Best Practice

Best Practice We have spent years perfecting our program content & implementation support.

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AI and the Quality Control Crisis in Accounting Firms

Live Masterclass Dates: 3, 17, and 22 September

⬇️ π—₯π—²π—΄π—Άπ˜€π˜π—²π—Ώ 𝗡𝗲𝗿𝗲:
https://linktr.ee/BestPracticeGroup The Best Practice Program is a unique high engagement program founded on the world's best practice adult learning methodologies, which until now were only available to Fortune 500 companies. What this means is that our Gro

up Program is both applicable & affordable right across the scale – from micro-businesses just starting out with turnover as little as $175K right up to medium sized businesses with turnover of $40M+ looking for growth and a succession plan. Program delivery is available in both Private & Group forms as well as by Webinar for remotely located businesses.

Sometimes the thing holding your firm back isn't strategy. It's the courage to make the move you already know you need t...
29/08/2026

Sometimes the thing holding your firm back isn't strategy. It's the courage to make the move you already know you need to make.

That's why walking out of one of these sessions can feel clear about the next step, and help you to genuinely get ready to take it.

If you've been waiting for the nudge to take your firm to the next level, this Masterclass is the conversation to have. Three sessions available.

Session 1: Thursday, 3 September | 10:00 AM AEST
Session 2: Thursday, 17 September | 1:00 PM AEST
Session 3: Tuesday, 22 September | 1:00 PM AEST



Facebook: πŸ”— Ready to learn more about these conversations? Claim your seat for this free 90-minute masterclass via the link in the comments.

Before a new starter touches AML/CTF work, your firm needs a clear answer. What can this person do? Not in theory. On a...
28/08/2026

Before a new starter touches AML/CTF work, your firm needs a clear answer.

What can this person do?

Not in theory.

On a live client file.

Can they request CDD documents?
Can they communicate with clients about AML/CTF information?
Can they help with beneficial ownership?
Can they access AML/CTF records?
Can they complete or review risk ratings?

This is where role-based training matters.

A partner does not need the same induction as a graduate.

A client services administrator does not need the same decision-making authority as the AML/CTF Compliance Officer.

But each person needs to know their lane.

And they need to know when to stop.

My new article unpacks the practical new starter test for AML staff onboarding.

It shows how to decide who needs training, what needs to be recorded, and how your training register becomes evidence that the right people were trained before the work commenced.

Get the test here β†’ https://www.johnpeterson.com.au/aml-staff-onboarding-missing-compliance-control

πŸ—£οΈ "We have tried AI tools before. They did not really stick." This is one of the most common things we hear from accou...
28/08/2026

πŸ—£οΈ "We have tried AI tools before. They did not really stick."

This is one of the most common things we hear from accounting firm owners when AI adoption comes up.

And it is an understandable experience. But here is the reframe worth considering:

That is not an AI problem. It is a systems problem.

AI tools do not embed themselves into a firm's operating rhythm. They need a foundation to function properly.

That foundation includes:

✦ Clear standards around where AI should be used and where it should not
✦ Documented review processes for AI-produced output before it reaches the client
✦ Governance frameworks for how prompts and agents are managed across the team
✦ Training protocols that help staff use AI productively without introducing quality risks
✦ Quality checkpoints that ensure AI-produced output meets the firm's standard
✦ Leadership that treats AI adoption as an operational system change, not a software trial

Without these foundations, even the best AI tools will underdeliver. The tool gets trialled.

Some team members use it. Others do not. The results are inconsistent. And eventually, the initiative quietly fades.

With the right foundation, AI becomes one of the most powerful productivity levers your firm has ever had access to.

The question is not whether AI is useful. It clearly is.

The question is whether your firm has built the operating system that makes AI work sustainably.

We’ll cover how to build those foundations at our free masterclass this September.

Session 1: Thursday, 3 September | 10:00 AM AEST
Session 2: Thursday, 17 September | 1:00 PM AEST
Session 3: Tuesday, 22 September | 1:00 PM AEST

πŸ”— Ready to learn more about these conversations? Claim your seat for this free 90-minute masterclass via the link in the comments.

πŸ“„ An engagement letter signed five years ago is not a current CDD file.It may prove the client accepted your terms at th...
28/08/2026

πŸ“„ An engagement letter signed five years ago is not a current CDD file.

It may prove the client accepted your terms at the time.

It does not prove your firm understands the client’s AML/CTF risk today.

Since that letter was signed, the client may have changed:

✦ Directors
✦ Ownership
✦ Trustee or appointor
✦ Business activity
✦ Jurisdictions
✦ Source of funds
✦ Services required
✦ Transaction profile
✦ Risk level

CDD is not a one-time document from the start of the relationship.

It must remain current enough to support the work your firm is providing now.

If your evidence is years out of date, your compliance may be too.

β€”

Old client files may not meet current AML/CTF expectations. Check the link in the comments to access the AML/CTF Tranche 2 Playbook + Implementation Program.

What does a quality-driven accounting firm actually look like from the inside? It is not a firm where the owner reviews...
27/08/2026

What does a quality-driven accounting firm actually look like from the inside?

It is not a firm where the owner reviews everything. It is a firm where the owner rarely needs to.

It is not a firm where quality is inspected at the end of a job. It is a firm where quality is built into the way work flows through every stage.

It is not a firm where standards live inside one person's head. It is a firm where standards are documented, shared, and consistently applied by every team member, on every job, every single time.

In practical terms, here is what it looks like:

✦ Workpapers that meet a consistent standard regardless of who prepared them
✦ Review checklists that are used every time, not just when someone remembers
✦ Job completion frameworks that ensure nothing leaves the firm incomplete
✦ Team accountability structures that are clear, documented and measurable
✦ AI tools embedded in daily workflow with appropriate governance and review standards
✦ A proactive quality assurance rhythm, not a reactive firefighting cycle
✦ Less rework because problems are caught earlier, or not created in the first place
✦ Faster review because the reviewer can trust what they are looking at
✦ Less owner involvement because the system does what the owner was doing

This is not a vision for the distant future. Accounting firms across Australia are operating this way right now.

The question is whether yours will be next.

We are covering exactly how to build this at our free masterclass. Three sessions available.

Session 1: Thursday, 3 September | 10:00 AM AEST
Session 2: Thursday, 17 September | 1:00 PM AEST
Session 3: Tuesday, 22 September | 1:00 PM AEST

πŸ”— Ready to know what a quality-driven accounting firm actually look like from the inside? Claim your seat for this free 90-minute masterclass via the link in the comments.

I want to say something that most people in this profession will not say directly to your face. 🀦 If your practice stil...
26/08/2026

I want to say something that most people in this profession will not say directly to your face. 🀦

If your practice still depends on you to review everything, answer every quality question, fix every mistake and keep every job moving forward, your quality assurance system is not a system.

It is Y O U.

And you cannot scale that. No matter how good you are.

I have been working directly with accounting firm owners across Australia and New Zealand for more than 30 years. Not observing firms from the outside. Working inside them, with owners, partners and their teams on productivity, practice management and what it actually takes to build a practice that functions well without depending entirely on one person.

What I am watching happen right now is significant.

AI is entering accounting firms at pace. And the ones that are not prepared, the ones still managing quality through memory, verbal instructions, partner heroics and late-stage review, are going to feel that pressure sooner than they expect.

Quality assurance is no longer just a technical review issue. It is a practice management issue, a productivity issue, a team accountability issue and now, because of AI, a risk management issue.

I am hosting a FREE 90-minute masterclass in September specifically for Australian and New Zealand accounting firm leaders who want an honest conversation about where the profession is heading and what to do about it practically.

I would love you to be there!

Choose your masterclass date:

Session 1: Thursday, 3 September | 10:00 AM AEST
Session 2: Thursday, 17 September | 1:00 PM AEST
Session 3: Tuesday, 22 September | 1:00 PM AEST

πŸ”— Ready to stop being the bottleneck in your firm's quality control? Claim your seat for this free 90-minute masterclass via the link in the comments.

The newest person in your firm can become your AML/CTF weak point. Not because they are careless. But because nobody sho...
26/08/2026

The newest person in your firm can become your AML/CTF weak point.

Not because they are careless.

But because nobody showed them where the line is.

They chase the trust deed.
They upload the ID.
They reply to the client.
They help prepare the company set-up file because everyone is busy and the job needs to move.

Nobody is trying to bypass AML/CTF.

But if that person has not been trained before touching designated service work, the weakness is not them.

It is the onboarding process.

Here’s the thing.

AML/CTF tasks can look like ordinary admin until someone asks whether the required process happened before the work commenced.

That is where the exposure sits.

I’ve written this week’s article for firms that have done the first AML training push, but now need to make sure every new employee is brought into the system properly.

It shows where the onboarding weakness appears, and how to stop it before the file becomes a problem.


Read the article here β†’ https://www.johnpeterson.com.au/aml-staff-onboarding-missing-compliance-control

Relying on a casual Google search for adverse media screening is a significant compliance blind spot.While typing a name...
26/08/2026

Relying on a casual Google search for adverse media screening is a significant compliance blind spot.

While typing a name into a search bar is a start, a haphazard approach often misses critical red flags. Effective adverse media screening requires a consistent, defensible method to identify public information linking a client, or their beneficial owners and controllers, to higher AML/CTF risks.

Your team needs to be actively looking for credible reports connecting clients to fraud, corruption, organised crime, regulatory action, or unexplained wealth.

Many firms believe they need expensive, dedicated software just to begin. That is not necessarily the case. While software helps scale operations, starting with a structured manual approach is far better than having no process at all. The key is consistency over technology.

Crucially, the vital element is the audit trail. You must meticulously record:

✦ What search terms were used
✦ When the search was conducted
✦ What results were found (or not found)
✦ The risk decision your firm made as a result

Remember: in the eyes of the regulator, if it is not documented, it is not evidence.

Does your current screening process create a defensible audit trail that would stand up to scrutiny?

β€”

Adverse media screening does not need to be complicated, but it must be documented. Check the link in the comments to access the AML/CTF Tranche 2 Playbook + Implementation Program.

A quick note for the accounting firm owners, partners and practice managers who have seen this masterclass advertised an...
25/08/2026

A quick note for the accounting firm owners, partners and practice managers who have seen this masterclass advertised and are still deciding whether it is worth 90 minutes of their time.

Here is what the session is designed to deliver. Not as a list of talking points. As practical outcomes you can act on immediately.

By the end of this masterclass, you will have:

✦ A clear picture of where quality is breaking down inside your firm, whether you have named it yet or not
✦ An honest understanding of why rework is a hidden profit leak most owners are not measuring
✦ A direct view of why owner-dependent quality control cannot scale, no matter how talented the owner is
✦ Real-world perspective from Nick Bradley on what governing 60-plus Custom AI Agents inside a real firm actually looks like
✦ A practical understanding of how Nagaris CRM for Accountants supports quality assurance in a way that is visible and manageable
✦ A framework for thinking about the shift from reactive quality control to proactive quality assurance
✦ Clarity on whether the AI-Enabled Quality Assurance Program is the right next step for your firm

This is not a passive webinar. There are no vague promises about unlocking your potential or supercharging your practice.

It is a direct, practical, and commercially grounded session from practitioners who work inside real accounting firm environments, not around them.

πŸ“… 3 Sessions Available (Same live content, choose what fits your schedule):

Session 1: Thursday, 3 September | 10:00 AM AEST
Session 2: Thursday, 17 September | 1:00 PM AEST
Session 3: Tuesday, 22 September | 1:00 PM AEST

πŸ”— Ready for clear, practical outcomes you can act on immediately? Claim your seat for this free 90-minute masterclass via the link in the comments.

Workpaper quality is not just a compliance issue. It is one of the most significant productivity levers available to ac...
22/08/2026

Workpaper quality is not just a compliance issue.

It is one of the most significant productivity levers available to accounting firms right now. And most owners have not pulled it yet.

Here’s what inconsistent workpapers actually cost a firm when you trace the downstream consequences honestly:

✦ Review takes longer because the reviewer cannot trust what they are looking at
✦ More questions go back to the preparer, disrupting workflow and momentum across the team
✦ AI tools cannot work effectively because the inputs are unreliable
✦ New team members take longer to onboard because there is no documented standard to learn from
✦ Client files become harder to manage when the documentation standard differs by preparer
✦ The firm becomes harder to scale because quality depends on individual habits, not shared systems

None of these consequences show up as a single dramatic event. They accumulate quietly. Week after week. Job after job. Until the cumulative cost becomes impossible to ignore.

And when AI enters the picture, inconsistent workpapers become a governance problem as well as a productivity problem. AI-produced output built on an inconsistent foundation is not an efficiency gain. It is a quality risk at speed.

The firms that understand this are investing in documentation standards, review checklists and job completion frameworks that lift the entire team's output, not just their best performers.

We are covering this directly in our free masterclass this September.

Session 1: Thursday, 3 September | 10:00 AM AEST
Session 2: Thursday, 17 September | 1:00 PM AEST
Session 3: Tuesday, 22 September | 1:00 PM AEST

πŸ”— Ready to turn workpaper quality into your firm's biggest productivity lever? Claim your seat for this free 90-minute masterclass via the link in the comments.

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