One close model
Five departmental files landed in one structured workbook.
Excel case study
Month-end close rebuilt in Excel
Dummy manufacturer: a three-day close became a same-week pack their analysts still run.
3 days → 6 hrs
Close time
5 → 1
Workbooks merged
3 weeks
Sprint length
12 months
Still running
The story
What the client was facing
Five plants emailed CSV files. A finance owner pasted them into a master workbook over a long weekend. Links broke when a sheet was renamed. The board pack slipped whenever one plant was late.
How our services saved time and cost
The dummy result: close time moved from three days to about six hours. They stopped paying Saturday overtime and stopped a second contractor who only existed to repair broken links after each close.
How we automated the process
Excel services: one structured close model, named input tables per plant, and variance checks before the pack went out. Documentation showed where to add a new entity. The team still runs the file a year later.
What you get
What we delivered
Sample delivery list for a close-rebuild story.
Named inputs
Each owner updates a table, not a hidden range.
Variance checks
Dummy rules flag a missing cost centre before the pack goes out.
Pack tabs
P&L, cash, and commentary the MD already expected.
Handover notes
Where to add a new entity without breaking the consolidate.
Support window
Two close cycles of fixes after go-live.
Why this engagement
The challenge
Dummy finance pain points — edit to match a real close.
Five files, one email
Dummy plants emailed CSVs that someone pasted by hand.
Weekend overtime
The close owner worked Saturday whenever a plant was late.
Broken links
A renamed sheet killed the board pack twice in a quarter.
No owner map
Nobody knew which tab was source of truth.
Audit questions
They needed a trail, not another hero spreadsheet.
Team of two
The rebuild had to be something two analysts could run.
How we work
How the engagement ran
Written plan first. Working files every week.
Discover
Mapped the outcome, sources, and who would own the file after handover.
Propose
A written plan, timeline, and price before any build started.
Build
Short sprints with working files the client could review weekly.
Test
Real close / reporting scenarios with the people who run the process.
Handover
Documentation, a walkthrough, and access their team kept.
Support
A defined window for fixes as the data or team changed.
Client stories
What clients say
Month-end dropped from three days to a few hours. The model is still running without them.
Five people can update it without breaking formulas.
Handover our analysts used on day one.
Help centre
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this dummy data?
Yes. Replace names and timings in WP Admin before you share it.
Could this be a live Excel service?
The matching service page is /services/excel/. This page is the story format.
How long would a real rebuild take?
Most close work in our dummy timeline is 2–4 weeks after a written brief.
Do you keep a copy?
In a real engagement the client owns the file. This sample assumes the same.
Have a close that still lives in five inboxes?
Describe the pack. We will say if a rebuild, a macro, or training is the right next step.
Contact us