DONE FOR YOU - Excel Based Automation Systems
Custom-Built Excel for Management Accounts and Other Accounting Workflows
Templates can only take you so far. If your accounting setup still involves manual steps, merging multiple entities, or managing endless month-end checklists, it’s time for something properly structured.
I design and build bespoke Excel automation systems that replace repetitive accounting work with logic-driven workflows - using Power Query, structured model design and built-in error controls to create systems that are robust, maintainable and built around your real environment.
Who This Is For:
Finance teams and management accountants who:
Are responsible for complex or heavily manual accounting processes - particularly across multiple entities or layered reporting structures
Know their existing Excel model works in principle, but are tired of the repetitive steps required to keep it running
Want their current reporting or workflow preserved - while carefully replacing manual effort with structured automation beneath the surface
Learn about the Automation Scope Assessment ↓
How Engagement Begins
STEP 1 - Free Discovery Call
All new projects begin with a complimentary discovery call.
This conversation allows us to:
Understand your reporting environment
Clarify objectives
Identify structural complexity
Confirm whether an Automation Scope Assessment is appropriate
For existing clients, this step may not be required.
STEP 2 - Automation Scope Assessment
Every project begins with Automation Scope Assessment
All implementation projects begin with a structured Automation Scope Assessment - a standalone engagement designed to evaluate your current reporting or workflow environment.
This removes uncertainty before any build begins.
You leave with:
A clear understanding of what is slowing you down
What can realistically be automated
Structural or data limitations
A defined scope and phased implementation outline
Clear investment and delivery expectations
Even if you choose not to proceed with a full build, you retain a practical roadmap you can act on internally.
What’s Included in the Assessment
Structured review of your current reporting or workflow process
Evaluation of automation opportunities and constraints
Identification of structural or data limitations
Defined project scope and phased implementation outline
Clear investment and delivery estimate
60-minute Findings Walkthrough Session
The Automation Scope Assessment is a standalone engagement.
It does not commit you to a full implementation.
Following the assessment, you will receive a structured scope and clear fixed-fee proposal. At that point, you may choose to proceed with a full build, implement internally using the Masterclass, or engage on a collaborative basis.
Investment
£1,500
The assessment fee is:
Credited against the final milestone invoice if we proceed
Non-refundable and non-creditable if you choose not to proceed
Retained in the event of early termination
After the Assessment - Your Path Options
After the Assessment, You Can Choose:
Do It Yourself
Follow the Masterclass framework and implement internally.
Done With You
Ad-hoc support at £125 per hour (£100 per hour for Masterclass buyers)
Done For You
Full fixed-scope implementation based on your defined architecture.
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Done For You - Full Implementation Explained
What Happens During a Full Implementation
1. Initial Prototype Build
A structured first version of your automation Excel-powered engine is built - either a brand-new reporting model or automation layered onto your existing one.
2. Collaborative Refinement Phase
We review, test, and refine the model against real reporting cycles.
This includes:
Adjustments
Structural improvements
Error-proofing
Real-cycle validation
automation of bespoke reports that require custom logic
Any significant work outside the agreed scope is assessed and priced separately.
3. Post-Build Support
Included:
• Guidance through the first live reporting cycles
• Practical issue resolution as the system is applied to real-world use
• Small refinements and enhancements where appropriate
• Strengthening of validation checks and error controls based on real usage
• Ongoing explanation and knowledge transfer to build confidence and independence
Support period:
3 months for smaller systems
6 months for complex architecture builds
After that:
£125 per hour (£100 per hour for Masterclass buyers)
Education Built Into the Process
I do not simply “fix issues”.
When troubleshooting is required, you receive:
What happened
Why it happened
How it was fixed
How to prevent it
Where appropriate, additional diagnostics to detect it early
The goal is long-term independence, not dependence.
What’s Included in Scope
A typical Excel automation implementation includes:
• Extraction of clean, transaction-level source data (not just trial balance exports), ensuring full structural control
• Structured data transformation within Excel using Power Query to create consistent, refreshable reporting layers
• A structured Excel automation model built using Power Query, dynamic drivers and a refreshable set of dynamic trial balances
• Automated reporting layers - including core reports and bespoke outputs where required
• A dedicated control layer with embedded validation checks and error-proofing
• Accounting Software integration and optional Outlook / Power Automate routing where technically feasible
• Handover and post-build support
The exact detailed scope is defined during the Automation Scope Assessment and tailored to your accounting environment.
While specific reporting capabilities and integrations vary between accounting platforms, the underlying automation principles remain consistent and can be adapted to Sage, Xero, Dynamics and other systems.
A similarly thorough scope is defined for any other accounting workflow automation.
Investment Overview
Every project is scoped individually following the Automation Scope Assessment.
The appropriate investment tier is determined during the Automation Scope Assessment based on structural complexity, scope and integration requirements. These categories are not selectable packages, but reflect the level of build required.
All systems are custom-built Excel automation models, designed around your accounting software and workflow structure.
Typical Investment Levels:
Core Automation System
From £5,000
Designed for:
Clearly defined accounting workflows or reporting packs
Structured environments with consistent data inputs
Projects where proven automation frameworks can be applied without significant bespoke logic
Ideal where automation scope is well-contained and does not require structural redesign.
Most fall between £5,000–£8,000.
Bespoke Automation System
Typically £8,000–£15,000
Designed for:
Environments requiring custom-built logic beyond standard automation frameworks
Bespoke reporting or workflow requirements
Enhanced control structures and tailored validation layers
Situations where structural adaptation is necessary
May include multi-entity structures, but complexity is driven primarily by bespoke logic requirements.
Complex Automation Environment
Starting at £15,000
Designed for:
Interdependent models and cross-system integrations
Consolidation-heavy or portfolio environments
Multiple data sources requiring structural harmonisation
Projects involving significant architectural redesign
All projects include 3-6 months of Build Support (Troubleshooting and Tutorials)(*)
(*) post-build support commences upon formal delivery of the completed reporting model following the collaborative refinement phase. Duration depends on individual projects.
How Larger Projects Are Delivered
Large-scale environments are delivered in structured phases.
Each phase is scoped and priced individually to ensure:
Transparent investment decisions
Controlled scope expansion
Prioritised implementation
Protection against cost escalation
In complex environments involving:
Multiple entities
Portfolio reporting
Third-party integrations
Interdependent models
Legacy structural issues
It is not always possible to define the full scope at the outset. It is not always possible to define the full scope at the outset.
For this reason, larger projects are typically delivered in stages:
Core automation engine
Reporting layer build
Integration of additional data sources
Advanced enhancements and optimisation
Each stage is scoped and priced individually to ensure:
Transparent investment decisions
Controlled scope expansion
Prioritised implementation
Protection against cost escalation
Some elements may be optional and can be deferred or excluded depending on strategic priorities.
Milestone Invoicing Structure
All implementation projects are delivered under a structured milestone framework.
Each milestone is invoiced in advance.
Work on a milestone commences only once payment has been received.
Once a milestone has commenced, the associated fee is non-refundable.
The £1,500 Automation Scope Assessment fee is credited against the final milestone invoice upon completion of the full implementation.
In the event of early termination, the assessment fee remains non-refundable and non-creditable.
Milestone 1 – Initial Build & First Draft Delivery
40% of quoted fee
Invoiced upon project commencement
This phase includes:
Core automation engine build
Initial structural architecture
Delivery of the first working draft model
Completion of this milestone marks the start of the collaborative refinement phase.
Milestone 2 – Collaborative Refinement & Final Model Delivery
30% of quoted fee
Invoiced upon delivery of the first draft model (i.e. commencement of this milestone)
This phase includes:
Iterative collaboration
Structural refinements
Adjustments based on real reporting cycles
Error-proofing enhancements
Delivery of the completed final model
Milestone 3 – Structured Post-Build Support
30% of quoted fee
Invoiced upon delivery of the of the final model
This phase includes:
Support through the first live reporting cycles
Troubleshooting and practical issue resolution
Small refinements and enhancements where appropriate
Additional error-proofing where real usage highlights opportunities
Ongoing explanation and knowledge transfer to increase your confidence and independence
The goal of this phase is to ensure the system functions smoothly in practice, not just in theory.
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A client may choose to discontinue the project prior to commencement of the next milestone.
If a milestone has been paid for but has not yet commenced, the associated fee will be refunded and that phase will not begin.
Once work on a milestone has commenced, the associated fee is non-refundable.
Termination halts future phases only. Work already delivered remains valid and usable.
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Requests that materially extend beyond the agreed scope will be quoted and approved separately prior to implementation.
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Delivery of the first working draft of the reporting model is typically expected within 2–4 weeks of project commencement, depending on scope complexity and data readiness.
This is followed by a collaborative refinement period, during which the system is tested against live reporting cycles. Adjustments, structural refinements and error-proofing enhancements are incorporated based on real-world usage.
The overall project duration (including build, integration and post-delivery refinements) typically spans 6–10 weeks for smaller environments and may extend further for more complex or multi-entity systems.
Final timelines depend on data access, feedback responsiveness and structural complexity.
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The automation relies on continued access to structured transactional data from your accounting system.
If source structure, format, or availability changes due to system updates or limitations, additional adaptation work may be required and scoped separately.
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I intentionally work on a limited number of full Excel automation projects at any one time to ensure depth, focus and delivery quality. Availability varies throughout the year.
If you’re considering implementation, I recommend starting with a Free Discovery Call to discuss timelines.