Field notes
Month-end close for teams of twelve
In a twelve-person firm, month-end rarely has a dedicated finance floor. The same person who reconciles the bank may also greet clients or chase purchase orders.
Protect two half-days on the calendar and treat them as seriously as a client visit. Move non-urgent admin off those blocks before the month begins.
Sequence matters: bank reconciliation before revenue cut-off checks; payroll journals before owner drawings; accruals only after supplier invoices are in.
Write the sequence on one page with names beside each step. When someone is away, the next person should not invent a new order from memory.
Ribbon Core Advisory’s month-end reset work usually ends with that single page pinned near the desk — not a thick procedures manual nobody opens.