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 — 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.