In this volume · VOLUME 13
Workflows
Workflow Index Booking Lifecycle Workflow Refund Workflow Approval Workflows Period Close Workflow

Chapter 13.6 — Period Close Workflow

Context

The monthly period-close orchestration as a workflow visual. Text definition in Chapter 5.10. This chapter is the runbook view.

Roles

Role Involvement
Accountant Daily reconciliation; initiates soft-close
Senior Accountant Adjusting entries during soft-close
Controller Approves final close; triggers reports
Auditor Quarterly/annual review; locks
System Runs recognition, FX revaluation, ECL, snapshots

Pre-conditions

  • Calendar month operationally complete (last day of month passed).
  • All BSP files for periods ending in the month received.
  • All bank statements through month-end imported.
  • All gateway settlements through month-end imported.

Timeline

Typical May 2026 close timeline:

gantt title May 2026 Period Close dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD axisFormat %b %d section Operations Operational entries finalised :2026-05-31, 0d Final-day BSP file imported :2026-06-01, 1d section Daily recon (carried over) Final bank recon May 31 :2026-06-02, 2d section Recognition Period-end recognition run :2026-06-04, 1d FX revaluation run :2026-06-04, 1d ECL provision :2026-06-04, 1d section Pre-close Pre-close gate checklist :2026-06-05, 1d section Soft close Soft-close initiated :milestone, 2026-06-05, 0d Controller adjustments :2026-06-05, 3d section Close Final close approved :milestone, 2026-06-08, 0d Snapshots generated :2026-06-08, 1d section Lock (quarterly) Auditor review :2026-07-15, 5d Q1 LOCKED :milestone, 2026-07-20, 0d

Sequence — Soft-close to final close

sequenceDiagram autonumber actor A as Accountant (Maker) actor C as Controller (Checker) participant T as travoBooks participant R as Reports Engine participant DB as MySQL participant N as Notifications A->>T: Initiate Soft-Close (May 2026) T->>T: Pre-close gate evaluation Note over T: Checks: all bookings terminal, recon done, BSP imported, memos triaged, etc. alt Gate failed T-->>A: Return unsatisfied items A->>A: Resolve open items A->>T: Re-initiate end T->>DB: SET period_state = SoftClosed T->>N: Notify accountants Note over A,T: Adjusting entries window (3-10 days typical) A->>T: Post adjusting JEs (recognition, accruals, provisions) A->>T: FX revaluation A->>T: ECL update A->>T: Final intra-period adjustments A->>T: Initiate Final Close T->>T: Validate maker ≠ checker pending T->>C: Notify controller for approval C->>R: Pre-approve preview reports R-->>C: Trial Balance, P&L, BS, CF preview C->>T: Approve Final Close (with reason) T->>R: Generate final snapshots R->>R: Run TB; assert balanced alt TB unbalanced R-->>T: Block close T-->>C: Reject; show unbalanced accounts else TB balanced R->>DB: Save period_snapshots T->>DB: SET period_state = Closed T->>N: Notify all stakeholders end

Pre-close gate flowchart

flowchart TD A[Initiate Soft-Close] --> B{Bookings in DRAFT/HELD in period?} B -->|Yes| Z[Block — investigate] B -->|No| C{All ticketing TLs handled?} C -->|No| Z C -->|Yes| D{Bank recon complete?} D -->|No| Z D -->|Yes| E{BSP files imported?} E -->|No| Z E -->|Yes| F{Memos triaged?} F -->|No| Z F -->|Yes| G{Commission recon run?} G -->|No| Z G -->|Yes| H{Recognition run?} H -->|No| Z H -->|Yes| I{FX revaluation?} I -->|No| Z I -->|Yes| J{Disputes < threshold?} J -->|No| Z J -->|Yes| K{Trial balance balances?} K -->|No| Z K -->|Yes| L[Pass gate; SoftClose]

Adjusting entries during soft-close

Common adjusting entries posted between soft-close and final close:

Adjustment Why JE
Period-end recognition (catch-up) Recognition for bookings with service-date within period Dr 2031 / Cr 4011 etc.
FX revaluation IAS 21 closing rate Dr/Cr 4099/6099
ECL provision IFRS 9 / ASC 326 Dr 5031 / Cr 1109-AR-Loss
Memo provisions Disputed ADMs Dr 5045 / Cr 2099 Provisions
Override commission true-up Quarterly true-up Various
Accrued expenses Bills received post month-end Dr Expense / Cr 2001 AP
Prepaid expense amortisation Monthly slice Dr Expense / Cr 1141 Prepaid
Bank interest Posted by bank in subsequent statement Dr 1013 / Cr 7011

Snapshot generation

flowchart LR A[Final close approved] --> B[Read all JE in period] B --> C[Compute Trial Balance] C --> D[Build P&L] C --> E[Build Balance Sheet] C --> F[Build Cash Flow] D --> G[Format as PDF + structured data] E --> G F --> G G --> H[Save to period_snapshots table + S3] H --> I[Attach to period record] I --> J[Available in reports forever; immutable]

Snapshots are immutable. A request to re-generate produces the same output (post-close period has frozen ledger). If output differs → the ledger changed → triggers data-integrity investigation.

Year-end close addendum

Additional steps at year-end:

flowchart TD A[December close steps] --> B[Standard month-close steps] B --> C[Final year accruals — annual bonus, full-year tax provision] C --> D[Override commission annual true-up] D --> E[Year-end FX revaluation] E --> F[Closing entries: P&L → Retained Earnings] F --> G[Generate annual statements with comparatives] G --> H[Audit pack export] H --> I[Lock January when audit completes]

Reopen workflow

sequenceDiagram actor A as Accountant actor C as Controller participant T as travoBooks A->>T: Reopen request (period, justification, impact) T->>C: Notify approver C->>T: Approve (with reason) T->>T: SET period_state = SoftClosed A->>T: Post adjustment (flagged is_post_close_adjustment) A->>T: Re-initiate close T->>C: Re-approve C->>T: Approve T->>T: New snapshot generated; replaces prior (prior retained in history) T->>T: SET period_state = Closed

Strong preference: post in current period with disclosure instead of reopening. The reopen path is high-friction by design.

Outcomes

Final state Meaning
Closed Standard outcome — month done
Locked After audit sign-off
Reopened → Closed Adjustment made; re-closed

Failure modes & resolution

Failure Resolution
Pre-close gate keeps failing Operations triages unsatisfied items; daily; usually completed within 5 business days
TB doesn't balance at final Critical — engineering investigation; usually a recent migration or rare race condition; period stays SoftClosed
Snapshot reports show unexpected variance Drill into JE detail; usually a reclass adjustment needed; redo
Approver unavailable past SLA Delegate or escalate per Chapter 13.5

Cross-references

  • Chapter 5.10 — Period Close (text)
  • Chapter 5.5 — Reconciliation
  • Chapter 5.7 — Deferred Revenue
  • Chapter 13.5 — Approvals
  • Chapter 6.1 — Financial Reports