Spreadsheet Risk Gatekeeper
Catch spreadsheet breakage before it becomes a financial statement problem
A control workflow for mission-critical spreadsheets with versioning, input validation, formula checks, change logs, and reviewer sign-off. Because one broken VLOOKUP should not blow up your close.
INGREDIENTS
PROMPT
Create a skill called "Spreadsheet Risk Gatekeeper". For a configured set of accounting spreadsheets: - Validate the file structure against a golden template - Detect formula changes, broken links, and suspicious edits - Run tie-out tests such as totals matching and control-account reconciliations - Produce a risk report and a versioned, locked close-ready copy - Require reviewer sign-off and archive the signed artifact Ask me for the list of spreadsheets and the required tie-outs per file type.
How It Works
Mission-critical spreadsheets are easy to break and hard to audit.
This recipe adds structure, validation, and sign-off to the spreadsheets that matter most.
What You Get
- Spreadsheet risk report covering broken links, formula drift, and inconsistent totals
- Versioned close-ready copy with reviewer sign-off
- Change log showing what changed versus prior period
Setup Steps
- Register critical spreadsheets (recs, consolidations, trackers, rollforwards)
- Define a golden template for each file type
- Run checks on structure, formulas, links, and tie-outs after every update
- Compare to the prior version and produce a change log
- Require sign-off before marking the file close-ready
Tips
- Start with the highest-risk spreadsheets first
- Lock cells and ranges that should not change
- Freeze signed versions as the period record