The spreadsheet exists because the invoice could not explain itself. If the statement is complete, the spreadsheet becomes a copy, not the original.
The close checklist
- Every meter has a feed for the window
- Late events are either in or explicitly deferred
- Each stub recomputes
- Tax lines match the book
- A named person approves
Scrip prints steps 1–4. Step 5 is a name on the cover. Shared inboxes cannot sign.
What we refuse to automate
We will not auto-close because the calendar flipped. We will not email the customer a draft from a robot. We will not "nudge" a book that is missing a feed.
Those are product decisions dressed as growth. They do not belong on a billing desk.
After close
The period is read-only. New facts become correction stubs. That is slower than editing history. It is also how you keep a customer who has a controller.
