Revamping & Setting up the Accounts Department
Advaita Ltd
Heritage Hospitality & Events
Systems Consultant | Accounts Restructure, Optimisation & Automation
Xero, Hubdoc, Expense Submitters, Excel, Custom Bank Rules
63%
Reduction in Reconciliation Time
80%
Reduction in Uncoded Transactions
80%
Team compliance in 6 weeks
Description
Advaita, the holding company for Chilham Castle, manages diverse revenue streams across events, hospitality, and estate operations. Its financial systems had accumulated layers of duplication and manual work. Continuum stepped in to cut through this noise — to rebuild the financial structure, align reporting with management’s priorities, and anchor processes in discipline.
Challenge
Fragmented bookkeeping blurred visibility across departments and revenue streams.
Slow reconciliations and manual payment approvals delayed month-end close and strained suppliers.
Payroll and leave tracking ran partly on spreadsheets, exposing HMRC and pension compliance risks.
Reporting failed to align with KPIs, forcing reactive rather than informed decisions.
Together, these gaps increased workload, created compliance exposure, and blocked timely visibility.
Process
Discover
A ground-up audit catalogued every ledger, account code, and bank feed. Duplication, mis-categorisation, and manual intervention were traced to their impact on delays and error rates. Reporting formats were assessed against management’s KPIs, highlighting gaps in decision-useful data.
Define
Financial reporting structures were mapped directly to leadership priorities. KPIs such as departmental cost control and revenue visibility were anchored to reporting dimensions. Reconciliation schedules, approval flows, and payroll obligations were defined as fixed standards.
Develop
The chart of accounts in Xero was rebuilt for clarity and granularity. Bank rules were configured to automate reconciliations, reducing manual intervention. Hubdoc was integrated to capture and code invoices at source, cutting data-entry time by 70%. Payroll processes were re-engineered to embed RTI filings and pensions into the cycle. Supplier payments were placed under a structured approval workflow.
Deliver
Staff received training on both process logic and system usage. Monthly reporting packs were deployed, aligned with KPIs. A “clean-close” model was instituted: reconciliations and reporting completed on a fixed timeline, ensuring data was decision-ready.
Results
Time Reduction
63%
Error Reduction
30%
Significant decrease in bookkeeping errors through automation
RTI Compliance
100%
Payment Cycles
40%
Shortened vendor payment cycles improving supplier relationships
Conclusion
Continuum cut duplication, automated core processes, and anchored financial reporting to management priorities. Accounts now close faster, payroll runs without error, and reporting arrives in step with decision cycles. Leadership regained clarity and confidence in financial performance.
