{"id":70518,"date":"2023-02-06T12:10:51","date_gmt":"2023-02-06T10:10:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/?p=70518"},"modified":"2025-05-07T15:50:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T13:50:33","slug":"turning-data-into-decisions-a-three-step-approach-to-financial-metrics-for-consulting-firms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/turning-data-into-decisions-a-three-step-approach-to-financial-metrics-for-consulting-firms\/","title":{"rendered":"Turning Data into Decisions: A Three-Step Approach to Financial Metrics for Consulting Firms"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/category\/money-matters\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Money Matters<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tTurning Data into Decisions: A Three-Step Approach to Financial Metrics for Consulting Firms\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \">Published <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2023-02-06T12:10:51+02:00\">February 6, 2023<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"Turning Data into Decisions: A Three-Step Approach to Financial Metrics for Consulting Firms\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/turning-data-into-decisions-a-three-step-approach-to-financial-metrics-for-consulting-firms\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/author\/mongezilupindo\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/12\/Mongezi-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Mongezi Lupindo<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Today&#8217;s consulting and service-based companies need to compare financial and operational data for continuous improvement, growth, and competitiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">However, identifying and interpreting data while leveraging it to develop meaningful KPIs can be tricky\u2013especially since priorities and focus are constantly shifting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">With the right skills and agile digital infrastructure, you can forecast, adjust, and strategise more easily, ultimately increasing success and client satisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Here are three steps to help your firm improve its financial metrics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 1: Check your financial operations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Before you jump into the metrics, you need to lay the groundwork. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Assess your current accounting processes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Re-evaluate how you structure your business regarding departments, cost centres, regions, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Is there anything you can consolidate?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Establishing exactly how you want to structure operations will save you many hassles in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">One of the worst things you can do is start stacking this house of cards and keep adding on until you\u2019ve created 100 different income accounts because you want to group things separately. This makes it impossible to scale and get down to the metrics that matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">SMEs, in particular, struggle with this. Data might seem sufficient at first but not detailed enough after a period of rapid growth, ultimately making it harder to figure out later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Investing in your financial processes means investing in business improvement. That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s critical to implement a financial system that isn\u2019t just a recreation of an old process.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-5eb5415d-bd2d-4aa3-bbf7-4ec646c0ba1f\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-5eb5415d-bd2d-4aa3-bbf7-4ec646c0ba1f\"\n\t>Download your free Digital CFO white paper<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 2: Get measurable data that your team can monitor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">How are you currently measuring profits? Are your projects repetitive and cookie-cutter? Or are they specialised and unique to each client?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If they\u2019re repetitive with consistent costs, you probably already have all the income and expense information. However, because clients differ, even the repetitive projects can fluctuate, which means your costs and profits differ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Key metrics to track include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Time spent versus generated income<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">It\u2019s critical to track your time and understand how much each client engagement costs you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Once you know how much time you spend on each client, you\u2019ll likely realise that the high-paying, big clients cost you just as much as any other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Many companies rely on top customers and prioritise because of the big cheque. In reality, these clients often hang on your team\u2019s neck 24\/7, costing you more than you think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">So, ensure you group your costs and focus on all the details needed to analyse and discuss these metrics with your clients. When they see the audit trail and realise that they are taking more time than they\u2019re paying, they\u2019ll likely accept a fee increase from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don\u2019t over-utilise<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The higher your utilisation rate, the more unsustainable the business gets. Why? Because people aren\u2019t made to work at extreme paces. The goal is to balance the scale and track billable and non-billable activities to gain insight into your employees\u2019 daily tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Although it sounds tedious to track every second of your days, it\u2019s important to have that data to answer a few key questions, like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What does it take to run the business?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What does it take to get more clients?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What does it take to expand our business?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What\u2019s important to our people?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How do they spend their days?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Try also tracking team project metrics to determine whether employee time is truly billable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Check your billing cycles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">How long do clients take to pay your invoices?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Financial exposure is a great way to track how much work you get paid for versus the overall project value. Create a report with your accounts receivable and work-in-progress balances and compare that with the overall contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Your goal should be to not go over a certain percentage outside of financial exposure on any given project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don\u2019t forget about write-offs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Many finance teams don\u2019t understand the significance of write-offs because they don\u2019t bill for it, so it becomes invisible and unnoticed when it actually counts as non-billable utilisation time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As a result, they see revenue loss and a decrease in their utilisation rate and cash flow and ultimately bid project success based on flawed data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">While you don\u2019t necessarily want write-offs, they are useful tools if you spend more than you\u2019re trying to recover.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-5eb5415d-bd2d-4aa3-bbf7-4ec646c0ba1f\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-5eb5415d-bd2d-4aa3-bbf7-4ec646c0ba1f\"\n\t>Download your free Digital CFO white paper<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 3: Encourage financial responsibility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Easier said than done but try to start from the top and work your way down to each department. And don\u2019t allow top performers or senior leaders to slip past sharing their times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Here are some tips you can try:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Develop mentorship programmes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Senior leaders aren\u2019t always up for engaging with the rest of the company, so recruit them to help onboard junior consultants and project managers. This way, the seniors will get a feather in the cap, and the juniors will get an opportunity to learn from the best. It\u2019ll also motivate employees to adhere to the best practices you\u2019re trying to promote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Implement daily timesheets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Daily timesheets provide insight into the daily happenings of your staff, allowing you to be a more proactive leader. Again, don\u2019t let the executives slip by the wayside. Then, reconcile that data nightly to give your staff a complete overview of their progress on their dashboards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Remember to upskill<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Education is vital for any business. Finance, accounting, HR, and other departments can lean in and upskill each other to develop business acumen and understand more about how various departments link with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don\u2019t be scared to nudge for payment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Invoicing is easier once you have your team\u2019s timesheets and project progress reports because everyone is already in the loop, reducing the need for adjustments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The result? The invoice reaches your client sooner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The more you do before month-end, the quicker you can convert what you\u2019re selling into cash. In other words, as soon as an invoice exceeds the 30-day mark, you can reach out and determine why you haven\u2019t received payment yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How technology can help<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Whether it\u2019s cash flow, utilisation, write-offs, or project profit you\u2019re trying to improve, chances are the right technology can do it all for you. Learn how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/sage-business-cloud\/intacct\/\">Sage Intacct<\/a> can help you optimise your operations with real-time data, visibility, automation, time entry, and error checks.<\/p>\n \n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Sage Intacct<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Discover how Sage Intacct takes the stress away and can make financial management fun and empowering.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/sage-business-cloud\/intacct\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tid=\"cta-id-68961\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-button-location=\"cta_box\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Find out how<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/08\/Fin24-Lifestyle-Image-1.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/08\/Fin24-Lifestyle-Image-1.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">[White paper] &#8211; The Digital CFO<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Tracking financial leadership\u2019s transition from corporate number-cruncher to strategic storyteller<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-5eb5415d-bd2d-4aa3-bbf7-4ec646c0ba1f\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download the white paper<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1214\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/02\/iStock-1180215925-1214x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/02\/iStock-1180215925-1214x810.jpg 1214w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice enewsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get a roundup of our best business advice in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-84fe79b5-668d-41f8-a0cc-6229018c4ac9\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tag\/cloud\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCloud\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tag\/erp\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tERP\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tag\/financial-insights\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfinancial insights\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-76286 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-trends-insights tag-accountants tag-bookkeeping tag-business-intelligence tag-data-analysis tag-financial-insights tag-making-financial-decisions tag-profit-loss tag-trending-topics business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business business_type-accountants card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1213\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/11\/HR-and-Payroll-image--1213x810.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/11\/HR-and-Payroll-image--684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/11\/HR-and-Payroll-image--768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/11\/HR-and-Payroll-image--1213x810.jpg 1213w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-05-22T12:28:04+02:00\">May 22, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">9 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/accounts-payable-reconciliation\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tThe ultimate guide to accounts payable reconciliation\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tAre you a business owner or part of the accounting team? Discover how to take control of accounts payable reconciliation and optimise your payment process.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-76206 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-trends-insights tag-accountants tag-bookkeeping tag-business-intelligence tag-financial-insights tag-profit-loss business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/accrual-basis-accounting\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1316107530-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1316107530-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1316107530-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1316107530-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-05-15T12:46:05+02:00\">May 15, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">16 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tAccrual accounting: What it is, benefits and examples\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-76152 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-accountants tag-bookkeeping tag-business-management tag-financial-insights tag-making-financial-decisions tag-profit-loss business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/accounts-receivable-turnover-ratio-how-to-calculate-it\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1459190037-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1459190037-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1459190037-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1459190037-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-05-01T16:45:51+02:00\">May 1, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">12 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tAccounts receivable turnover ratio formula: definition, importance, and examples\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-76128 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-accountants tag-audit tag-bookkeeping tag-business-intelligence tag-compliance tag-financial-insights tag-profit-loss tag-staying-competitive tag-trending-topics business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/accounts-payable-journal-entry\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-508067071_super-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-508067071_super-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-508067071_super-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-508067071_super-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-05-01T13:42:18+02:00\">May 1, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">1 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tAccounts payable journal entry explained: Definition, types and examples\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-76118 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-accountants tag-audit tag-bookkeeping tag-business-intelligence tag-financial-insights tag-making-financial-decisions business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/accounts-payable-fraud-guide\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-90134712-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Meeting between two people\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-90134712-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-90134712-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-90134712-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-04-30T15:53:39+02:00\">April 30, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">12 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tAccounts payable fraud prevention: What is it and how to prevent it\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how to turn financial data into meaningful insights with our 3-step guide to actionable financial metrics. Discover the key metrics that matter for your business, and how to track them effectively to drive growth and success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":904,"featured_media":69710,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[318,187,189],"business_type":[3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[8,11,13],"imagine_tag":[82,56,90,73],"coauthors":[430],"class_list":["post-70518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money-matters","tag-cloud","tag-erp","tag-financial-insights","business_type-medium-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-za","author_name":"Mongezi Lupindo","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1341308207.jpg","imagine_tags":{"82":"Enterprise business","56":"ERP","90":"Financial services","73":"Money Matters"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice South Africa","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/904"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/69710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70518"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=70518"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=70518"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=70518"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=70518"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=70518"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=70518"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=70518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}