Asking an agent to “clean this file and build the summary” gets you something that looks right. In finance, looking right isn’t the standard. Tying out is.
Define done as a check
Include the check in the request:
Build the monthly summary from gl_export.csv.
Before you finish:
1. Total of the summary must equal the total of the source.
2. Row count in = row count out + rows excluded.
3. List every excluded row and the reason.
Write these checks as a script and show me its output.
If a check fails, stop and tell me. Do not adjust numbers to make it pass.Three things are doing the work here:
- The check is code. A script’s output is evidence, while “I verified the totals” is only a claim.
- Exclusions are listed. Quietly dropped rows are the most common way a clean-looking result goes wrong.
- Forcing the numbers is ruled out. A plug is a tempting way to make a check pass, so rule it out explicitly.
Keep the source of truth outside
Run the final tie-out yourself against the system of record, not against a file the agent produced. The agent can do the heavy lifting, but sign-off is still your job.