn review from an optional last step into a visible, accountable part of every job. Try Remindoo free for 60 days to build review into your next busy period.
Task and subtask templates
Checklists that make every job consistent.
See featureRoles and permissions
Control who sees and edits client data.
See featureStrong task filters
Filter by tags, deadline, assignee and status.
See featureTask card and detail view
Attachments, subtasks and notes on every task.
See featureReal-time notifications
Everyone knows when work moves.
See featureSpreadsheets vs Remindoo: what changes?
| Area | Spreadsheets & email | With Remindoo |
|---|---|---|
| Review step | Informal, easy to skip | Mandatory subtask on every job |
| Reviewer | Whoever is available, sometimes the preparer | Named reviewer with permission to sign off |
| Checklist | Varies by reviewer's habits | Consistent checklist for every job |
| Timing | Rushed just before the deadline | Scheduled with time to correct issues |
| Audit trail | No record it happened | Logged sign-off on every job |
| Escalation | Handled informally | Clear route to flag serious findings |
See it with your own clients
A 30-minute walkthrough using your services and deadlines.
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Frequently asked questions
Should the preparer ever review their own work?
Wherever practical, a second person should review the work, since it is much harder to spot your own mistakes; smaller firms with limited staff should at least build in a structured self-review checklist as a minimum.
How do I stop review being skipped under time pressure?
Making review a mandatory subtask that must be completed before a job can be marked finished, with a named reviewer assigned, makes it visibly incomplete rather than quietly optional.
Does a review workflow slow work down?
A well-scheduled review with an internal buffer before the deadline does not need to slow work down significantly, and it usually saves time overall by catching errors early rather than after delivery.
Can Remindoo tell me if quality control standards meet ICAEW or ACCA requirements?
No, Remindoo provides the workflow and audit trail tools to support your review process; you should refer to your professional body's own quality management guidance for specific compliance requirements.
Is there a free trial to test a review workflow?
Yes, Remindoo is free to try for 60 days, which is enough time to build a review step into a template and run several jobs through it.
What should happen if a reviewer finds a serious error?
A clear escalation route to a partner or senior manager should exist so significant findings are addressed at the right level rather than quietly corrected and forgotten.
Ready to run a calmer practice?
See Remindoo with your own clients, or start free for 60 days with unlimited users.
Sources
Comparing options? Read our guide to best workflow management software for accountants.
Last updated: . General guidance, not regulatory advice. Check with your professional body.
Why recording every task matters in an accountancy practice
Accounting firms run on deadlines: VAT returns, payroll, confirmation statements, accounts and Self Assessment. Recording every job as a task, with an owner and a date, is the simplest way to make sure nothing is missed.
Avoid penalties
HMRC and Companies House charge penalties for late filing. A task for every deadline, with an internal date before it, gives the team a buffer.
Nothing depends on memory
Recorded tasks mean work continues when someone is off sick, on leave or has left the firm.
Consistent quality
Subtask checklists make every job follow the same steps and reviews, whoever does the work.
Visibility for managers
Filters by owner, status and deadline show at a glance what is late, what is due and who needs help.
Practical tips from UK practice
- Set an internal deadline two to four weeks before every statutory deadline.
- Use recurring tasks for repeat work such as VAT, payroll and bookkeeping.
- Break larger jobs into subtasks, including a review step.
- Comment on the task instead of by email, so the history stays with the work.
Related Remindoo features
Written and reviewed by Waqas Sagar ACA FCCA FMAAT, Chartered Accountant with 18+ years in practice. Founder and MD of Accotax, an ICAEW, ACCA and AAT regulated London practice that has served over 5,000 clients, and founder of Remindoo. Guidance is general; check current GOV.UK and professional body guidance for your firm.
What UK practices say about Remindoo
Read all reviews on Trustpilot“With Remindoo, everything from the first enquiry to onboarding and ongoing client management is tracked in one place… It saves us hours and gives me, as a practice owner, complete visibility of where the firm stands.”
“The biggest benefit is having clients, tasks, deadlines, workflows, proposals and communication all organised in one place.”
“During my trial, the team were absolutely amazing. They helped onboard my clients, set up my settings and made sure everything was ready for me to use… they made the whole process completely stress-free.”
“It brings client information, tasks, recurring deadlines, workflows and reminders together in one place, giving us much better visibility across the team.”
