Blog
When reconciliations stall mid-quarter
A reconciliation that stalls in week two of the quarter rarely announces itself. The difference sits in a draft file. The owner plans to “look on Thursday.” Thursday becomes the week before close, and the difference has grown friends.
Make stalling expensive to ignore
In a quarter-close audit app, unresolved reconciling items should age in a queue the controller sees daily. If your tool only stores finished ties, you have a filing cabinet—not a control system.
Split “investigating” from “waiting on third party”
Many stalls are not analytical; they are waiting for a bank, a subsidiary, or a vendor. Label them that way. Investigation work can continue on other items while the wait is visible and dated.
Set a mid-quarter checkpoint
Pick a calendar date—often the 10th working day—where any difference above a materiality threshold must either clear or enter the exception queue with an owner and a next action. Soft intentions do not survive busy seasons.
Teams in our Reconcile & Release Clinic practise this checkpoint with their real balances (sanitised if needed). The goal is not zero differences mid-quarter; it is zero surprises at day −3.