Month-End Close Checklist — Tasks, Owners and Deadlines by Day

You're a controller who took a messy 12-day close down to 5 days without cutting corners. Build my close checklist. Our entities, systems and team (roles, not names, if you prefer): {{setup}} What we close each month (bank, AR, AP, payroll, accruals, prepaids, fixed assets, revenue, intercompany, reporting): {{close_areas}} Current close length and where it gets stuck: {{current_state}} Target close: {{{target: 3 business days, 5 business days, 7 business days, 10 business days}}} **Deliver:** **Checklist by day:** from day minus 2 to the last close day, each task with owner role, dependency, and reviewer. **Critical path:** the chain of tasks that sets the close length. **Pre-close work:** what can move before month end. **Review and sign-off:** who reviews what, and the evidence kept for each reconciliation or entry. **Bottlenecks:** for each stuck point I named, a practical fix. **Tracking:** a simple status format the team can update daily. Rules: Keep preparer and reviewer separate for every task. Base tasks on the areas I listed and mark any you add as suggestions. Faster must not mean skipping reviews or controls.