How your month-end currently plays out

• How long does your typical month-end close take from period end to final consolidated statements? Options: Under 5 business days, 6 to 10 business days, 11 to 15 business days, More than 15 business days
• Walk me through the last close, who owned each major task and where handoffs took longest.
• How many legal entities do you close monthly, and how often do you change entity structure during the year? Options: 1-5, 6-20, 21-50, More than 50
• Which general ledger systems or primary ledgers hold the journals your team relies on during consolidation? Options: Single ledger across entities, Multiple ledgers, same vendor type, Multiple disparate ledgers, Subledger plus reporting spreadsheets
• Describe your chart of accounts approach for consolidation, including any rolling hierarchies or custom mappings that matter to your controller.
• When reconciliations run behind, who on your team gets escalated and what immediate actions do they take?
• Do you already have a target close window you want to hit, and if so which timeframe is your target? Options: 5 business days, 7 business days, 10 business days, Other/Undecided

Where your month-end routinely gets stuck

• What single reconciliation or sub-process, if it failed this month, would force you to miss your reporting deadline?
• How often do intercompany differences produce manual adjusting entries after your first consolidation run? Options: Every close, Most closes, Occasionally, Rarely/Never
• Who typically discovers intercompany mismatches, and how long does investigation plus adjustment take on average? Options: Controller, Group accounting lead, FP&A, Shared responsibility
• How many manual workarounds—spreadsheets, one-off journals, or shadow reports—are actively used during your close? Options: None, 1-3, 4-10, More than 10
• Tell me about a recent month when the close went badly, what caused the delay, and what you wish had been different.
• If we could eliminate your biggest reconciliation bottleneck, how quickly could finance commit budget for a pilot? Options: Immediately, Within 30 days, Within 60-90 days, Not this quarter

Intercompany, currency, and eliminations in practice

• Which intercompany elimination rules in your environment are non-standard enough that they require manual intervention today?
• List the currencies used across your entities and flag any that require daily revaluation at month-end.
• Who owns FX translation and revaluation entries, and do they post directly into the ledger or via exports? Options: Finance posts directly, Central treasury posts, Local entities post then central adjusts, External advisors assist
• How do you currently validate that intercompany eliminations produce the same consolidated balances your controller signs off on?
• Select the intercompany transaction types you process most often Options: Intercompany sales and purchases, Intercompany loans and interest, Cost allocations and recharges, Investment activity and dividends, Other
• What specific outcome from a mock close would cause your controller to approve moving to procurement immediately?

Risks that could stop a deployment

• Name the single data or regulatory risk that would make you halt a new close system rollout immediately.
• How clean and consistent is transactional data for the last 12 months, from fully reconciled to fragmented? Options: Fully reconciled with audit trail, Mostly reconciled with gaps, Patchy and needs remediation, Fragmented and inconsistent
• Who holds the ability to extract a full trial balance, intercompany subledger, and audit trail, and are they available for a multiweek migration? Options: Finance data owner and IT both available, Finance only, IT only, No clear owner identified
• Are there legal, audit, or privacy approvals required before granting read-only access to ledgers and subledgers? Options: Yes, several approvals, Yes, single approval, Not that we are aware of, Undecided
• If access to required extracts or approvals slips beyond the cutover window, what alternative timeline would you accept? Options: Delay by 2-4 weeks, Delay by 1-2 months, Delay by 2+ months, Cancel until approvals secured

The other paths you are weighing

• What would have to be true about your current approach for you to decide to stay with it rather than switch to an outside platform?
• Select the options you are actively evaluating right now Options: Your incumbent ERP financial module, Another cloud consolidation/vendor, Internal build or scripts, Consulting to optimize current process, Continue with spreadsheets, Other
• Has anyone on your team proposed solving this without a vendor, and if so what resource estimate did they provide?
• What single metric or demonstration from a pilot would make you cancel other evaluations and proceed with procurement this quarter?
• List the incumbent gaps most often cited by auditors or advisors when they recommend a change Options: Intercompany reconciliation failures, Lack of consolidated audit trail, Manual revenue recognition processes, Slow period close, Other

What we need from your team to move safely

• If your APIs or extracts cannot be made available in the first six weeks, what would stop the project?
• Do you have a named owner for data migration and an IT counterpart who can provide integration credentials? Options: Yes, named owners exist, Partially, one owner identified, No named owners yet, Unsure
• Identify the source systems that must be integrated for a first close and indicate whether APIs are available for each.
• Estimate the count of finance and IT staff who can be dedicated during migration weeks. Options: 0-2 people, 3-5 people, 6-10 people, More than 10 people
• If required compliance approvals add two months to the timeline, would you proceed, pause, or cancel? Options: Proceed with adjusted plan, Pause until approvals complete, Cancel the initiative, Undecided
• Who will be the named approver for data access and who is your primary integration contact?

The test that proves this is worth it

• If the pilot reduces reconciliation effort by less than 30 percent, what decision will your leadership likely make? Options: Proceed to limited deployment, Request more proof and extend pilot, Pause evaluations, Stop the initiative
• Name the measurable outcomes that must match your manual consolidated financials for the controller to sign off Options: Trial balance parity, Intercompany elimination parity, Reconciliation completeness, Consolidated P&L and balance sheet match, Close duration target met
• By when do you need a live system that compresses your close to meet board expectations? Options: Within 3 months, 3 to 6 months, 6 to 9 months, More than 9 months, Undecided
• If a mock close using your real chart of accounts matches your manual consolidated statements, who has the authority to sign a purchase order and how quickly can they do it?

If we prove parity, how fast can you move

• If the mock close proves parity, what internal steps remain before procurement can issue an order?
• Who are the stakeholders who must provide sign-off before deployment begins and where do you typically see resistance?
• How much budget has been allocated or pre-approved for this initiative this fiscal year? Options: No budget, Partial budget, Budget allocated, amount TBD, Budget fully allocated
• If the mock close shows parity and meets your close reduction target, will you commit to a pilot within this quarter? Options: Yes, commit this quarter, Yes, commit next quarter, Need further approvals, No
• What would make you pause after a successful pilot and what would you need to see to remove that pause?

• Solution Experience — Automated Close Using Your Chart of Accounts

• Confirm the current state and its cost
• You confirm the demonstrated workflow eliminates the manual spreadsheet rework on intercompany eliminations and reconciliations.
• Provide a full export of your chart of accounts and a file or diagram of entity relationships and intercompany rules.
• You confirm the consolidated financials produced in the sandbox match your manual consolidated output within an acceptable tolerance.
• Map your chart of accounts and entity relationships
• Provide a recent close run book and sample intercompany transaction volumes for the last closed month.
• You agree on the remaining evidence required to proceed to a mock close validation workshop.
• Run an end-to-end automated close using your data
• Load the provided chart of accounts and entity mappings into a sandbox, run a sample automated close, and deliver the reconciliation and consolidated financials report for review.
• Examine eliminations, multi-currency flows, and audit trail
• Identify the technical contact and provide integration endpoint details or access instructions for the general ledger integration.
• Validate fit with your needs

• Solution Experience — Automated Close Using Your Chart of Accounts
• Solution Experience Deck
• Solution Experience Brief

• meeting
• slides
• document

• Mock Close Workshop Setup and Data Validation
• Hands-on Mock Close Execution
• Reconciliation Exceptions and Adjustment Workshop
• Mock Close Sign-off and Procurement Readiness

• Confirm the procurement trigger checklist and the date when procurement may be initiated if conditions are satisfied.
• A prioritized list of exceptions with a documented root cause for each high and medium priority item.
• A decision for each exception: adjusting entry, configuration change, or process remediation, with a resolution deadline.
• An approval workflow defined for accounting adjustments and configuration changes that require controller and FP&A approval.
• Draft the adjusting journal entries and the exact mapping or rule changes required to remediate each exception.
• Document the approval path and collect any required evidence or supporting schedules for approvals.
• Schedule a short re-run window if needed after fixes are applied to verify remediation.
• Recap mock close deliverables and remediation status
• Named stakeholders either sign off on the mock close or provide conditional approvals with explicit conditions and deadlines.
• A published remediation backlog with deadlines for each outstanding item required before procurement.
• Clear procurement trigger conditions documented so deployment planning can proceed when met.
• Publish the signed mock close summary and acceptance record including evidence supporting each acceptance decision.
• Create the remediation backlog with deadlines and monitor checkpoints for conditional approvals.
• Confirm scope and success criteria for the mock close
• A finalized runbook and dataset that everyone accepts as the single source for the mock close execution.
• Confirmed account mappings and entity relationships with any data gaps listed and ranked for remediation.
• All intercompany elimination rules and FX inputs documented and approved for use in the mock close.
• Provide a sanitized, system-ready trial balance and mapping file for the mock close execution.
• Deliver the definitive intercompany pairing and elimination rules document and FX rate table for the period.
• Publish the agreed runbook with timeboxed steps and required evidence for each step.
• List any data gaps or transformation rules that must be applied before execution and set remediation deadlines.
• Runbook recap and roles confirmation
• A produced consolidated trial balance and financial statements generated by the platform for the test period.
• Complete log of all automated elimination and FX entries with timestamps and source evidence.
• An exception report listing reconciliations that failed to auto-match or required manual intervention.
• Export and archive the mock close package including trial balances, journal detail, elimination logs, FX rate history, and reconciliation reports.
• Produce an exceptions spreadsheet that includes transaction-level evidence and suggested categorization.
• Capture screenshots or system logs for any automated entry that the controller disputes for audit traceability.
• Prioritize exceptions by business impact
• Validate trial balance dataset and account mappings
• Root cause analysis for each high priority exception
• Review acceptance criteria against produced results
• Execute journal automation and intercompany eliminations
• Capture formal sign-offs or conditional approvals
• Execute multi-currency revaluation and translation processes
• Review intercompany rules, elimination logic, and FX inputs
• Decide adjustment or system change for each exception
• Run reconciliation automation and completeness checks
• Define approval path and timelines for adjustments
• Agree the remediation backlog and procurement trigger conditions
• Finalize mock close runbook and roles for the session
• Capture exceptions and interim consolidated trial balance

Environment and access

• List the environment names that will be in scope for cutover (production, pre-prod/test, sandbox). (so we can schedule migrations and validate access)
• Is production access available via a designated service account or will the seller need the buyer's security team to provision access? (so we can plan account creation and approvals) Options: Yes — service account exists and access is approved, Yes — service account exists but access approval is pending, No — buyer IT will provision temporary access during cutover, No — we need vendor assistance to coordinate access
• Which system categories require integrations for go‑live? Select all that apply. (so we can size integration work and owners) Options: ERP/GL, Subledger(s), Banking/payments, Payroll, Procurement/AP, Billing/AR, Data warehouse/BI

Data and configuration

• Has the final chart of accounts approach been decided for migration (use as-is, consolidated mapped chart, or hybrid)? (so we can lock field-mapping and reconciliation rules) Options: Yes — final chart approach approved, Partially — draft mapping exists, needs approval, No — mapping approach not decided
• Which data sets are required for the initial go‑live migration? Select all that apply. (so we can estimate scope and downtime) Options: Opening balances, Historical transactions (select months), Intercompany schedules and policies, Fixed assets and depreciation history, Subledger detail (AP/AR/Inventory), Tax/journal adjustments
• Who is the buyer's authoritative owner for entity relationships and intercompany rules (role or team)? (so we can validate eliminations and ownership of business rules)

People and ownership

• Who is the named deployment sponsor and the day‑to‑day deployment owner (name and role)? (so we have an escalation and approval path)
• Have owners been assigned for these workstreams? Select all assigned. (data migration, integrations, security/IT access, business validation, training/change management) Options: Data migration, Integrations, Security/IT access, Business validation (Controller/FP&A), Training / change management, No owners assigned yet

Timing and constraints

• What is the preferred cutover window for the first production close (dates or recurring blackout-free weekend)? (so we can align runbooks and staff availability)
• Are there blackout periods or regulatory filing dates that prohibit deployment activity? Select all that apply. (so we avoid prohibited windows) Options: Monthly close window (specific days each month), Quarter-end / year-end window, Statutory filing dates, No deployment restrictions
• Is there an approved mitigation and rollback plan in case migration data errors occur? (rollback, reconciliation checklist, and who signs the rollback) Options: Yes — mitigation and rollback plan approved, Draft plan exists, approval pending, No — mitigation/rollback plan not defined
• Has acceptance criteria for go‑live sign‑off been agreed (e.g., consolidated statements match manual within defined exceptions and named approvers)? (so we can close the deployment checklist) Options: Yes — acceptance criteria and approvers documented, Draft criteria exist, approver pending, No — acceptance criteria not yet defined

Environments & Endpoints

• Production instance name (enter the exact platform instance identifier used for production; e.g., 'prod-us-east-1')
• Production base URL (format: https://your-production-subdomain.example.com — enter the full URL the deployment will register and use)
• Deployment region (Default is US-East) Options: US-East (default), US-West, EU-Central, APAC-Southeast, Other

Authentication & Credential Handoff (non-secret identifiers only)

• Primary identity provider type for SSO (select one) Options: SAML-based IdP, OIDC-based IdP, No SSO / local auth only
• SSO entity ID or client ID (non-secret identifier from your IdP; format example: 'urn:example:entity' or 'client_id_abcdef')
• Credential handoff owner (role and contact — enter role, full name, and email; format: 'IT App Owner - First Last <email>')
• Approved secret exchange channel (select one; the platform will not collect secrets in this form; this determines how secrets are exchanged at kickoff) — default: your secrets manager Options: your secrets manager (preferred), secure file transfer (SFTP/PGP), enterprise password manager (vendor-managed), in-person/phone handoff at kickoff

Data Mappings & Currency

• Chart of Accounts source identifier (exact file or system identifier the deployment will read verbatim; e.g., 'GL_EXPORT_2026_v1')
• Canonical mapping file location (format guidance: S3 path 's3://bucket/path/file.csv', shared-drive UNC '\\share\path\file.csv', or HTTPS URL — enter the path the deployment will read)
• Default consolidation currency (ISO 3-letter code) — Default is USD Options: USD (default), EUR, GBP, JPY, Other (enter code in next field)
• If you selected 'Other' above, enter the 3-letter ISO currency code (leave blank if not applicable)

Feature Selection & Cutover

• Feature modules to enable for this deployment (select all that apply) Options: Core consolidation engine, Intercompany elimination engine, Multi-currency FX revaluation, Automated reconciliations, Close calendar & task automation
• Cutover start date (format YYYY-MM-DD — the runbook will use this as the production migration start)
• Named stakeholder for final go-live acceptance (enter role and full name exactly as will sign off; e.g., 'Controller - First Last')

• Receive signed Go-Live acceptance from Controller and FP&A lead confirming consolidated financial statements match the buyer's manual close
• Obtain IT/Integration sign-off confirming all integration endpoints operate successfully in production
• Confirm all in-scope account-level reconciliations are completed and reconciliation reports received
• Receive documented validation of intercompany eliminations and multi-entity consolidation results
• Verify final data migration snapshot and a tested rollback point are created and documented
• Obtain an approved runbook for any residual manual adjustments required during the initial live close
• Execute and document a production end-to-end mock close with named participants
• Confirm all Solution Scope acceptance criteria are marked complete with supporting evidence
• Obtain formal written authorization to proceed to Go-Live from the executive sponsor or steering committee