Why the distinction matters
A close that only the preparer understands is a close that stops the moment the preparer is unavailable. Reviewability is what turns a monthly ritual into an operating rhythm; it is also the difference between a book that supports a diligence request and one that becomes the diligence request.
The four properties of a reviewable close
Every reviewable close carries these four properties, in this order.
- Source coverage: every material account has a documented source (bank, card, processor, payroll, invoicing) that a reviewer can trace without asking.
- Reconciliation evidence: each reconciliation is retained with its statement, not just a checkbox on a task list.
- Named exceptions: every unresolved item has an owner, a proposed treatment, and a review timing, before the close is called complete.
- A defined deliverable: the pack that goes out at the end is the same shape every month, so a reviewer can compare periods without translation.
Records to retain
Reconciliations, exception log, sign-off record, and the reporting pack itself. Everything else is workpaper that can be regenerated; those four cannot.
What breaks it
Undocumented adjustments, exceptions that carry forward without an owner, and reporting formats that shift month to month. Each one erodes a reviewer's ability to trust the period without redoing the work.
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