Launch and run the close

Turn the close calendar into assigned, independently reviewed work.

5 stages · 1 approval

Roles and responsibilities

Admin Close Manager Accountant Senior Accountant System 1 Prepare the scopedcalendar CloseCalendars 2 Launch the periodchecklist ClosePeriods 3 Prepare theassigned work ClosingTasks 4 Review and resolveexceptions ClosingTasks 5 Assess periodreadiness ClosePeriods
  1. Step 2Launch the period checklist
    Close Status Heat-MapNotStarted
    Period CodeEntityStatusTarget Close Date
    In Progress
  2. Step 3Prepare the assigned work
    My Closing TasksNotStarted
    Task CodeClose PeriodNameCategory
    AR
  3. Step 5Assess period readiness
    Open Issues LogOpen
    Issue NumberClose PeriodSourceSeverity
    JEReview Rejected
Red diamonds require approval.Rows show responsibility for each step.Admin: assign this role during implementation.

Process steps

Follow the process from start to finish. Select a step to see who acts and what changes.

Prepare the scoped calendar

Admin and Controller / CFO agree the effective calendar, templates and role assignments for the entity. Close Manager verifies the ledger-period key and working dates. Validate the dependency graph before any task population is released. Preserve the configured holiday and timezone basis so the team can explain why a deadline falls on a particular day.

Responsible
Admin
Records
CloseCalendarsClosingTaskTemplatesClosingTaskDependencies
Effect
Validate the launch basis

Launch the period checklist

Close Manager opens ClosePeriods and snapshots the template definitions, required signer capacities and actual assignments. Stable period, revision and template keys make a repeated launch safe. Reject a missing owner or an out-of-scope template before publishing an incomplete checklist. The period moves from NotStarted to InProgress when its assigned work is available.

Responsible
Close Manager
Records
ClosePeriodsClosingTasks
Effect
Publish assigned close work

Prepare the assigned work

Accountant opens My Closing Tasks and prepares the supporting accounting work. Respect predecessor conditions before starting or completing dependent tasks. Record blockers with a reason and link the reconciliation, journal review or immutable evidence used. Submit the exact task revision for review; the owner cannot decide their own submitted work is independently complete.

Responsible
Accountant
Records
ClosingTasksTaskCommentsIssuesLog
Effect
Submit evidence for review
Approval required

Review and resolve exceptions

Senior Accountant reviews assigned submitted work independently and records completion against its revision. Close Manager follows blockers and overdue tasks. A required skip needs a documented policy basis and the additional Controller / CFO authorization; it cannot be used to bypass a mandatory accounting control. Preserve the earlier evidence and decision when a correction requires another review.

Responsible
Senior Accountant · for the assigned decision
Records
ClosingTasksIssuesLog
Effect
Record independent task review

Assess period readiness

Close Manager inspects the remaining reconciliations, journal reviews, variance explanations, control work and issues. Completion totals help navigate the population but do not replace its required decisions. Freeze the evidence manifest only after the current revision satisfies all prerequisites. Financial sign-off and actual ledger lock confirmation are the next process, with their own owners and outcomes.

Responsible
Close Manager
Records
ClosePeriodsIssuesLog
Effect
Prepare the final review basis
Approvals and exception handling

1 approval required in this process

  • Review and resolve exceptions Senior Accountant signs for the assigned decision · assess period readiness waitsClosingTasks, IssuesLog
  • Preserve the entityLedger-period key and exact evidence revision through every handoff. Reject stale or cross-scope requests at the action boundary, including direct API calls.
  • A human decision belongs to the assigned authenticated person. An agent can prepare permitted work but cannot impersonate a signer or satisfy independent review through a role label.
  • Retain rejected work, comments and earlier evidenceCorrections have their own revision and renewed decisions; they cannot erase the basis of an earlier approved close.
  • Retry requestsStable identities and verify uncertain connector outcomes before continuing. The owning ledger confirms actual posting, reversal, lock and reopening results.
  • Before releaseExercise the normal route, a returned submission, an unauthorized actor and a changed source revision. Reconcile the resulting evidence and confirm the unresolved item remains visible to the close manager.

When the process needs attention

  • reject Launch the period checklist

    Reject a missing owner or an out-of-scope template before publishing an incomplete checklist.

  • late Review and resolve exceptions

    Close Manager follows blockers and overdue tasks.

  • variance Assess period readiness

    Close Manager inspects the remaining reconciliations, journal reviews, variance explanations, control work and issues.

Records and postings

StageRecordsEffect
1 Prepare the scoped calendar CloseCalendarsClosingTaskTemplatesClosingTaskDependencies Validate the launch basis
2 Launch the period checklist ClosePeriodsClosingTasks Publish assigned close work
3 Prepare the assigned work ClosingTasksTaskCommentsIssuesLog Submit evidence for review
4 Review and resolve exceptions ClosingTasksIssuesLog Record independent task review
5 Assess period readiness ClosePeriodsIssuesLog Prepare the final review basis
Data model →

Process reports

All reports

Close Cycle Time

Compare target and confirmed close dates by entity, with period-by-period trends.

Task Completion Burndown

Follow completed, submitted, blocked and remaining work, with drill-through to assignments and authorized exceptions.

Open Issues by Severity

Find unresolved close issues by severity, source, owner and age, with their actual blocking impact.

Run by an agent

Agent support

An agent cannot impersonate a preparer or reviewer, invent evidence, give management representations, bypass segregation rules or declare a ledger locked from an unconfirmed request. Required human decisions remain with their assigned identities. Accounting and the actual connector response determine posting, reversal and period-state outcomes.

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# Example after configuration $ curl -fsSL https://www.erp.ai/skill.md | paste into your agent › launch and run the close · prepare the scoped calendar on CloseCalendars, ClosingTaskTemplates, ClosingTaskDependencies ✓ Admin and Controller / CFO agree the effective calendar, templates and role assignments for the entity. › launch and run the close · launch the period checklist on ClosePeriods, ClosingTasks ✓ Close Manager opens ClosePeriods and snapshots the template definitions, required signer capacities and actual assignments. › launch and run the close · prepare the assigned work on ClosingTasks, TaskComments, IssuesLog ✓ Accountant opens My Closing Tasks and prepares the supporting accounting work. › launch and run the close · review and resolve exceptions on ClosingTasks, IssuesLog ⏸ approval for the assigned decision · waiting for the senior accountant # 1 more stage after approval: assess period readiness

Other processes

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