[Anonymous]

How do you feel when you receive review notes?

I have been in public accounting for 2 years and still nervous and have hard time when receiving review notes. Yesterday, I heard a story. A Senior Manager at 1 Big4 received over 100 RN on working paper for cash, yes, for cash from Partner. That was the time she decided to quit.

[fuzyfro89]

I never really enjoyed it, because it's like getting a grade in school (not in reality, but that's how it felt for me). You will always get review notes though. Whether in public on workpapers, in industry when you're preparing a budget/variance analysis/etc, or anywhere else.

However, part of it can get frustrating when the review notes aren't constructive and address form over function. I understand having clean workpapers, but some reviewers are so picky it gets obsessive. It's not pleasant when you're up until midnight for weeks at a time when part of the reason is just to appease someone's obsessive tendencies. But, this is more indicative of a particular reviewer's preferences. You could easily have the same problem in industry preparing a budget or other product.

For me, the review notes were the worst when the reviewer(s) would not give constructive feedback up front, when asked, and then tore apart work papers with notes when they reviewed which would cause our team to have to spend a ton of duplicate time addressing these when it would have been much more efficient if they were more helpful up front.

I totally get wanting to leave after working for a partner like that.

The other big issue is not getting planning/interim notes until January and then scrambling to finish it all at the worst time.

[fuzyfro89]

I never really enjoyed it, because it's like getting a grade in school (not in reality, but that's how it felt for me). You will always get review notes though. Whether in public on workpapers, in industry when you're preparing a budget/variance analysis/etc, or anywhere else.

However, part of it can get frustrating when the review notes aren't constructive and address form over function. I understand having clean workpapers, but some reviewers are so picky it gets obsessive. It's not pleasant when you're up until midnight for weeks at a time when part of the reason is just to appease someone's obsessive tendencies. But, this is more indicative of a particular reviewer's preferences. You could easily have the same problem in industry preparing a budget or other product.

For me, the review notes were the worst when the reviewer(s) would not give constructive feedback up front, when asked, and then tore apart work papers with notes when they reviewed which would cause our team to have to spend a ton of duplicate time addressing these when it would have been much more efficient if they were more helpful up front.

I totally get wanting to leave after working for a partner like that.

The other big issue is not getting planning/interim notes until January and then scrambling to finish it all at the worst time.

[acamp]

A partner leaving 100 notes in cash and the senior manager having to deal with it sounds very ridiculous. LOL

Ninja + Wiley Test Bank: [FAR - 81] [REG - 76] [BEC - 88] [AUD - 73](doh!)

Becker Videos: [AUD - 82]

California CPA

[acamp]

A partner leaving 100 notes in cash and the senior manager having to deal with it sounds very ridiculous. LOL

Ninja + Wiley Test Bank: [FAR - 81] [REG - 76] [BEC - 88] [AUD - 73](doh!)

Becker Videos: [AUD - 82]

California CPA

[Anonymous]

fuzyfro89: I completely agree with you. I understand that RN is needed because reviewer did not involve in testing, he/she also has a limited time to review and understand the work. Sometime it's also because of poor documentation. I completely get it. However, as you said, RN should be constructive and bring some added value to the work. I did not think wp with typos, grammar errors or font errors is great and still be mad at myself to let them happened, I cannot stop thinking “Does he/she have something better to comment?” though.

[Anonymous]

fuzyfro89: I completely agree with you. I understand that RN is needed because reviewer did not involve in testing, he/she also has a limited time to review and understand the work. Sometime it's also because of poor documentation. I completely get it. However, as you said, RN should be constructive and bring some added value to the work. I did not think wp with typos, grammar errors or font errors is great and still be mad at myself to let them happened, I cannot stop thinking “Does he/she have something better to comment?” though.

[Prove You Are A Human]

My favorite is getting review notes when it's your first time on a project. What does one do? Look at last year to get an understanding and run with it.

So it's funny when you get review notes saying it's all wrong and you can't be doing that when….that's right, it was signed off on, approved and A-OKed in the prior year when prepared the exact same way, with the exact same partner.

Huh?!

CPA

[Prove You Are A Human]

My favorite is getting review notes when it's your first time on a project. What does one do? Look at last year to get an understanding and run with it.

So it's funny when you get review notes saying it's all wrong and you can't be doing that when….that's right, it was signed off on, approved and A-OKed in the prior year when prepared the exact same way, with the exact same partner.

Huh?!

CPA

[Gatorbates]

Personally, I didn't mind them. I was in tax, and my goal (when I was a staff preparer) was to submit a “perfect return” each and every time … succeeded about 45% of the time. The other 55% was education … constructive criticism is good … which is what I think is the purpose of review notes. Up until the point where the reviewer would make a review note that said, “Client name goes after the date on your workpaper”, or “Title of workpaper should be in the top center instead of the top right”. Those scenarios show the reviewer is a Delta Bravo.

Licensed Florida CPA:
B: 71, 73, 79
A: 83
R: 78 (expired), 77
F: 74, 74, 80

It's finally freaking over.

[Gatorbates]

Personally, I didn't mind them. I was in tax, and my goal (when I was a staff preparer) was to submit a “perfect return” each and every time … succeeded about 45% of the time. The other 55% was education … constructive criticism is good … which is what I think is the purpose of review notes. Up until the point where the reviewer would make a review note that said, “Client name goes after the date on your workpaper”, or “Title of workpaper should be in the top center instead of the top right”. Those scenarios show the reviewer is a Delta Bravo.

Licensed Florida CPA:
B: 71, 73, 79
A: 83
R: 78 (expired), 77
F: 74, 74, 80

It's finally freaking over.

[StephAV]

I didn't really like them when I was an auditor. We had a bunch of seniors and managers that would pick on font color and stuff. I guess sometimes they were good and helpful, but most of the time it was just nitpicking whatever they could. Oh how I don't miss those days!

Now I write memos that go along with our financial statements and they are from our COO, so he reviews the memo and tells me how I did. The last one I wrote he told me was my best memo ever, he will make small changes and use the track changes function and email it back to me so that I can see what he changed and why. I like that style better, it is more constructive and less roundabout.

FAR - 7/13 - 72, 11/13- 74, 2/14- 82!!! Best score ever (for me)!!!
BEC - 1/14 - 75!!! Perfect score! First Pass! YAY!!!
AUD - 8/14 - 80!!!
REG - 5/14 - 72, 10/14 - 66, 1/15 - 78 - DONE FOREVER!!!
I did 5 of the UNA and CPAExcel classes to earn units.

[StephAV]

I didn't really like them when I was an auditor. We had a bunch of seniors and managers that would pick on font color and stuff. I guess sometimes they were good and helpful, but most of the time it was just nitpicking whatever they could. Oh how I don't miss those days!

Now I write memos that go along with our financial statements and they are from our COO, so he reviews the memo and tells me how I did. The last one I wrote he told me was my best memo ever, he will make small changes and use the track changes function and email it back to me so that I can see what he changed and why. I like that style better, it is more constructive and less roundabout.

FAR - 7/13 - 72, 11/13- 74, 2/14- 82!!! Best score ever (for me)!!!
BEC - 1/14 - 75!!! Perfect score! First Pass! YAY!!!
AUD - 8/14 - 80!!!
REG - 5/14 - 72, 10/14 - 66, 1/15 - 78 - DONE FOREVER!!!
I did 5 of the UNA and CPAExcel classes to earn units.

[Mayo]

I've been pretty lucky in that most RN's were useful, constructive, and not ticky tak. However, I've come to the realization that there's no such thing as a “perfect” w/p. Or at least it's very rare.

So for you perfectionists out there (me included) don't feel like you need to spend 100 hours on one workpaper. If the quality nears 90-95%, then it's time to sign off and move on. You could spend all day to make it to a 100%, “this is perfect”, quality level, and still get plenty of RNs.

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[Mayo]

I've been pretty lucky in that most RN's were useful, constructive, and not ticky tak. However, I've come to the realization that there's no such thing as a “perfect” w/p. Or at least it's very rare.

So for you perfectionists out there (me included) don't feel like you need to spend 100 hours on one workpaper. If the quality nears 90-95%, then it's time to sign off and move on. You could spend all day to make it to a 100%, “this is perfect”, quality level, and still get plenty of RNs.

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[Prove You Are A Human]

@ Mayo

I agree. My beef is it seems some reviewers use RN as a way of expressing bullying/intimidation/general all around not-nice type of attitudes.

CPA

[Author]

Replies