Close the month

Each month, replace the plan with what actually happened, explain the differences, and publish the result.

Close a month

First move in that month's actuals. Then, on the Review tab, finance presses Close Sep 2026, named for whichever month is next. Easel keeps the forecast as it stood, then replaces the month's planned amounts with the accepted actuals.

Explain the variances

Variances lists each line and department with its actual, budget and variance, marked favourable or unfavourable, and the prior forecast. Open a row to see:

• a draft explanation that cites the accepted rows; anything it cannot cite is marked as a hypothesis;
• the Accepted rows behind the actual: file, line, date, description, reference and amount;
• the explanation form.

The department, or finance, writes the explanation and presses Save explanation, then Confirm explanation.

Publish the review pack

Finance presses Start the Aug 2026 pack, named for the month you chose, records decisions and actions with an owner and a due date, and presses Publish pack. A published pack keeps its numbers, explanations and decisions. Everyone, viewers included, can download it with Download pack (HTML) or Download pack (CSV). It carries no individual pay detail. Finance marks actions done as they happen without changing the pack.