The month-end that took eleven minutes.

Eleven minutes, timed honestly

The firm in question runs fourteen clients on even. On the last working day of June, one partner sat down with a coffee, opened the review queue, and closed the month for their largest client in eleven minutes. Not because they hurried, but because there was almost nothing left to do.

Every transaction had already been captured, coded and matched as it happened. What remained was judgement: three exceptions even had flagged, each with its reasoning attached. Approve, approve, reclassify. Done.

Where the time actually went

Eight of the eleven minutes were spent reading the reasoning logs, not because they were unclear, but because trust is earned by checking. By month three, most firms tell us they spot-check instead.