Coursera

Accounting Operations & Automation Specialization

Coursera

Accounting Operations & Automation Specialization

Automate Accounting Operations with AI & Analytics. Learn accounting automation, financial analysis, and compliance using Excel, QuickBooks, and AI.

Hurix Digital

Instructor: Hurix Digital

Included with Coursera Plus

Get in-depth knowledge of a subject
Intermediate level

Recommended experience

4 weeks to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Get in-depth knowledge of a subject
Intermediate level

Recommended experience

4 weeks to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Build complete accounting workflows from bookkeeping through financial analysis using QuickBooks, Excel, and AI automation tools

  • Design and implement automated processes that reduce manual work by 50-90% while ensuring compliance and audit readiness

  • Transform raw financial data into strategic insights using advanced analysis techniques and visualization tools

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Taught in English
Recently updated!

January 2026

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Specialization - 18 course series

What you'll learn

  • Understanding five audit evidence types builds the foundation for accurate financial statement assertions.

  • Standardized document naming turns audit prep into a smooth, repeatable process.

  • Digital control ensures transparent audit trails, boosting compliance and credibility.

  • Managing evidence year-round is more efficient than last-minute document collection.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Document Control
Category: Auditing
Category: Audit Working Papers
Category: Regulatory Requirements
Category: Document Management
Category: File Management
Category: Financial Auditing
Category: Accounting Records
Category: Compliance Auditing
Category: Organizational Skills

What you'll learn

  • The accounting equation (Assets = Liabilities + Equity) serves as the fundamental framework governing all financial transactions and equilibrium.

  • Double-entry bookkeeping provides systematic accuracy by requiring equal and opposite entries for every transaction, ensuring complete records.

  • Proper account classification within financial statements enables transparent communication of business performance to stakeholders for decisions.

  • Financial statement integrity depends on consistent application of accounting principles and systematic verification of all account balances.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Financial Reporting
Category: General Ledger
Category: Financial Statements
Category: Ledgers (Accounting)
Category: General Accounting
Category: Accounting Records
Category: Bookkeeping
Category: Record Keeping

What you'll learn

  • Double-entry bookkeeping keeps accounts balanced and prevents systematic errors in financial records.

  • Knowing normal account balances helps detect posting errors and maintain ledger accuracy.

  • Month-end adjustments ensure accurate accrual accounting and reflect true financial position.

  • Verifying total debits equal credits provides an error check to prevent fraud and miscalculations.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Month End Closing
Category: QuickBooks (Accounting Software)
Category: Accruals
Category: Ledgers (Accounting)
Category: Bookkeeping
Category: Accounting Software
Category: General Accounting
Category: Accrual Accounting
Category: Accounting Records
Category: General Ledger
Category: Reconciliation
Category: Accounting

What you'll learn

  • Data transformation is the foundation of reliable financial analysis - properly formatted and cleansed data ensures accurate reporting and decisions.

  • Advanced spreadsheet functions (SUMIFS, VLOOKUP, error handling) are essential tools for professional accounting work that scale across systems.

  • Pivot tables and variance analysis transform raw transactional data into strategic insights that drive business decisions and budget optimization.

  • Systematic approaches to data analysis create repeatable workflows that improve efficiency and reduce errors in routine accounting tasks.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Pivot Tables And Charts
Category: Data Transformation
Category: Descriptive Analytics
Category: Business Reporting
Category: Variance Analysis
Category: Microsoft Excel
Category: Financial Data
Category: Spreadsheet Software
Category: Data-Driven Decision-Making
Category: Data Manipulation
Category: Budget Management
Category: Trend Analysis
Category: Data Analysis
Category: Financial Analysis
Category: Financial Reporting
Category: Excel Formulas
Category: Data Cleansing

What you'll learn

  • Trial balance analysis ensures accuracy of financial records before statement preparation, forming the foundation for reliable reporting.

  • Detecting unusual balances and tracing discrepancies to sources prevents misstatements and upholds financial information credibility.

  • Budget variance analysis converts financial deviations into insights by identifying trends, assessing impact, and uncovering root causes.

  • Effective variance communication translates findings into clear business insights with quantified impact and actionable recommendations.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Variance Analysis
Category: Business Strategy
Category: Business Analysis
Category: Budgeting
Category: Financial Analysis
Category: Accounting
Category: Verification And Validation
Category: Financial Acumen
Category: Investigation
Category: Financial Auditing
Category: Business Communication
Category: Analysis
Category: Accounting Records
Category: Financial Data
Category: Reconciliation
Category: Financial Statements
Category: Auditing

What you'll learn

  • Systematic pre-audit analysis prevents costly compliance issues by identifying gaps before formal reviews begin.

  • Metadata-driven organization transforms document management from time-consuming searches into predictable, efficient processes.

  • Consistent application of indexing standards creates scalable systems that improve as your document volume grows.

  • Proactive record verification builds the foundation for audit confidence and operational efficiency.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Information Management
Category: QuickBooks (Accounting Software)
Category: Document Management
Category: Systems Design
Category: Compliance Auditing
Category: Record Keeping
Category: File Management
Category: Excel Formulas
Category: Organizational Skills
Category: Operational Efficiency
Category: Records Management
Category: Financial Auditing
Category: Verification And Validation
Category: Metadata Management
Category: Data Validation
Category: Microsoft Excel
Category: Information Architecture
Category: Auditing
Category: Accounting Records

What you'll learn

  • Evidence-based resolution ensures fair, documented outcomes that protect financial accuracy and customer trust.

  • Comparing claims with agreements and documents builds confidence in fair, data-backed dispute resolutions.

  • Automated billing reduces manual work and improves cash flow predictability and steady revenue collection.

  • Automated reminders prevent payment delays and support professional, consistent customer communication.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Billing Systems
Category: Invoicing
Category: QuickBooks (Accounting Software)
Category: Analysis
Category: Cash Flow Forecasting
Category: Claims Processing
Category: Customer Complaint Resolution
Category: Automation
Category: Email Automation
Category: Accounts Payable and Receivable
Category: Investigation
Category: Document Management
Category: Business Process Automation
Category: Billing
Category: Accounting
Category: Payment Processing and Collection
Category: Billing & Invoicing

What you'll learn

  • AI-powered OCR technology can eliminate up to 90% of manual invoice data entry while maintaining higher accuracy than human processing.

  • Successful OCR needs systematic validation to protect data integrity and catch extraction errors before entering accounting systems.

  • Platform selection must balance accuracy capabilities, format compatibility, and integration requirements with existing accounting workflows.

  • Automated invoice processing creates measurable ROI through reduced labor costs, faster payment cycles, and elimination of data entry errors.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Document Management

What you'll learn

  • AI automation requires human oversight and validation to ensure accuracy standards meet business requirements.

  • Effective anomaly detection analysis involves systematic comparison against historical patterns to distinguish irregularities from false positives.

  • ROI evaluation for automation systems must quantify both direct cost savings and indirect operational benefits to justify technology investments.

  • Successful AI implementation in accounting balances technological efficiency with professional judgment and quality control.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Accounting Software
Category: Reconciliation
Category: Business Workflow Analysis
Category: Operational Analysis
Category: Transaction Processing
Category: Artificial Intelligence
Category: Data-Driven Decision-Making
Category: Financial Auditing
Category: Process Analysis
Category: Fraud detection

What you'll learn

  • Understanding the five account types helps correctly classify and record all business transactions.

  • The accounting equation forms the base of accounting and must always stay balanced for every transaction.

  • Double-entry bookkeeping ensures accuracy by using a checks-and-balances system to detect errors.

  • Trial balances help verify correct ledger postings before preparing financial statements.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Bookkeeping
Category: QuickBooks (Accounting Software)
Category: General Accounting
Category: Accounting Systems
Category: Balancing (Ledger/Billing)
Category: Accounting Records
Category: Reconciliation
Category: Transaction Processing
Category: Verification And Validation
Category: Accounting
Category: General Ledger
Category: Accounting Software
Category: Ledgers (Accounting)

What you'll learn

  • Five core Excel functions (SUM, AVERAGE, IF, VLOOKUP, TEXT) are essential for accounting analysis and instant efficiency.

  • Data validation rules and formatting templates prevent errors at entry, which is far more efficient than fixing mistakes.

  • Reusable templates with validation and formatting create team consistency and reduce training time.

  • Conditional formatting turns static data into dynamic visual tools that surface critical information automatically.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Data Validation
Category: Data Quality
Category: Excel Formulas
Category: Accounting Records
Category: Spreadsheet Software
Category: Microsoft Excel
Category: Accounting and Finance Software
Category: Financial Analysis
Category: Data Maintenance

What you'll learn

  • Understanding cash float and minimum operating cash requirements is fundamental to preventing liquidity crises and maintaining business continuity.

  • Systematic cash flow forecasting using structured models enables proactive identification of potential shortfalls before they threaten operations.

  • Regular application of financial assumptions to forecasting models provides actionable insights that support strategic decision-making.

  • The ability to predict and highlight deficit periods transforms reactive cash management into proactive financial stewardship.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Cash Flow Forecasting
Category: Cash Flows
Category: Accounting and Finance Software
Category: Financial Modeling
Category: Cash Management
Category: Working Capital
Category: Financial Forecasting
Category: QuickBooks (Accounting Software)

What you'll learn

  • Legal compliance in invoicing requires systematic inclusion of specific mandatory data fields that protect both seller and buyer interests.

  • Spreadsheet automation through formulas eliminates calculation errors and significantly reduces invoice processing time.

  • Proper invoice templates with automated tax calculations create consistent, professional documentation that accelerates payment cycles.

  • Understanding the relationship between invoice compliance and business cash flow enables better financial management and audit readines.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Invoicing
Category: Spreadsheet Software
Category: Excel Formulas
Category: Accounting Records
Category: Microsoft Excel
Category: Automation
Category: Sales Tax
Category: Law, Regulation, and Compliance
Category: Payment Processing and Collection
Category: Tax Compliance
Category: Billing
Category: Billing & Invoicing
Category: Regulatory Requirements

What you'll learn

  • Visual process mapping is essential for exposing hidden inefficiencies and bottlenecks that impact organizational productivity.

  • Small, strategic process changes can deliver disproportionately large time savings and cost reductions across operations.

  • Quantitative measurement of process improvements provides credible evidence for scaling successful changes organization-wide.

  • Continuous process optimization mindset transforms routine work into opportunities for strategic value creation.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Performance Measurement
Category: Process Improvement
Category: Operational Efficiency
Category: Business Process
Category: Process Optimization
Category: Process Improvement and Optimization
Category: Process Flow Diagrams
Category: Business Process Modeling
Category: Business Workflow Analysis
Category: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Category: Workflow Management
Category: Process Analysis
Category: Process Mapping
Category: Business Process Improvement

What you'll learn

  • Maintaining complete audit trails through proper source document attachment is fundamental to financial accuracy and regulatory compliance.

  • Systematic reconciliation between subsidiary and control accounts prevents cumulative errors and ensures reliable financial reporting.

  • Diagnostic investigation using audit logs transforms error detection from reactive troubleshooting into proactive quality assurance.

  • Standardized workflows for documentation and reconciliation create sustainable processes that scale with business growth.

Skills you'll gain

Category: QuickBooks (Accounting Software)
Category: Reconciliation
Category: Standard Accounting Practices
Category: Accounting Systems
Category: Ledgers (Accounting)
Category: Workflow Management
Category: Audit Working Papers
Category: Accounts Receivable
Category: Bookkeeping
Category: Document Management
Category: Billing & Invoicing
Category: Data Integrity
Category: Accounts Payable and Receivable
Category: Auditing
Category: General Ledger
Category: Accounting Software
Category: Transaction Processing
Category: Accounts Payable
Category: Accounting Records
Category: Record Keeping

What you'll learn

  • Transaction codes are the foundation of efficient ERP navigation, serving as shortcuts that enable rapid access to essential financial functions

  • Systematic invoice entry ensures accurate, compliant records, reducing costly errors and protecting financial reports and vendor trust

  • Mastery of basic accounts payable processes creates a foundation for advanced financial system capabilities and career advancement.

  • Consistent application of standardized procedures reduces processing time and increases accuracy across high-volume transaction environments

Skills you'll gain

Category: SAP Applications
Category: Invoicing
Category: Transaction Processing
Category: Billing & Invoicing
Category: Accounting Records
Category: Payment Processing and Collection
Category: Accounting Systems
Category: Accounts Payable
Category: Enterprise Resource Planning
Category: General Ledger
Category: Accounting and Finance Software
Category: Data Entry
Category: Accounts Payable and Receivable

What you'll learn

  • Understanding data hierarchy is fundamental to all financial analysis – raw transactions form the building blocks of all financial reports and summar

  • Proper data structuring at the beginning of any analysis saves hours of rework and prevents costly errors in financial reporting.

  • Excel's import functionality is a powerful transformation tool that, when mastered, enables accountants to handle diverse data sources with confidenc

  • Professional table formatting in spreadsheets isn't just aesthetic – it enables critical functionalities like sorting, filtering, and automated calcu

Skills you'll gain

Category: Data Import/Export
Category: Data Transformation
Category: Microsoft Excel
Category: Performance Analysis
Category: Trend Analysis
Category: Financial Analysis
Category: Financial Reporting
Category: Financial Data
Category: Accounting Records
Category: Business Reporting
Category: Data Processing

What you'll learn

  • Documentation verification relies on systematic cross-checking of source records to confirm transaction validity and compliance.

  • Meaningful audit improvement comes from addressing root causes, not symptoms, to deliver sustainable corrective actions.

  • Process improvement must balance compliance needs with operational efficiency to generate long-term organizational value.

  • Clear action plans with timelines and ownership turn audit findings into measurable and lasting business improvements.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA)
Category: Document Management
Category: Financial Auditing
Category: Auditing
Category: Verification And Validation
Category: Financial Statement Analysis
Category: Compliance Auditing
Category: Financial Analysis
Category: Financial Controls
Category: Internal Controls
Category: Process Improvement
Category: Internal Auditing
Category: Audit Working Papers

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Instructor

Hurix Digital
Coursera
237 Courses 12,046 learners

Offered by

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