This is ongoing consulting work for a boutique accounting firm. The brief is simple: find the parts of the practice that were eating hours, and solve them with automation. So far three things have shipped.
What shipped
- A Python and AI vision tool that converts scanned client financials into structured Excel workpapers, replacing a manual multi-hour process.
- An AI client email drafting pipeline that turns repetitive client correspondence into ready-to-review drafts.
- An automated newsletter that aggregates ATO and CPA Australia updates for the firm's client base.
How I pick what to automate
I look for work that is high volume, low judgement and repetitive. Those are the tasks where automation pays for itself quickly and where a mistake is easy to catch. Anything that needs real professional judgement stays with the accountants.