northcote.

How it works

Your process, learned.
Your work, carried forward.

Northcote works directly through your applications' screens, including software without an API. Show it your process, what a good result looks like and when to ask for help. The instructions stay with the job.

Getting started

Show Northcote how it is done.
Build a process you can hand over.

Start with one responsibility. We help establish the process, confirm the software is suitable and agree the work before it begins.

  1. 01

    Describe the responsibility.

    Tell us what needs doing, where it happens and what the finished result should be.

  2. 02

    Show how it is done.

    Share the screens and talk through a real example. Explain the awkward parts of your software and what to do when the usual process does not fit. Northcote asks questions to fill in the gaps.

  3. 03

    Agree what it can do. Then hand it over.

    Agree the work, permissions and fixed fee. Define what the result should include and which exceptions need you. Approved changes to the process are kept for next time.

From demonstration to a reusable process

Capture the decisions
as well as the clicks.

Show the screens, provide instructions and share examples of a good result. Explain which source takes priority, what ordinary variations look like and which exceptions should come back to you.

You explain
“Use our group account mapping. If a new account appears, ask us where it belongs and remember the answer. For any significant movement against budget, find the supporting records.”
The job retains
  • The companies, reporting period and source reports
  • The approved account mapping and currency rules
  • The checks for missing inputs and new account codes
  • The threshold and evidence for variance explanations
  • The decisions that need your finance team

Your process. Your controls.

Routine work can move forward.
Important decisions stay with you.

You decide what Northcote may read and change, what a correct result looks like and when it should ask for help. The aim is to hand over the routine work without approving every click.

01

You set the boundaries

Set the boundaries for each responsibility, including what it can change and when it must stop.

02

You can follow the work

Keep source records, working instructions and checks alongside the output, so a reviewer can follow the work.

03

You handle the exceptions

Teach the normal process once. Define which unusual cases need your attention, rather than approving every click.

In this example, Northcote prepares the group reporting pack using your agreed rules. New accounting decisions and journal approvals stay with your finance team.

Keep the knowledge in your business

Every job teaches you more about your business.

A useful process records more than a sequence of clicks. It captures where the information comes from, which decisions matter and what to do when something does not look right.

Illustrative month-end process

How the reporting pack comes together.

Missing information and unfamiliar accounts follow their own route, then rejoin the work.

  1. 01

    Collect the figures

    Gather period data from the ledger, browser-based systems and workbooks.

    All inputs complete?

    Yes

    Record sources and continue.

    No · missing input

    Identify and request it; record the source when supplied.

    Inputs assembled
  2. 02

    Map codes to group accounts

    Apply your approved account mappings.

    Is the mapping known?

    Yes

    Use the approved mapping.

    No · decision needed

    Request the mapping; retain the approved answer.

    Codes mapped
  3. 03

    Assemble under agreed rules

    Apply the agreed currency, elimination and adjustment rules.

    Any significant movements?

    No

    Assemble the report and record checks.

    Yes · explain

    Retrieve records, draft an explanation and flag decisions for your review.

    Pack ready for review

One reporting workbook

Source evidence, working schedules, checks and review notes. Approved decisions are retained for next month.

Keep the method, not just the file.

Instructions, examples and approved corrections stay with the job. The next person does not have to start again or rely on someone remembering how it was done.

Understand how the jobs fit together.

Record what each job needs and who uses its output. Over time, the work your team documents becomes a clearer picture of its processes, exceptions and handovers.

What happens next?

We establish a suitable first job.

We discuss your systems, the time the work takes and what you need back. We confirm application suitability and the setup needed, agree the responsibility and quote a fixed fee.

You keep a clear view of the work.

Keep track of what has been prepared, the evidence behind it and the decisions that need you. Approved instructions and corrections give the next run a better starting point.

Just ask Northcote

What would you like
to hand over?

Tell us about the responsibility, the software and what a good result looks like. We will discuss the fit, agree the work and quote a fixed fee.

Tell us about the work

Email us to start the conversation.