Small System Slowdowns
Can Quietly Erode
Billable Time
A Technology Reliability Checklist
for accounting firms with 10–50 employees
Created by a former Internal IT Director
for a regional CPA firm
During deadline cycles
During deadline cycles
Even minor system slowdowns can compound.
A few seconds here.
A stalled remote session there.
A recurring application delay at the wrong moment.
When senior staff and partners are under pressure, small technology friction can quietly erode billable time and compress already tight timelines.
The issue is rarely dramatic failure.
It’s recurring instability that never fully gets resolved.
About David Quick
David Quick is the founder of Total Cover IT, helping firms like yours better leverage their technology, and is also the author of
Winning With Tech in the Age of AI, outlining a practical, business-first approach to technology leadership.
David spent about 17 years as IT Director of a growing regional CPA firm, supporting expansion from about 50 to over 80 employees.
He was responsible for:
Firm-wide technology design and modernization
Practice management, tax, audit, and workflow systems
Maintaining uptime during peak filing periods
Leading a full headquarters relocation with minimal disruption
He understands firsthand how technology reliability impacts workflow, deadlines, and partner confidence.
During deadline cycles
Even minor system slowdowns can compound.
A few seconds here.
A stalled remote session there.
A recurring application delay at the wrong moment.
When senior staff and partners are under pressure, small technology friction can quietly erode billable time and compress already tight timelines.
The issue is rarely dramatic failure.
It’s recurring instability that never fully gets resolved.
About David Quick
David is also the author of Winning With Tech in the Age of AI, outlining a practical, business-first approach to technology leadership.
David Quick spent 17 years as IT Director of a growing regional CPA firm, supporting expansion from 50 to over 80 employees.
He was responsible for:
Firm-wide technology design and modernization
Practice management, tax, audit, and workflow systems
Maintaining uptime during peak filing periods
Leading a full headquarters relocation with minimal disruption
He understands firsthand how technology reliability impacts workflow, deadlines, and partner confidence.
What's Inside
This checklist helps helps evaluate areas such as:
Core system responsiveness during tax season and other deadline-driven periods
Remote access performance and workflow continuity during peak demand
System stability, capacity, and resilience of critical platforms
Security, risk management, and staff readiness to respond to threats
Whether recurring friction, capacity gaps, or technology risks are being actively addressed or simply tolerated
What's Inside
This checklist helps helps evaluate areas such as:
Core system responsiveness during tax season and other deadline-driven periods
Remote access performance and workflow continuity during peak demand
System stability, capacity, and resilience of critical platforms
Security, risk management, and staff readiness to respond to threats
Whether recurring friction, capacity gaps, or technology risks are being actively addressed or simply tolerated
Most firms do not experience catastrophic outages.
But recurring slowdowns during deadline cycles can be just as costly over time.
If your firm has experienced lingering performance friction,
especially during busy periods, this checklist provides a clear starting point for evaluation.