Manage the month-end close process with task sequencing, dependencies, and status tracking. Use when planning the close calendar, tracking close progress, identifying blockers, or sequencing close activities by day.
Manages month-end close processes with task sequencing, dependency tracking, and progress monitoring.
/plugin marketplace add lohasle/knowledge-work-plugins/plugin install finance@knowledge-work-pluginsThis skill inherits all available tools. When active, it can use any tool Claude has access to.
Important: This skill assists with close management workflows but does not provide financial advice. All close activities should be reviewed by qualified financial professionals.
Month-end close checklist, task sequencing and dependencies, status tracking, and common close activities organized by day.
Tasks are organized by what must complete before the next task can begin:
LEVEL 1 (No dependencies — can start immediately at T+1):
├── Cash receipts/disbursements recording
├── Bank statement retrieval
├── Payroll processing/accrual
├── Fixed asset depreciation run
├── Prepaid amortization
├── AP accrual preparation
└── Intercompany transaction posting
LEVEL 2 (Depends on Level 1 completion):
├── Bank reconciliation (needs: cash entries + bank statement)
├── Revenue recognition (needs: billing/delivery data finalized)
├── AR subledger reconciliation (needs: all revenue/cash entries)
├── AP subledger reconciliation (needs: all AP entries/accruals)
├── FX revaluation (needs: all foreign currency entries posted)
└── Remaining accrual JEs (needs: review of all source data)
LEVEL 3 (Depends on Level 2 completion):
├── All balance sheet reconciliations (needs: all JEs posted)
├── Intercompany reconciliation (needs: both sides posted)
├── Adjusting entries from reconciliations
└── Preliminary trial balance
LEVEL 4 (Depends on Level 3 completion):
├── Tax provision (needs: pre-tax income finalized)
├── Equity roll-forward
├── Consolidation and eliminations
├── Draft financial statements
└── Preliminary flux analysis
LEVEL 5 (Depends on Level 4 completion):
├── Management review
├── Final adjustments
├── Hard close / period lock
├── Financial reporting package
└── Forecast updates
The critical path determines the minimum close duration. Typical critical path:
Cash/AP/AR entries → Subledger reconciliations → Balance sheet recs →
Tax provision → Draft financials → Management review → Hard close
To shorten the close:
Track each close task with the following attributes:
| Task | Owner | Deadline | Status | Blocker | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Task name] | [Person/role] | [Day T+N] | Not Started / In Progress / Complete / Blocked | [If blocked, what's blocking] | [Any notes] |
During the close period, hold a brief (15-minute) daily standup:
| Metric | Definition | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Close duration | Business days from period end to hard close | Reduce over time |
| # of adjusting entries after soft close | Entries posted during management review | Minimize |
| # of late tasks | Tasks completed after their deadline | Zero |
| # of reconciliation exceptions | Reconciling items requiring investigation | Reduce over time |
| # of restatements / corrections | Errors found after close | Zero |
| Day | Key Activities | Responsible |
|---|---|---|
| T+1 | Cash entries, payroll, AP accruals, depreciation, prepaid amortization, intercompany posting | Staff accountants, payroll |
| T+2 | Revenue recognition, remaining accruals, subledger reconciliations (AR, AP, FA), FX revaluation | Revenue accountant, AP/AR, treasury |
| T+3 | Balance sheet reconciliations, intercompany reconciliation, eliminations, preliminary trial balance, preliminary flux | Accounting team, consolidation |
| T+4 | Tax provision, equity roll-forward, draft financial statements, detailed flux analysis, management review | Tax, controller, FP&A |
| T+5 | Final adjustments, hard close, period lock, reporting package distribution, forecast update, retrospective | Controller, FP&A, finance leadership |
For organizations targeting a faster close:
| Day | Key Activities |
|---|---|
| T+1 | All JEs posted (automated + manual), all subledger reconciliations, bank reconciliation, intercompany reconciliation, preliminary trial balance |
| T+2 | All balance sheet reconciliations, tax provision, consolidation, draft financial statements, flux analysis, management review |
| T+3 | Final adjustments, hard close, reporting package, forecast update |
Prerequisites for a 3-day close:
| Bottleneck | Root Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Late AP accruals | Waiting for department spend confirmation | Implement continuous accrual estimation; set cut-off deadlines |
| Manual journal entries | Recurring entries prepared manually each month | Automate standard recurring entries in the ERP |
| Slow reconciliations | Starting from scratch each month | Implement continuous/rolling reconciliation |
| Intercompany delays | Waiting for counterparty confirmation | Automate intercompany matching; set stricter deadlines |
| Management review changes | Large adjustments found during review | Improve preliminary review process; empower team to catch issues earlier |
| Missing supporting documents | Scrambling for documentation at close | Maintain documentation throughout the month |
After each close, ask:
Creating algorithmic art using p5.js with seeded randomness and interactive parameter exploration. Use this when users request creating art using code, generative art, algorithmic art, flow fields, or particle systems. Create original algorithmic art rather than copying existing artists' work to avoid copyright violations.
Applies Anthropic's official brand colors and typography to any sort of artifact that may benefit from having Anthropic's look-and-feel. Use it when brand colors or style guidelines, visual formatting, or company design standards apply.
Create beautiful visual art in .png and .pdf documents using design philosophy. You should use this skill when the user asks to create a poster, piece of art, design, or other static piece. Create original visual designs, never copying existing artists' work to avoid copyright violations.