Accounting Manager

Domains and learning objectives

A domain’s weighting is its share of the discipline, and the share of the examination paper drawn from that domain. The study material and the examination questions are written to the objectives.

1. Domain 1

   Close Cycle Management

   25%

   • 1.1Construct a month-end close calendar with task dependencies, owners, deadlines and quality gates
   • 1.2Distinguish between hard-close, soft-close and continuous-close approaches and select the appropriate model for a given organisation
   • 1.3Evaluate accrual, prepayment, provision and cut-off procedures for completeness and consistency at period end
   • 1.4Interpret reconciliation ageing and unresolved-item reports to prioritise close-cycle risk
   • 1.5Select actions to recover a slipping close, including re-sequencing tasks, applying materiality thresholds and escalating blockers
   • 1.6Calculate close-cycle performance measures such as days to close, late adjustment counts and post-close correction rates

2. Domain 2

   Internal Controls and Risk

   20%

   • 2.1Distinguish preventive, detective and corrective controls and match each to a given process risk
   • 2.2Design segregation of duties for payments, payroll, journals and master-data changes, including compensating controls for small teams
   • 2.3Evaluate the severity of a control failure and select an appropriate response, including remediation and disclosure to leadership
   • 2.4Identify fraud indicators in accounts payable, payroll, expenses and revenue processes
   • 2.5Interpret an exception report or audit finding and prioritise remediation actions
   • 2.6Select appropriate approval thresholds, system access rights and documentation standards for a described process

3. Domain 3

   Team and Workflow Management

   20%

   • 3.1Allocate tasks across a team using skill, capacity and development criteria rather than habit
   • 3.2Design a preparer-reviewer hierarchy with clear evidence standards for review
   • 3.3Evaluate individual and team performance using workload, quality and timeliness indicators
   • 3.4Select coaching, training or escalation responses to described performance problems
   • 3.5Distinguish effective delegation from abdication and micromanagement in given scenarios
   • 3.6Interpret capacity data to justify hiring, outsourcing or automation decisions

4. Domain 4

   Leadership Reporting and Communication

   20%

   • 4.1Construct a monthly management pack with an appropriate structure for a described audience
   • 4.2Interpret variances between actual, budget and prior period and draft commentary that explains cause rather than restating numbers
   • 4.3Select key indicators for cash, working capital and profitability suitable for a given business model
   • 4.4Distinguish decision-useful commentary from noise, and materiality-driven detail from clutter
   • 4.5Evaluate requests from leadership for new reports and negotiate scope, frequency and deadlines
   • 4.6Calculate common working capital and liquidity measures from summarised financial data

5. Domain 5

   Systems, Automation and Data

   15%

   • 5.1Construct requirements and a weighted scoring model for selecting accounting software or add-on tools
   • 5.2Evaluate a chart of accounts and dimension design for reporting and consolidation needs
   • 5.3Distinguish tasks suited to automation or AI assistance from those requiring accountant judgement and review
   • 5.4Select data-integrity practices for spreadsheets and system integrations, including reconciliation of interfaces
   • 5.5Interpret a migration or implementation plan and identify cutover, parallel-run and data-quality risks
   • 5.6Evaluate the controls needed around automated postings and AI-assisted outputs before reliance