Transforming the Month-End Close Process

One of my recent projects involved a major challenge: cutting a company’s monthly accounting close cycle from 20 days down to just 3—and doing it in under 3 months to align with group-wide standards. Here’s how I made it happen:

- Identified all bottlenecks in the existing close process and created a plan to eliminate them - Documented the current process using flowcharts and narratives for full visibility - Redesigned workflows and procedures to match the new 3-day target - Hired and trained additional team members to fill critical gaps - Collaborated with external departments to align data delivery timelines with finance - Pre-closed areas like fixed assets, prepaid expenses, and deferred revenue when possible - Created a structured, step-by-step close calendar with assigned tasks and clear deadlines - Leveraged tech and automation to streamline and integrate wherever possible

The result? We hit the 3-day close target. But just as importantly, we built a system that’s sustainable, adaptable, and designed to evolve.

Close processes like this require constant attention and flexibility—but with the right foundation, it’s absolutely achievable.