Accounts Payable and Receivable Management Course

Lesson 1 • Roles and Responsibilities in AP and AR

Outlines the duties of AP clerks, AR specialists, and finance managers. Clarifies accountability at each process step.

Lesson 2 • The AP and AR Landscape

Defines AP and AR, their place in the balance sheet, and their interdependence. Establishes the vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Cash Flow and Business Health

Explains how AP and AR decisions directly influence liquidity and profitability. Introduces the concept of days payable outstanding and days sales outstanding.

Lesson 4 • The Financial Cycle Overview

Maps the procure-to-pay and order-to-cash cycles end to end. Connects each cycle stage to real business outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Payment Scheduling and Execution

Covers payment run preparation, approval, and execution across payment methods. Students learn to optimize payment timing to capture discounts and avoid penalties.

Lesson 2 • Purchase Order Creation and Management

Covers how purchase orders are initiated, approved, and tracked. Establishes the PO as the control document for all AP activity.

Lesson 3 • Vendor Account Reconciliation

Teaches how to reconcile vendor statements against internal records to identify gaps. Regular reconciliation reduces disputes and maintains vendor trust.

Lesson 4 • Coding and General Ledger Allocation

Explains how to assign correct expense codes and cost centers to each invoice. Proper coding ensures accurate financial reporting.

Lesson 1 • Cash Application and Payment Posting

Teaches how to match incoming payments to open invoices and post them correctly. Accurate cash application keeps AR aging reports reliable.

Lesson 2 • Customer Master Data Management

Establishes how to create and maintain accurate customer records as the foundation of AR. Errors in master data cause billing failures and collection delays.

Lesson 3 • AR Aging Report Analysis

Introduces the AR aging report as the primary tool for monitoring outstanding balances. Students learn to read, interpret, and act on aging data.

Lesson 4 • Credit Memos and Adjustments

Explains when and how to issue credit memos, write-offs, and billing adjustments. Proper adjustment handling keeps customer balances accurate.

Lesson 1 • Credit Policy Design

Explains the components of a formal credit policy and how it guides AR decisions. A clear policy reduces inconsistent credit decisions across the team.

Lesson 2 • Credit Limit Monitoring and Review

Teaches how to monitor credit utilization and trigger timely limit reviews. Proactive monitoring prevents overexposure before problems escalate.

Lesson 3 • Managing High-Risk Accounts

Addresses strategies for customers showing payment deterioration or financial distress. Early intervention reduces bad debt write-offs.

Lesson 4 • Bad Debt Provisioning and Write-Offs

Explains how to calculate bad debt provisions and execute write-offs in compliance with accounting standards. Accurate provisioning reflects true receivable value.

Lesson 1 • Dispute Identification and Logging

Teaches how to capture, categorize, and assign disputes as soon as they arise. Fast dispute logging prevents aging balances from being misclassified.

Lesson 2 • Effective Collections Communication

Covers how to craft professional, firm, and legally sound collection messages. Tone and timing significantly affect payment response rates.

Lesson 3 • Collections Strategy and Workflow

Defines a tiered collections approach aligned with aging buckets and customer risk. A structured workflow ensures consistent follow-up and accountability.

Lesson 4 • Dispute Resolution Process

Explains the steps to investigate, validate, and resolve billing disputes with customers. Efficient resolution preserves cash flow and customer goodwill.

Lesson 1 • AR Fraud Schemes and Detection

Covers lapping, skimming, and fictitious credit memo fraud in AR. Early detection methods protect revenue integrity.

Lesson 2 • Control Framework Fundamentals

Introduces the concept of internal controls and their role in financial integrity. Connects control design to risk reduction in AP and AR.

Lesson 3 • AP Fraud Schemes and Detection

Identifies the most common AP fraud types—ghost vendors, duplicate payments, and kickbacks. Students learn red flags and detection techniques for each scheme.

Lesson 4 • Segregation of Duties

Explains how dividing responsibilities across roles prevents unauthorized transactions. Proper segregation is the single most effective fraud deterrent.

Lesson 1 • Core AP and AR Metrics

Defines the essential KPIs for measuring AP and AR performance. Metrics provide the objective basis for identifying improvement opportunities.

Lesson 2 • Dashboard Design and Visualization

Covers principles of effective financial dashboard design for AP and AR data. Visual clarity accelerates management response to emerging issues.

Lesson 3 • Building Operational Reports

Teaches how to structure recurring AP and AR reports for operational use. Well-designed reports reduce decision-making time and highlight exceptions.

Lesson 4 • Benchmarking and Trend Analysis

Explains how to compare performance against industry benchmarks and internal targets. Trend analysis reveals systemic issues before they become crises.

Lesson 1 • Vendor and Customer Relationship Strategy

Explains how strategic relationship management with vendors and customers improves financial outcomes. Strong relationships enable favorable terms and faster dispute resolution.

Lesson 2 • Process Mapping and Waste Identification

Teaches how to document current-state AP and AR processes and identify inefficiencies. Process maps expose redundancies, delays, and manual touchpoints ripe for improvement.

Lesson 3 • Building a Continuous Improvement Culture

Develops the leadership skills needed to sustain ongoing AP and AR improvement. A culture of continuous improvement prevents process regression after initial gains.

Lesson 4 • Working Capital Optimization

Connects AP and AR decisions to enterprise-level working capital management. Students learn to balance payment timing and collection speed for optimal liquidity.