A practical brief for a reconciled, reviewable month-end workflow.
The question we would start with
We would ask which part of month-end makes you postpone a decision. A variance nobody can explain, a number that needs reconciling again, a report that arrives after the meeting. “Automate month-end” tells us too little about that pressure. We want to understand the work you need to trust and the person currently making it possible.
Respect the person behind the spreadsheet
There is usually someone who remembers why an account is mapped a particular way. We want them in the conversation. Their knowledge is part of the method we need to capture, and they should have a say in what a good output looks like.
Get the basis right
We would begin with one reporting period and an agreed source report. Confirm the currency, account mapping and sign conventions. Reconcile the figures before drafting an explanation. A polished paragraph does not make an unresolved number more useful.
Leave room for an honest gap
An increase in contractor costs is an observation. Explaining it as leave cover needs evidence. We want that distinction to be obvious in the output, so your team knows which questions remain open. Otherwise an AI summary can turn an assumption into something that sounds like management knowledge.
Make the next month the test
The handover matters to us. Your colleague should be able to run the next period, inspect the exceptions and explain a change. We would agree the template, checks and instructions in the scope, then practise with the person who will own them.
The question to take back
Which recurring month-end question deserves a reliable answer sooner? Who should accept that answer, and what would they need to see? Bring us that brief. We can choose the technology once we understand what useful work means for your business.