Laurent Robert

The heart of an organization is within the policies that declare what it is and what it believes. To many people, those policies are about setting limits, which automatically means minimizing risk because there’s not much room to step out of line.

Within days of the international declaration of the pandemic, federal leaders tossed a lifeline to small businesses in the form of the Paycheck Protection Program. But before the ink was dry on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which offered forgivable loans to help eligible American companies keep their lights turned on and pay their employees, banks were stepping into a minefield of risk.

Market conditions are constantly changing, which means businesses must have the flexibility to adapt to operate successfully. But all the flexibility in the world could not have prepared businesses for the impact of the novel coronavirus. Almost immediately after COVID-19 began spreading across the United States, the economy took a huge hit that included major job losses.

In the consulting world, arriving at the endpoint is an inherent piece of the project. But amidst the inertia of reaching the goal line, an effective handoff can easily become an afterthought, even when there’s a big X on the calendar reminding you of your endpoint. While there is no silver bullet for how and when to push the closeout button, we have identified several considerations based on our experience. If you can be cognizant of these milestones along the journey, especially during the home stretch, you’ll avoid unnecessary pain and end on a high note.

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to protecting consumer data. It’s by far the most comprehensive regulatory guideline to date, and its reverberations are already being felt stateside.

How an audit begins is just as important as how it ends—in fact, it may be even more important. Investing in thorough audit preparation yields better outcomes, as well as a better experience overall.