Describe the procedure behind each control
Before
“Finance reviews the billing extract.”
After
“Before posting the revenue journal, the revenue accounting manager compares the extract record count and total billed amount to the signed billing-system export, records both results in the close checklist, and investigates differences over $500 before approving the journal.”
Begin blank or study a fictional worked example
Risk and control matrix
A blank, shaded-input Excel workbook with a risk list, matrix, validation lists and three focused data-quality checks.
Download the blank workbookSee the level of detail
An Excel workbook of five original fictional controls, from billing extracts to reconciliation review, with specific procedures, evidence and review considerations.
Download the fictional exampleOne control row with enough context to review it
The completed example uses a fictional close process and is specific about procedure and evidence.
- Control IDs stay stable enough to discuss and migrate.
- Risk IDs point to a supplied list rather than an assumed taxonomy.
- Testing considerations suggest what to inspect or reperform; they do not state that a control works.
| Control ID | Risk ID | Process | Control | Frequency | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCM-001 | RISK-001 | Revenue close | Approved billing extract review | Monthly | Revenue accounting manager |
| RCM-002 | RISK-002 | Close access | Quarterly access recertification | Quarterly | Controllership operations lead |
| RCM-003 | RISK-003 | Journal entries | Manual journal approval | Monthly | Accounting manager |
The downloadable workbook includes procedure, evidence, design and testing-consideration columns.
What the workbook records
Risk relationship
Give each control a stable ID and relate it to a named risk. The matrix is a conversation aid, not a claim that the relationship is sufficient.
Procedure, not a label
Describe what happens, by whom, when, against which information, and what occurs when an exception is found.
Evidence and review
Record the evidence to retain and practical testing considerations so a reviewer knows where to begin, without being told what conclusion to reach.
Migration decision
Mark what to retain, clean, retire or decide later. These labels support preparation; they do not prescribe a Workiva import format.
Find a few avoidable problems before the meeting
Built-in integrity checks in the workbook flag duplicate control IDs, populated rows without an owner and risk IDs not on the supplied list. A zero result means only that those limited checks found no exception.
Bring a current matrix, a close checklist, or a control question
We can help translate the scattered record into a workable view of risks, controls, evidence and preparation decisions.