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Use an AI client to assemble a draft board pack from Control’s financial results. Start with finance-reviewed data, explain the important changes, and check the draft before sharing it with the board.

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Watch the example

The recording illustrates one reporting period. An assistant’s summary does not certify that the books are closed, bank accounts are reconciled, or all supporting data is complete. The narration has no captions; its transcript is available below. The recorded figures and timing are illustrative, not guarantees.
  1. From month-end to board pack, with any AI assistant via MCP.
  2. First, one question: is August closed, and is anything missing?
  3. Then: build the board pack. Forty seconds of work, and it lands in Drive.
  4. Revenue one point two two million, EBITDA nineteen k ahead of plan, and the reasons behind both.
  5. Three pages: performance, the variance behind the beat, eliminations and the cash bridge.
  6. Ready to share, every number traceable to the ledger.
  7. Control.dev. Your board pack, from a closed month, in one ask.

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Before you start

  • Connect your AI client with read access to the companies and reports in scope.
  • Confirm the reporting month, comparison periods, group currency, budget version, and companies to include.
  • Obtain your finance team’s confirmation of close status and any outstanding adjustments. Record unresolved items in the draft.
  • Ask the assistant to call get_monthly_close_readiness for the reporting month’s final date. Review the returned status, evaluation time, and blockers: closed books alone do not mean Control’s data is ready.
  • Agree on the report layout, consolidation treatment, and definitions of the metrics you will present.
  • If you want a document in Google Drive or another app, connect that app separately and check its document-creation permissions. Access to Control alone does not grant access to other apps.

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Prepare the draft

1

Confirm the reporting basis

Ask the assistant to state the companies, dates, currency, budget, and consolidation settings used. Use the same basis for actual results and comparisons.Check missing periods, unmapped accounts, and unresolved intercompany differences before drawing conclusions. If required data is unavailable, keep the pack marked as a draft and explain what is missing.Review get_monthly_close_readiness before building the financial summary. A ClosedAwaitingData result means the books are closed but synchronization or financial-report processing is incomplete. Keep the pack in draft and resolve the reported blockers before refreshing the check. Treat Unknown, ManualConfirmationRequired, or an unavailable readiness tool as missing evidence, not a pass. Only a Ready result with no blockers establishes Control’s data readiness; finance review is still required before distribution.
2

Build the financial summary

Include the profit and loss statement, balance sheet, cash position, and agreed key performance indicators. Compare results with the previous month, budget, and previous year where those comparisons are relevant and available.Define calculated metrics. For example, EBITDA means earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization; state which report lines are included in your calculation.
3

Explain the significant changes

Investigate the largest changes using company, account, cost-center, or transaction detail. Separate confirmed causes from possible explanations and give the evidence for each claim.Describe currency translation and intercompany eliminations separately from operating performance. Do not infer overdue invoices, collection delays, or days sales outstanding from a balance alone.
4

Create a reviewable document

Ask for a draft with a short executive summary, financial tables, explanations, and an outstanding-items section. Include the source report and reporting basis for each table so a reviewer can reproduce its figures.Creating a document is separate from sharing it. Do not ask the assistant to distribute the pack automatically.
5

Reconcile and approve

Compare the draft’s totals with Control for the same scope, dates, and currency. Spot-check the supporting transactions, formulas, and comparison figures. Confirm that explanations do not turn assumptions into facts.Have your finance team review the draft and outstanding items before approving the pack for distribution.

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Example request

Prepare a draft board pack for Example Corp for August 2026 in EUR. Use the finance-reviewed company scope and compare actual results with July, the approved budget, and August last year. Include a financial summary, the five largest changes with supporting evidence, cash movements, and unresolved close items. State the source and calculation basis for every table. Do not mark the pack approved or share it.

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If the draft cannot be completed

  • Financial results differ: check dates, currency, company scope, report layout, and consolidation settings before rewriting the commentary.
  • Close evidence is missing or processing is pending: review the readiness tool’s blockers and ask the finance owner to confirm outstanding items. Keep the pack in draft until close and data-readiness evidence is complete. Do not substitute an AI-generated readiness verdict.
  • A document cannot be created: check the separate document app connection and permissions. You can still request the draft content in your AI client.
  • The source data changes: refresh the affected tables and explanations, reconcile again, and obtain a new review before sharing.

Review the monthly close

Identify outstanding items before preparing the board pack.

Prepare a management report

Reuse instructions for a monthly financial report.

Review quarterly budget performance

Explain differences between budget and actual results.

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