GETTING STARTED
The month-end close
The default Converge HCA close calendar, the gate each step must pass and the controls behind the period lock.
The default close calendar
The calendar is configurable for each company. By default:
| Day | Step | Gate to pass |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | Field data entered and validated; provisional allocation | No open critical exception older than 24 hours |
| M+1 | Month-end gauges, last tickets, provings | Every measurement point has a closing reading |
| M+2 | Gas analyses and heating values; meter-factor review | Meter-factor deviations resolved |
| M+3 | Final allocation run; factor band review | Factors inside the band, or explained |
| M+4 | Reconciliations | Differences under materiality, or explained with evidence |
| M+5 | Entitlements, lifting balances, fiscal quantities | Balances agree with terminal stock |
| M+6 | Maker-checker approval and period lock | Approver is not the preparer; checklist complete |
| M+7 onwards | Regulatory and partner reports from the locked period | Report hash matches the lock |
Controls behind the lock
- Segregation of duties: entering, approving, locking and reopening are separate permissions, and nobody can approve their own entries.
- Period lock: a locked period is read-only at the API and in the database, and its lock records a SHA-256 hash of the posted records. Reopening needs a second approver and a reason.
- Prior-period adjustments: the original records stay. The difference posts to the open period, and the affected reports and partner statements are listed for refiling.
- Completeness: a period cannot lock with missing readings unless each gap has an approved estimate and its method.
- Audit pack: one export per period with the inputs, rule versions, runs, approvals and audit log.