ECS PATHFINDER
What's holding your reporting back?
Pick the problem closest to yours to see where to start, who does the work and how you'll know it's working. Free, two minutes, no sign-up.
Free checklists to download: AP Tie Check · Missing Account Check
Those are the four we hear most. Below are all nine, grouped by goal, plus what to do when several apply.
Which problem sounds most like yours?
Choose one to see your suggested starting point.
GOAL CATEGORY: TRUST THE NUMBERS
Our statements don't tie to the ledger
START WITH A CALLSupports: Trust the numbers
Start: Report Tie-Out
Prove each statement against the ledger every month, line by line, and keep the evidence your controller and auditor will ask for. A 30-day Reporting Advantage Preview is included.
WHAT YOUR TEAM DOES NEXT
Run the tie-out before the statement is released; route any difference to the report owner.
HOW YOU'LL KNOW IT'S WORKING
Statements released with a completed tie-out; days from close to release.
An account is missing from our statements
START WITH A CALLSupports: Trust the numbers
Start: Missing Account Check
Find accounts that never reached your reporting chart. A tie-out cannot catch this, because both sides read the same chart.
WHAT YOUR TEAM DOES NEXT
Run the check before each release and map any new account the same day.
HOW YOU'LL KNOW IT'S WORKING
Unmapped accounts found before release, not after.
Book a free Fit Check Download the free Missing Account Check checklist
A new controller or CFO wants statements they can trust
STATEMENT BUILDSupports: Trust the numbers
Start: 30-Day Statement Build
A blueprint for the statement, guided build by your team, and a live check against your ledger at handover.
WHAT YOUR TEAM DOES NEXT
Your builder follows the blueprint; your controller signs off the handover check.
HOW YOU'LL KNOW IT'S WORKING
A statement that ties, with an owner and written instructions.
GOAL CATEGORY: CLOSE FASTER
AP doesn't tie to the G/L
START WITH A CALLSupports: Close faster
Start: Report Tie-Out (AP to G/L)
Tie open payables to the AP control account as of period end using a delivered report, then age them. A 30-day Reporting Advantage Preview is included.
WHAT YOUR TEAM DOES NEXT
Run it each close; route any difference to the payables owner.
HOW YOU'LL KNOW IT'S WORKING
Months tied to the penny; time spent reconciling AP.
Book a free Fit Check Download the free AP Tie Check checklist
Month-end reporting is manual spreadsheet work
START WITH A CALLSupports: Close faster
Start: Close Pack Setup
Put every month-end report into one pack that runs together, starting from reports Infor already delivers.
WHAT YOUR TEAM DOES NEXT
Name one owner for the pack and set the order the reports run in.
HOW YOU'LL KNOW IT'S WORKING
Preparation time per close; reports rebuilt by hand.
GOAL CATEGORY: CONTROL COSTS
Managers keep asking Finance where they stand on budget
FEATURED REPORTSupports: Control costs
Start: Budget Watch
The delivered Birst Income Statement, made into a view each department manager can use: their own budget, overruns flagged, drill-down to every transaction, checked against your ledger.
WHAT YOUR TEAM DOES NEXT
Give each manager access to their department view; Finance answers only the exceptions.
HOW YOU'LL KNOW IT'S WORKING
Budget questions to Finance each week; managers using Budget Watch.
GOAL CATEGORY: KEEP REPORTING RUNNING
The person who built our reports has left
START WITH A CALLSupports: Keep reporting running
Start: Report Handover
List the critical reports, write owner instructions for each, and train a backup through the ECS lessons.
WHAT YOUR TEAM DOES NEXT
Have a second team member run each critical report on their own.
HOW YOU'LL KNOW IT'S WORKING
Critical reports with a trained backup and current instructions.
Our conversion only covered some of our reports
START WITH A CALLSupports: Keep reporting running
Start: Conversion Gap Closure
Sort the reports you still rely on into mapped, adapted or rebuilt, work through them in your test environment, and prove each one against the original.
WHAT YOUR TEAM DOES NEXT
List the reports your team still runs from the old system, and name an owner for each.
HOW YOU'LL KNOW IT'S WORKING
Reports converted and proven; reports still rebuilt by hand.
Our reporting stopped improving after the project ended
REPORTING ADVANTAGESupports: Keep reporting running
Start: ECS Reporting Advantage
Each month ECS finds the next reporting improvement, defines it, verifies it worked, and shows you the evidence in a Value Scorecard, with a Decision Brief on what to do next.
WHAT YOUR TEAM DOES NEXT
Bring your open requests and goals; your first Decision Brief turns them into clear decisions.
HOW YOU'LL KNOW IT'S WORKING
Improvements verified and evidence on your monthly Value Scorecard.
MORE THAN ONE OF THESE?
Several of these apply
DIAGNOSTICSupports: Several goals at once
Start: Reporting Diagnostic
One review of everything at once, and a Reporting Roadmap that puts your problems in the right order, with the featured reports that fix each one.
WHAT YOUR TEAM DOES NEXT
Review the roadmap with your controller, then start with the top item.
HOW YOU'LL KNOW IT'S WORKING
Roadmap items completed; goals set with real baselines.
Not listed? Tell us the result you want. One focused need usually fits a featured report; several connected needs start with a Reporting Diagnostic. We confirm scope, data, responsibilities and a fixed fee before you commit.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Tell us the result you want.
Bring a business goal, a featured report or your Pathfinder result. In 20 minutes we'll pick a useful first improvement, how you'll measure it and who will do the work.
What happens next
- A 20-minute call about your goal.
- A written proposal: deliverables, fixed fee, schedule.
- You accept, we confirm readiness and book your sessions.
ECS Reporting Solutions · Charlotte, North Carolina · contact@ecsreportingsolutions.com
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