CFO AI Close Kit

CFO AI CLOSE KIT: THE 7 MINUTE MONTHLY CLOSE WORKFLOW

What "7 minutes" means: the Claude run itself, prompts 02 to 10, once your exports are in the
folder and coa_map.csv exists. Your first run on last month's files will take longer (budget an
afternoon). Building the export routine is a one time setup, not a monthly cost.

THE WORKFLOW (5 layers)
1. Data sources (your systems): GL trial balance, CRM pipeline, payroll register, bank feed,
   prior board pack.
2. Connection layer: scheduled exports (CSV) or read only connections. One dated folder per
   close. Nothing in this workflow writes back to a source system.
3. Claude does the work in a private Claude Project you own named Close Desk:
   ingest (02) > reconcile (03) > variance (04) > commentary (05) > summary (06) > cutoff (07)
   > integrity (08) > gate (09). Every figure cites a source file and row.
4. Board deck: prompt 10 writes the deck as markdown; Gamma turns it into slides and a PDF.
5. Human sign off: the controller signs before anything leaves finance. Prompt 09 refuses to
   pass a pack whose numbers do not tie.

DATA CONNECTION GUIDE
A. Start here (no code, works on every system). On close day 3 export these into one folder,
   for example close-2026-09/, then upload the folder to the Close Desk Project:
     gl_tb.csv          trial balance, prior and current month columns
     bank_feed.csv      bank statement lines for the month, with opening and closing balance
     crm_pipeline.csv   deals booked in the month (HubSpot or Salesforce export)
     payroll.csv        payroll register total for the month
     coa_map.csv        your chart of accounts mapped to board lines (build once, keep it)
     prior_board.pdf    optional, last month's board pack
   gl_detail.csv      transaction listing for every account that moved more than your
                      materiality vs last month (without it, prompt 04 marks the move
                      UNEXPLAINED and the gate blocks, which is correct but slow)
   Optional, so prompt 07 can test cutoff: an invoice listing and a prepaid schedule.
B. Connect Claude to your systems directly (when you are ready). In claude.ai go to
   Customize > Connectors, click the + next to Connectors, find your system, click Connect
   and sign in. On Team and Enterprise an Owner must enable the connector first. Check the
   directory for your ERP, CRM and bank before you assume one exists; if yours is not listed,
   stay on path A. Our QuickBooks and NetSuite setup guides are in the library.
C. Automate the exports (week 2 onward). A scheduled export or a small job (Python, Make or
   Zapier) drops the files into the dated folder on close day 3 and pings the controller.
   Use read only credentials on a separate service account.

WORKFLOW BLUEPRINT
Week 0  Manual exports > Close Desk > gate > paste prompt 10 into Gamma.
Week 1  Scheduled export into the dated folder.
Week 2  Controller runs prompts 02 to 10 on the fresh folder. Gate must PASS.
Week 3  Gamma deck from the gate approved markdown, house theme, PDF for the board.
Week 4  Version coa_map.csv. Log every gate BLOCK in a sheet. Name the signer on every run.

BOARD DECK TEMPLATE (6 slides, what prompt 10 fills)
1 Title: Monthly close, {{PERIOD}}, {{ENTITY}}
2 KPI row (5): cash, revenue, gross margin, DSO (AR / month revenue x days in month), operating expenses
3 Variance bridge: top 5 account moves, driver named
4 Executive summary (prompt 06)
5 Watch list: 2 or 3 items for next month (prompt 05)
6 Source appendix: the file behind every headline number
To make it in Gamma: connect Gamma once (Customize > Connectors > + > Gamma > Connect, it
uses your own Gamma credits), then ask Claude to create a presentation from prompt 10's output
with text preserved and one card per --- divider. No Gamma? Paste prompt 10 into gamma.app.

ROLLOUT PLAN
Day 1  Create the Close Desk Project. Paste the house rules from "How to use" into its
       instructions.
Day 2  Run prompts 01 to 10 on LAST month's files. Time it. Note every export that broke.
Day 3  Fix coa_map.csv. Re-run 02.
Day 4  Full run. Fix every BLOCK the gate throws, or name who owns the fix.
Day 5  First Gamma deck from gate approved output. Controller signs.
Week 2 Automate the export drop. Week 3 first live close with the gate enforced.
Week 4 Look back: hours saved, blocks caught, one process fix.

WHAT A BLOCK LOOKS LIKE (prompt 09)
Open period: a transaction dated after month end is in the files > BLOCK "Period not closed".
Source disagreement: GL subscription revenue does not equal the CRM booked total > BLOCK
naming both files. Unexplained variance: a material move with no driver in the files > BLOCK
"Account 6400 UNEXPLAINED". A BLOCK is the kit working, not failing.

WHAT STAYS HUMAN: signing the pack, accrual and estimate judgment, which variances the board
sees, access control and audit trail, multi entity consolidation logic.

<role>
You are the setup router for a CFO monthly close desk. You configure the engagement. You do not analyze until I have answered every question.
</role>

<advisor_board>
Hold these personas for every later prompt:
- Controller who owns the close and sign-off
- FP&A lead who owns variance and the board narrative
- Systems accountant who knows where each export lives
- Internal audit senior who demands source citations
- CFO who reads the executive summary only if the gate passed
</advisor_board>

<task>
Ask me these four blocks one at a time. Wait for my answers before the next block.

1. CLOSE TYPE
   A. Single entity month-end close pack
   B. Multi-entity with intercompany (roll-up after entity close)
   C. Close pack plus board deck narrative only
   D. Dry run on last month's files to test the workflow

2. DATA SOURCE (use the data source from prompt 01 in every later prompt)
   A. Uploaded into this Claude Project knowledge (CSV folder)
   B. Pasted raw into chat
   C. Claude Excel add-in on my open workbook
   D. Read-only API exports I dropped in a shared folder (describe which systems)
   E. Mix (specify per file)

3. TOKENS — capture and confirm:
   {{ENTITY}}, {{PERIOD}}, {{PRIOR_PERIOD}}, {{CURRENCY}}, {{MATERIALITY}}, {{CONTROLLER_NAME}}, {{CLOSE_FOLDER_PATH}}

4. OUTPUT BAR — confirm you will hold: every headline number cites its source file ({{SOURCE_FILE}} means that file name, not a token I fill) and line or row, assumptions labeled ASSUMPTION, gate prompt 09 must PASS before prompt 10 runs, {{CONTROLLER_NAME}} signs before external share.
</task>

<output_format>
Restate my four answers, list tokens captured, confirm the output bar. Wait for me to say "go".
</output_format>

<constraints>Do not analyze, reconcile, or draft until I say go.</constraints>

<review_gate>Stop until I confirm setup.</review_gate>

<role>You are the systems accountant loading the close folder.</role>
<task>
From the data source in prompt 01, inventory every file in {{CLOSE_FOLDER_PATH}}. Map GL accounts to the structure in coa_map.csv or the prior board pack. Flag accounts in GL missing from the map and map rows with no GL activity.
</task>
<output_format>
File inventory table: file name, row count, date range, status OK or STALE.
COA map gaps: unmapped GL accounts, unused map rows.
</output_format>
<constraints>Use only files I provided. Do not invent rows. Mask account numbers to last four digits.</constraints>
<review_gate>I confirm the inventory is complete before prompt 03.</review_gate>

<role>You are the controller reconciling sub-ledgers.</role>
<task>
Reconcile GL cash to bank_feed.csv. Tie revenue subtotal to crm_pipeline.csv where applicable. List matched pairs, unmatched bank lines, unmatched GL lines. Do not force uncertain matches.
</task>
<output_format>
Reconciliation summary with matched count, unmatched bank, unmatched GL, and dollar totals that foot on both sides.
</output_format>
<constraints>Use the data source from prompt 01. Respect {{MATERIALITY}}. Flag anything above threshold as OPEN.</constraints>
<review_gate>I confirm unmatched items are real reconciling items before prompt 04.</review_gate>

<role>You are the FP&A lead building the variance bridge for {{PERIOD}} vs {{PRIOR_PERIOD}}.</role>
<task>
For every account whose move vs {{PRIOR_PERIOD}} exceeds {{MATERIALITY}}, show prior, current, dollar change, percent change, and the specific journal or sub-ledger activity driving the move. Classify each as expected, timing, error, or board-worthy.
</task>
<output_format>
Variance table sorted by absolute dollar impact. Separate UNEXPLAINED section at bottom.
</output_format>
<constraints>Use the data source from prompt 01. No invented drivers. UNEXPLAINED is allowed, not guessed reasons.</constraints>
<review_gate>I confirm root causes before narrative drafting.</review_gate>

<role>You are the FP&A lead writing board-ready commentary.</role>
<task>
Turn the prompt 04 variance table into plain English commentary. One short paragraph per material move. Name the driver. Separate one-time from run-rate. Add a two-item watch list for next month.
</task>
<output_format>
200 to 350 words of commentary plus watch list. Under each paragraph, cite {{SOURCE_FILE}} and the supporting line.
</output_format>
<constraints>Run only after prompt 04 is confirmed. No adjectives the numbers do not earn.</constraints>
<review_gate>Controller reviews commentary against variance table.</review_gate>

<role>You are the CFO's ghostwriter for the opening page.</role>
<task>
Write a 120 to 180 word executive summary for {{PERIOD}}: what moved, why it matters strategically, and what decision the board should hold in mind. Lead with outcomes, not process.
</task>
<output_format>
Executive summary block ready to paste into Gamma slide 4. Three bullet KPI callouts below with sourced figures.
</output_format>
<constraints>Every KPI cites a source file. No forward guidance unless I provided it.</constraints>
<review_gate>CFO or delegate approves tone before deck assembly.</review_gate>

<role>You are a senior accountant testing cutoff and completeness.</role>
<task>
Scan {{PERIOD}} activity for cutoff risk: late-dated invoices, payroll accrual gaps, prepaid amortization missed. Propose adjusting entries with basis shown. Do not post.
This needs an invoice listing and a prepaid schedule. If either is not loaded, name the missing file, mark that part of the scan NOT RUN, and continue with what the files support. Never guess an accrual.
</task>
<output_format>
Accrual proposal table: entry, debit, credit, basis, status PROPOSED.
</output_format>
<constraints>Use the data source from prompt 01. Label estimates ASSUMPTION.</constraints>
<review_gate>Controller approves entries before they are treated as final.</review_gate>

<role>You are the pre-gate reviewer.</role>
<task>
Before the hard gate, verify: trial balance debits equal credits, no transactions dated after {{PERIOD}} end in the working files, GL revenue on the lines the CRM covers agrees with the CRM booked total within {{MATERIALITY}} (revenue lines the CRM does not hold, such as services billed outside it, are checked against their own source, never against the CRM; if that source is not loaded, mark the row NOT RUN and name the file, it is not a FAIL), payroll period matches {{PERIOD}}.
</task>
<output_format>
Checklist with PASS or FAIL per row and the exact dollar gap on any FAIL.
</output_format>
<constraints>Stop at first material FAIL and name the conflicting files.</constraints>
<review_gate>Fix FAIL items before prompt 09. If a FAIL cannot be fixed from the files loaded, name the document that would fix it and who usually owns it (for example "marketing invoice detail, AP lead"), then stop. Do not invent a fix.</review_gate>

<role>You are an independent gate. Your only job is to BLOCK bad packs.</role>
<task>
Re-run integrity checks. Confirm: TB balances, prompt 08 PASS, zero UNEXPLAINED variances above {{MATERIALITY}}, every commentary claim traces to prompt 04, period is closed (closed means no transaction dated after {{PERIOD}} end in the files AND {{CONTROLLER_NAME}} has confirmed the period is locked in the ledger; if that confirmation is missing, ask for it once). Return PASS or BLOCK with the exact reason.
</task>
<output_format>
Line 1: PASS or BLOCK
If BLOCK: name the failing check, the files involved, and the dollar or logic gap.
If PASS: "Clear for Gamma handoff. Awaiting {{CONTROLLER_NAME}} sign-off."
</output_format>
<constraints>Never return PASS if prompt 08 failed or UNEXPLAINED rows remain above materiality.</constraints>
<review_gate>Do not run prompt 10 unless status is PASS.</review_gate>

<role>You are the deck producer formatting for Gamma paste-in.</role>
<task>
Only if prompt 09 returned PASS, assemble a Gamma-ready markdown pack with these sections separated by ---:
Title slide copy, KPI row (5 metrics), variance bridge (top 5 rows), executive summary, full commentary, watch list, source appendix (figure | file | location).
</task>
<output_format>
Markdown with --- between slide sections. Monospace-friendly numbers. No images.
</output_format>
<constraints>Do not run if prompt 09 was BLOCK. Every KPI in the appendix must appear above.</constraints>
<review_gate>Controller signs after pasting into Gamma and exporting PDF.</review_gate>

<role>You are the close operator capturing the run receipt.</role>
<task>
Summarize this close run: files used, checks passed, checks blocked (if any were fixed), count of sourced figures, count of ASSUMPTION labels, recommended fix for next month.
</task>
<output_format>
One page run log with timestamp, {{PERIOD}}, runtime estimate, and one process improvement.
</output_format>
<constraints>Factual only. No marketing language.</constraints>
<review_gate>File the log in {{CLOSE_FOLDER_PATH}}/output/.</review_gate>

<role>You are the controller closing the loop.</role>
<task>
From this run, produce a three-item prep list for next month's close: export fixes, map updates, and one automation candidate (API or scheduled job).
</task>
<output_format>
Numbered list with owner and due date placeholders.
</output_format>
<constraints>Ground each item in something that broke or slowed this run.</constraints>
<review_gate>Assign owners before archiving the folder.</review_gate>