For agency CFOs, profit is not a single number on a year-end statement—it’s the sum of hundreds of individual jobs. Each job carries its own budget, resourcing plan, scope changes, and client expectations. Without accurate job-level profitability data, it’s impossible to know which work drives growth and which drains margin.
The challenge? Most generic ERP systems were never designed for the way agencies actually work. They treat “jobs” as projects in name only—stripping out the nuance that impacts margin, like billable WIP, scope creep, or multi-job billing.
The Problems with Traditional ERP Approaches
CFOs at leading agencies often share the same frustrations with generic tools:
- Lack of granularity: Profitability is measured at the client or department level, not job-by-job.
- Slow reporting: Data is delayed, often requiring manual reconciliation before it’s usable.
- Disconnected workflows: Time tracking, expenses, and billing exist in separate systems.
- Custom build overhead: Months (and thousands of dollars) spent on “fixing” a system that was never meant for agency finance.
When your data is scattered and delayed, your decisions are always reactive. That’s a competitive disadvantage in a market where margins are already under pressure.
What True Job-Level Profitability Looks Like
True job-level profitability isn’t just about numbers—it’s about context, accuracy, and timeliness. To achieve it, CFOs need:
1. Real-Time WIP and Revenue Recognition
Know exactly how much value is in progress, how much has been earned, and where jobs stand against budgets—without waiting for month-end closes.
2. Time and Expense Tracking That Feeds Directly into Margin Reports
If time and expenses aren’t tied to jobs in real time, you’re always guessing at true cost.
3. Multi-Job and Multi-Client Billing
Agencies rarely run in straight lines—your billing tools shouldn’t either. The ability to consolidate or split invoices across jobs and clients keeps revenue recognition accurate.
4. Resource-Based Forecasting
Move from “what happened” to “what will happen.” When FTE plans and resourcing data connect directly to job margins, you can forecast profit before a job is even completed.
The Accountability Approach: Built for Agencies, by an Agency CFO
Accountability exists because our founder—a former agency CFO—was tired of hacking generic ERPs to get the numbers that matter. We designed our platform to speak the language of agency finance from day one.
Key capabilities include:
- Job-Level Profitability Dashboards: Instant visibility into margin by job, client, office, or holding company.
- Multi-Entity and Multi-Currency Support: True consolidation without workarounds.
- Integrated Time and Expense via Counta: Every tracked hour and receipt flows into profitability reports automatically.
- In-House Implementation: Go live in under 90 days—no external consultants required.
With Accountability, there’s no “translation layer” between how your agency operates and how your ERP works. It’s built in.
The CFO Payoff: Better Decisions, Faster
When job-level profitability is visible in real time, CFOs can:
- Identify underperforming jobs early and course-correct before margins erode.
- Double down on profitable work to scale with confidence.
- Arm client leads with accurate, timely data for scope discussions.
- Strengthen forecasting with structured, reliable financial data.
If You Can’t See It, You Can’t Improve It
For agency CFOs, job-level profitability isn’t a “nice to have”—it’s the foundation for sustainable growth. The sooner you replace manual reporting with real-time, purpose-built tools, the sooner you turn profitability from a lagging metric into a leading indicator.
