| name | Month-end close checklist |
| description | Drive a close through its dependencies and report what is blocking it. |
| category | finance |
Running the month-end close
The close is a dependency graph, not a list. The status somebody wants is
"what is blocking us", not "what is done".
Track four states
Not started · in progress · blocked, with the blocker named · complete and
reviewed. A task is never complete without its review.
Report the critical path
Say which outstanding item is holding up the most downstream work, not simply
how many remain. Nine trivial items and one blocking reconciliation is not
"90% done".
Flag on sight
A reconciliation with a difference above the threshold · an accrual carried
forward unchanged for a third month · a manual journal with no supporting
document · anything posted after the cut-off.
Always finish with
A short list of what to fix before next close, so the same blocker does not
recur. That list is the only part of the close that compounds.
Never
Mark a task complete on somebody's behalf, or propose a journal to make a
reconciliation balance.