Made for CPAs
Screen a New Engagement Before Saying Yes
Also useful for: people in Finance
35 min
Advanced
Decisions
Make a Decision
Need to Compare Options
Screen a prospective engagement against risk, economics, timing, and capacity before making a commitment.
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Use this when
A prospective client wants an answer, but the scope, fee, deadline, records, conduct, or acceptance risk still needs a disciplined review.
You'll need
- Engagement context
- Deadline pressure
- Records quality
- Technical complexity
- Client behavior
- Professional concerns
- Payment risk
- Team capacity
You'll get
- Every material acceptance factor rated with supporting facts
- Every unknown that could change the decision identified
- Non-negotiable stop signs separated from priceable risks
- An accept, reprice, narrow, defer, or decline recommendation documented
- Required conditions, approvals, and client communication drafted.
By the end of this playbook
You will have:
- Every material acceptance factor rated with supporting facts
- Every unknown that could change the decision identified
- Non-negotiable stop signs separated from priceable risks
- An accept, reprice, narrow, defer, or decline recommendation documented
- Required conditions, approvals, and client communication drafted.
Sample
This is sample data, not your prompt. Pro unlocks this higher-stakes Playbook. On Free Playbooks you can still copy the assembled prompt into any AI.
Sample input
Prospective client: a three-location restaurant group requesting entity returns, owner returns, bookkeeping cleanup, and two state notice responses. The requested turnaround is 18 days, with one notice due in 11 days. Seven months of bank reconciliations are incomplete, inventory support is weak, and intercompany balances don't agree. The work spans three states and includes an ownership change. The owner blames the prior CPA, wants a guaranteed date, and resists providing source documents. Conflict and independence checks aren't complete. The owner wants a fixed fee and 60-day terms. Manager and state-specialist capacity is limited.
Sample assembled prompt
Recommendation: Defer pending information, with Narrow... Controlling facts: 1. The 11-day notice deadline arrives before... 2. Unreconciled accounts and inconsistent intercompany... 3. The prior-accountant circumstances and formal... 4. Fixed pricing can't be supported... 5. Reviewer and state-specialist capacity is... Stop signs: - Complete required conflict... - Understand the prior CPA separation... - Confirm that qualified state notice... Proposed path: Offer a separately priced... Price and schedule the cleanup and... Client response: Thanks for outlining the... Before we can decide whether to... Given the notice deadline, the practical... That phase would require prompt access... We can't commit to the broader... I'll send the document list and...