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Workflows/Operations

Monthly Expense Entry

Bank transactions become a categorized finance sheet, the sheet becomes QuickBooks entries, and the P&L confirms the month looks like every other month. The routine is mechanical; the judgment calls are named and scheduled.

Source of truth QuickBooksCadence MonthlyAccounts payable None, pay immediately

One close, four beats

The close starts and ends with the P&L. In between, expenses are entered in two passes: Vietnam first, then US.

1Orient
P&L first

Run the P&L and compare to prior months before entering anything.

2Vietnam
Bank to sheet to QuickBooks

Break down the bank transactions, fill the finance tracking sheet, enter in QuickBooks.

3US
One entry per vendor

Itemize the US expense sheet into QuickBooks, one expense entry per vendor.

4Verify
Reconcile and spot check

Check pass-throughs against invoices, run the P&L again, flag anything weird.

Creating the expense entries

01
Run the P&L firstHumanStart of close

Run the P&L and compare the month to prior months. The business barely changes, so any line that moved is either real news or an entry error. Note every inconsistency to resolve during the close.

02
Break down the Vietnam bank transactionsHuman

From the Vietnam bank transactions, separate out:

  • Payroll
  • Social insurance payments
  • PIT (personal income tax) payments
  • Everything remaining is other expenses

Then label which expenses belong to AIO.

03
Fill in the finance tracking sheetHuman

Open the finance tracking sheet and fill the columns: payroll, social insurance, PIT, other expenses. Then break up the Edge8 expenses:

  • Staffing
  • Operations
  • Edge8 expenses
  • Whatever is left over = AI program contractors
04
The AIO conversationHumanEvery month

Agree the AIO expense allocation with Dave before entering it. This includes speaking fees. Do not enter AIO numbers without this conversation.

05
Create the Vietnam entries in QuickBooksHuman
  • One expense entry for the Vietnam total from the finance tracking sheet
  • One entry per Edge8 category: staffing, operations, Edge8 expenses, AI program contractors
  • All entries are direct payments from the checking account
06
Create the US entries in QuickBooksHumanSheet from Dave

Take the US expense sheet and create one expense entry per vendor. Be careful to categorize Project Expenses (pass-through) vs direct expenses.

07
Check pass-throughs against invoicesHuman

Project Expenses must match invoices on pass-through income. Report every mismatch; do not absorb it. Invoices come from the monthly invoicing workflow, which runs separately.

08
Run the P&L again and spot checkHumanEnd of close

Run the P&L and spot-check month-over-month consistency. Flag anything weird for a conversation; never fix silently.

The seven elements

Every workflow we document has the same anatomy: seven elements, each assigned to a human, a machine, or both. This is the Centaur Map from our workflow design method.

01 TriggerHuman

Month end, when the bank transactions are available. The close runs on a rhythm, not a mood.

02 InputsHuman

Vietnam bank transactions, the US expense sheet, and the finance tracking sheet that structures both.

03 DecisionHuman

AIO allocation and pass-through vs direct categorization. The judgment calls are named and scheduled, not improvised.

04 RoutingBoth

The tracking sheet routes every line into its category: payroll, social insurance, PIT, and the Edge8 breakdowns.

05 OutputHuman

QuickBooks expense entries: one per category on the Vietnam side, one per vendor on the US side.

06 DeliveryHuman

Entered directly into QuickBooks as direct payments. No accounts payable, nothing accrued.

07 MeasurementBoth

The P&L, run before and after. Month-over-month consistency is the error detector; anything that moved gets explained.