An eighteen-day close leaves three days for the report
I fix the architecture and the integrations first and automate second, so the days a close eats go back to the report and what it says.
Who it is for
Finance teams and owners whose close takes too many days, and who want it faster without looser control.
What I do
- Map the close. I write down every step, who does it, how long it waits and how many systems it touches, so you can see where the days go.
- Fix the architecture first. I check whether the stack is right before adding anything on top: how many systems are in play, and whether a few can integrate natively without manual glue.
- Then automate the repetitive steps. Reconciliations and routine reporting first, built with AI in your own tools. Every automated step has a check and a named person who signs off.
- Hand it over documented. Your team can read, run and change what I build.
This is not bookkeeping, and I do not take over your transactions. The point of a faster close is the three days it gives back to the report and the insight in it.
An illustration I see often
A close of eighteen working days: ten on manual entry into the accounting system, five rebuilding the numbers in Excel, and three left for the report and the insight in it.
Do not paint a broken house
Renovate it first, then paint it. Adding agents on top of a stack that is out of sync only automates the errors. The order is architecture and integration first, automation and AI second.
How it works
I automate one step at a time, starting where it saves the most, and I stay until your team runs it without me. Alfen Consulting itself is the live reference: its own close runs on the same approach.
Questions I often get
How long should a month-end close take?
It depends on size and systems, so there is no single right number. The useful measure is your own: working days from month-end to a report you trust, tracked month by month.
Can AI be used in the close without losing control?
Yes, if every automated step has a defined check and a named person who signs off. The speed comes from automating the repetitive steps, not from dropping the controls.