IntermediateSITUATIONAL
As project accountant, how would you influence project managers and procurement to adopt cost controls and timely reporting practices across multiple simultaneous projects?
Project Accountant
General

Sample Answer

At my last employer I supported 14 live projects totaling $120M. I introduced a weekly 15-minute financial huddle with PMs and procurement leads, backed by a short report showing burn vs budget, change-order backlog, and three KPIs: % forecast accuracy, days to close PO, and overdue invoices. I piloted a template that turned raw data into clear action items; within three months forecast accuracy improved from 78% to 92% and PO close time dropped 35% (from average 20 days to 13 days). I also trained five procurement staff on early-cost capture practices and tied a portion of PM quarterly bonuses to timely reporting and change-order submission, which increased on-time reporting to 95%. The combination of simple tools, visible metrics, and aligned incentives changed behavior quickly.

Keywords

Use short, regular financial huddles with clear KPIsProvide simple templates and training to reduce frictionAlign incentives and make metrics visible to change behavior