> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bizaxl.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Workflow Overview
> The complete end-to-end journey in CA Practice Management, from capturing a new prospect to closing a filed return.
Every client engagement in CA Practice Management follows the same path. This page traces that journey from first enquiry to final filing, showing which role performs each action and what happens automatically at each step.
## The complete journey at a glance
```
New Enquiry (CA Lead)
|
v
Qualified and Won (CA Lead: Won)
|
v
Client Engagement Created (CA Engagement: Active)
| Automatic: Statutory forms derived
| Automatic: Obligations generated for the period
|
+-----> Compliance Tasks -----> Document Request (auto-created)
|
+-----> GST Return Trackers
|
+-----> ROC Filings
|
v
Work Assigned to Staff
|
v
Documents Collected from Client
|
v
Filing Prepared (income tax / GST / TDS / ROC)
|
v
Review and Approval (Manager -> Partner -> Client)
|
v
Filed and Archived
| Automatic: Next obligation created in chain
v
Fees Billed to Client
```
## Step 1: Capture the enquiry as a lead
A prospect reaches out by phone, referral, or the firm's website. The CA Manager or CA Partner creates a **CA Lead** record.
The lead records:
* Contact details and entity type
* Which services the prospect is looking for
* The stage: **New**
* The lead source (referral, website, walk-in, etc.)
* A next follow-up date
CA Staff cannot create or delete leads. Only managers and partners manage the pipeline.
## Step 2: Qualify and advance through the pipeline
The lead moves through stages as the firm learns more and the prospect's intent becomes clearer:
**New** - First contact made\
**Contacted** - Call or meeting arranged\
**Qualified** - Scope and budget confirmed (BANT: Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline)\
**Proposal Sent** - Fee proposal sent to the prospect\
**Won** - Client has agreed to engage; conversion begins\
**Lost** - Prospect chose another firm or did not proceed (reason required)
The manager logs each touchpoint as a lead activity, keeping a dated history of every interaction.
## Step 3: Convert the won lead to an engagement
When a lead reaches **Won**, the CA Manager converts it. The system checks whether a CA Engagement already exists for the same PAN or GSTIN. If one exists, the lead links to it rather than creating a duplicate. If not, a new engagement is created automatically with the scoping details from the lead pre-filled.
The engagement captures:
* Client identity: PAN, GSTIN, CIN, DIN
* Entity type and engagement type (CA Only, CS Only, or Both)
* Fee structure: retainer amount, billing frequency, hourly rate
* Portal access: whether the client gets a portal login and which email address
* Preferred reminder channel: Email, WhatsApp, or SMS
## Step 4: Automatic obligation generation
As soon as an **Active** engagement is created, the system automatically:
1. **Derives applicable statutory forms** from the entity type and registrations. A Private Limited company with a GSTIN and TDS deductor flag gets a different set of forms from a Proprietorship with only a PAN.
2. **Generates the period's obligations**: a compliance task for each applicable periodic form, a GST Return Tracker for each GST return type, and ROC Filing records for upcoming annual filings, all with the correct statutory due dates.
3. **Creates a document request** for each compliance task, using the per-form checklist template, so the firm can immediately start collecting documents from the client.
A manager can also run **Generate Annual Package** from the engagement to back-fill a full financial year of obligations. Running this again never creates duplicates.
## Step 5: Assign work and collect documents
The CA Manager assigns compliance tasks to staff either manually or using the **Auto-Assign** function, which distributes tasks using the form-specific default assignee or round-robin across CA Staff and CS Executive role holders.
Meanwhile, the client receives a notification (email or WhatsApp) listing which documents the firm needs. The client uploads documents through their portal. As each document is received, the document request status rolls from **Open** to **Partially Received** to **Received** automatically.
Staff can check the **Command Centre** at any time to see all overdue and due-soon items across the entire firm.
## Step 6: Prepare the filing
Depending on the compliance type, the preparation work follows a different path:
**Income Tax (ITR):**
The CA Staff opens the income tax computation, enters all income details (salary, house property, business, capital gains, other sources), deductions, and advance tax paid. The system computes the tax, compares old vs new regime, and calculates net payable or refund.
**GST Return:**
CA Staff imports the sales and purchase data, matches ITC against GSTR-2B, resolves mismatches, and prepares the GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B data for the period.
**TDS Return:**
CA Staff creates the TDS return for the quarter, enters deductee lines and challan details, and validates that TDS deducted matches challans deposited.
**ROC Filing:**
CS Executive prepares the required form (AOC-4, MGT-7, etc.) and attaches supporting documents.
## Step 7: Review and approval workflow
Each filing type has a defined workflow with role-gated steps. No one can skip a step.
### Compliance Task workflow
| Step | Action | Role |
| ---- | ----------------------------------------------- | ---------- |
| 1 | Start Work: task moves to In Progress | CA Staff |
| 2 | Submit for Review: task moves to Review Pending | CA Staff |
| 3 | Mark as Filed or Reject back to In Progress | CA Manager |
### GST Return workflow
| Step | Action | Role |
| ---- | ------------------------------------------- | ---------- |
| 1 | Prepare Data: return moves to Data Prepared | CA Staff |
| 2 | Submit for Review | CA Manager |
| 3 | Approve or Reject | CA Partner |
| 4 | File: return moves to Filed | CA Manager |
| 5 | Archive (optional) | CA Manager |
### ROC Filing workflow
| Step | Action | Role |
| ---- | ---------------------------------- | ---------- |
| 1 | Draft: filing moves to Drafted | CA Staff |
| 2 | Submit for Review | CA Manager |
| 3 | Send for Client Approval or Reject | CA Partner |
| 4 | File | CA Manager |
| 5 | Record SRN: moves to SRN Received | CA Manager |
### Income Tax (client approval track)
Income tax computations have a parallel approval track alongside the preparation status:
1. CA Staff prepares and saves the computation (status: Draft)
2. System recomputes (status: Computed)
3. Manager requests client approval (approval status: Pending Client Approval)
4. Client reviews and e-approves via the portal (approval status: Approved)
5. Manager files the ITR (status: Filed); a filing record is created with the acknowledgement number
## Step 8: Automatic chaining to the next obligation
When any obligation is filed, the system automatically creates the next obligation in the chain:
* Filing GSTR-1 creates the GSTR-2B follow-up task
* Filing GSTR-3B creates the next month's GSTR-3B
* Filing 26Q creates the Form 16A issuance task
* Filing AOC-4 triggers the MGT-7 reminder
This ensures no obligation falls through the cracks between filings.
## Step 9: Reminders and escalation
Throughout the workflow, two automated engines run daily in the background:
**Reminder Engine:** Sends the client a reminder at T-7 days, T-3 days, T-1 day, the due date, and then weekly once overdue. The reminder goes via the client's preferred channel (WhatsApp, SMS, or Email) with an in-app notification as a fallback. Each reminder is logged to prevent duplicates.
**Escalation Engine:** If an obligation is more than 7 days overdue with no action, the system creates a high-priority to-do for the first available CA Partner or CA Manager so they can intervene.
## Step 10: Bill the client
After filing, the CA Manager runs the billing engine. For retainer clients, a monthly or quarterly invoice is generated automatically on schedule. Billable time logs accumulated during the month are added as line items. The draft invoice goes to the CA Partner for review, who then submits it.
The client sees the invoice in their portal and can pay online if a payment gateway is configured.
## Role summary
| Role | Key actions in the workflow |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **CA Partner** | Approves GST returns, minutes, and secretarial reports; fires the final approval; views firm-level analytics |
| **CA Manager** | Assigns work, submits for review, generates obligations, converts leads, runs billing, files returns |
| **CA Staff** | Prepares all filings, logs time, creates and updates compliance tasks, manages document requests |
| **CS Executive** | Handles ROC filings, board meetings, secretarial audits, and statutory registers |
| **CA Client** | Uploads documents, e-approves the ITR, views filings and notices, pays invoices |