We have split our fractional CFO seat and our internal bookkeeping seat, but there is massive confusion over who is actually accountable for our cash flow forecasting. How do we resolve this on our Accountability Chart?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a common issue when companies bring in fractional or outsourced experts. Without clear boundaries on the Accountability Chart, the internal team assumes the high-paid external consultant is handling everything, while the consultant assumes the internal team is doing the heavy lifting.

To fix this, you must map both internal and external resources onto your Accountability Chart. Even if a seat is held by a fractional partner, it must have five clear roles.

For the bookkeeping seat, the roles might include daily transaction recording, bank reconciliations, and payroll processing. For the fractional CFO seat, the roles should include strategic cash flow forecasting, board-level financial reporting, and capital allocation strategy.

The bookkeeping seat must report to the CFO seat, even if the bookkeeper is a full-time internal employee and the CFO is a fractional external contractor. This clear hierarchy ensures that the bookkeeper knows they are accountable for providing clean data, while the CFO is ultimately accountable for the accuracy of the cash flow forecasts.

Review these seats during your Level 10 Meeting™ and ensure both parties agree to their GWC™. This eliminates any finger-pointing and gives you the clean financial visibility you need to run your operations.