Orchestrating Period-End Across Processes

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Cross-process close orchestration checklist

• Inventory every task: owner, system step (program and variant), duration, predecessors, evidence.
• Families: logistics (cut-off, inventory, billing, materials period), controlling (allocations to settlement), finance (invoices to statements).
• Draw the dependency chart; find the critical path; it sets the shortest possible close.
• Improve only on the path; never break a real dependency to save time.
• Model: template → task list per period → tasks with dependencies → execution records.
• Tools: Financial Closing cockpit in S/4HANA; SAP Advanced Financial Closing across systems. Confirm edition and license.
• Mock close: real owners, real calendar, production-like data, reconciliations as tasks.
• Log every issue by type: authorization, configuration, data, dependency, performance, knowledge.
• Sign-off: complete, in order, reconciled, reviewed, within target, issues owned.
• Scorecard each cycle; new entities (Wave 2, 1910) get their own mock close.