Case Studies

The Academy Partnership

"We’re a better firm now. And ultimately, we can put in another team. I doubt whether other accountants are doing anything as sophisticated as this.”

From static spreadsheets to seamless workflows:
How an accounting firm unlocked a new way to work

"We’re a better firm now. And ultimately, we can put in another team. I doubt whether other accountants are doing anything as sophisticated as this.”

- Ian Woollard, Founder, The Academy Partnership

In just eight weeks, The Academy Partnership shifted their entire way of working from a single, static spreadsheet for task management to a scalable workflow system with Rapid Indigo. Today, they’re proactively removing bottlenecks, working collaboratively across teams, filing accounts earlier, and unearthing data insights that are driving business growth.

The Challenge

For nearly a decade, the accounting firm managed thousands of filings and all their related tasks from one complex spreadsheet. But as the firm grew, it created bottlenecks, inefficiencies, missed opportunities, and limited visibility:

Day-to-day task management drained senior leadership time
No coordination between employees on the same client
No broader view of the ebbs and flows of the annual workload
No tracking of client touchpoints or billing links

The firm needed a new way of working. Big-name project management software might have worked, but who would guide them through setting it up?

"It wasn't the solution that was the challenge. It was finding someone who could implement it and give us the finished product.”

- Ian Woollard, Founder, The Academy Partnership

Their options and why they chose Rapid Indigo

“We were close to the wire on filing some accounts. It wasn’t our fault - we were waiting on docs from clients. We needed a way to flag issues earlier and have joined-up thinking,” said Ian.

So, the options on the table were:

Onboard onto their existing accounting software’s built-in planning, but it was clunky, outdated, and required a lot of training to manage
Purchase a well-known task management software, e.g. Asana, but they didn’t have expertise in how to set it up optimally
Explore a more bespoke option with Rapid Indigo, who could guide them to the best software and set-up

“When we started to look at a solution, the danger was: what if we picked the wrong one? Even if we picked a well-known platform, who’s going to show us how to set it up? Who’s going to have a real think about, “We could actually do it this way.” said Ian.

“Dan took time to really understand our business and built a relationship with us. Then he mapped our business to the tech. It was all about the outcomes, not the platform, “continued Ian. “Having someone willing to guide us through the whole process and work hand-in-hand with us to optimise our business, not just our software, made it easy to choose Rapid Indigo.”

What they built

What started as a project to track tasks evolved into a fully integrated workflow system that connected filings, finances, and even marketing insights.

Rapid Indigo’s guided process revealed deeper workflow issues and helped the Academy rethink their entire work processes - which, Ian declared, was the most valuable part of the whole process and worth the investment alone.

Rapid Indigo worked hand-in-hand with The Academy Partnership to build a bespoke workflow system on Airtable, from prototype to fully integrated work system. Now they have:

Automated task planning and filing deadlines
Visibility into workloads and easy task reassignment
Integration with Xero for daily financial data
Ability to trace income back to the referral source

A hands-on workshop onboarded the team who caught the vision and quickly began building their own Airtable views to suit their roles, from personal task lists to client-specific dashboards.

The Results

Immediate: clear workload visibility, automated processes, faster filings
Long-term: easily scalable for new clients and teams
Strategic: clear data insights for decision making; leadership freed from task management

For the first time, leadership could spot bottlenecks, reassign tasks proactively, and balance workloads across the firm. Everyone has clarity over their personal priorities as well as seeing how they are contributing to the wider business. This meant they completed filings faster than ever.

Longer-term, they’re ready to take on more clients and add new teams as their new system scales. In addition, getting workflows into Airtable has freed leadership to focus on planning and growth.

Strategically, the system has given the firm new insights into nine years of prospect data and referral sources so they can improve their marketing strategy. Visibility into client pipelines, billing, and team capacity has reshaped how the business operates.

Ian reflected, “By going through the journey, we’ve uncovered loads of things that we perhaps were wrong about. I think we’re a better firm now.”

With Rapid Indigo’s help, the accounting firm has transformed how they work and set the foundation for future growth.

Get in touch

Stop wrestling with restrictive systems.
Start growing with workflows designed for your business.

book a 15 min call