Complete Workbook and Rehearse Demo
Today your team finishes the project workbook, writes a defensible recommendation with cited evidence, runs peer critique, and rehearses your demo. Bring your Lesson 08 workbook—you are continuing the same file.
In Lesson 08, your team set up the workbook, populated the Data sheet, and began the Adjustments sheet with at least three entries. You also wrote a draft recommendation direction statement. Today you complete the full evidence chain.
What you are building today: a complete month-end close workbook with Trial Balance, Financial Statements, and Closing Entries—all tied together with a recommendation that cites specific numbers from your own analysis.
What changes from Lesson 08: you move from setup and early analysis into full completion, testing, peer critique, and demo rehearsal. Your workbook should now tell a complete financial story.
- Complete a full month-end close for your group's unique scenario
- Write a recommendation supported by at least three cited workbook numbers
- Identify at least one risk or limitation in your analysis
- Defend your recommendation using evidence from your own workbook
- Produce a workbook suitable for investor or client review
- Complete Trial Balance with populated numbers (debits = credits)
- Build Financial Statements sheet (Income Statement, Retained Earnings, Balance Sheet)
- Record Closing Entries that reset all temporary accounts to zero
- Finish Recommendation sheet with claim, evidence, and risk
- Update Assumptions sheet with any new decisions or changes
Group 1
TechStart Solutions — Q4 close with prepaid insurance adjustment
Download unit02-pbl-month-end-wizard-g1.csvGroup 2
GreenLeaf Consulting — Year-end with accrued revenue recognition
Download unit02-pbl-month-end-wizard-g2.csvGroup 3
BlueWave Manufacturing — Month-end with depreciation and supplies
Download unit02-pbl-month-end-wizard-g3.csvGroup 4
Summit Retail Corp — Period close with unearned revenue deferral
Download unit02-pbl-month-end-wizard-g4.csvGroup 5
NorthStar Services — Month-end with accrued wages and prepaid rent
Download unit02-pbl-month-end-wizard-g5.csvGroup 6
Apex Digital Agency — Year-end with bad debt and depreciation
Download unit02-pbl-month-end-wizard-g6.csvYour project workbook uses the exact same sheet structure as the Lesson 07 rehearsal workbook. Each sheet below shows where you should be starting from (Lesson 08 status) and what you need to complete today.
Data
Should be complete from Lesson 08Raw transaction and adjustment data for your group's month-end close
Proves: The source numbers that every other sheet depends on
Adjustments
Expand from Lesson 08 draft to full setAll adjusting entries—accruals, deferrals, depreciation, supplies used
Proves: That every recurring month-end adjustment has been identified and recorded
Trial Balance
Build from skeleton to populated sheetUnadjusted and adjusted trial balance with debit/credit verification
Proves: That debits equal credits after adjustments (accounting integrity)
Financial Statements
New sheet for this milestoneIncome statement, statement of retained earnings, and balance sheet
Proves: That the adjusted numbers produce a complete and accurate financial picture
Closing Entries
New sheet for this milestoneRevenue, expense, and dividend closing entries with Income Summary
Proves: That temporary accounts are reset to zero for the next period
Recommendation
Draft from Lesson 08 → full recommendation with cited numbersFinal recommendation statement with supporting evidence and risk acknowledgment
Proves: That the workbook tells a clear business story backed by numbers
Assumptions
Update with any new decisions or changesDate/version, scenario drivers, and notes about data sources
Proves: That the workbook is auditable—someone else can understand how it was built
Update your workbook filename to reflect today's milestone:
Unit02_Lesson09_Group[Number]_[ShortScenarioName].xlsxExample: Unit02_Lesson09_Group3_BlueWaveManufacturing.xlsx
Lost your Lesson 08 workbook? Re-download your group's CSV file from the dataset section above and rebuild from your notes. Document what you had to reconstruct on the Assumptions sheet.
Before you finalize your workbook, run these checks to prove your analysis is accurate and trustworthy:
Trial Balance Check
Total debits must equal total credits. If they do not match, review each adjusting entry for correct debit/credit placement.
Financial Statement Tie-Out
Net income on the Income Statement must match the change in Retained Earnings. Total assets must equal total liabilities plus equity on the Balance Sheet.
Closing Entry Verification
After closing entries, all revenue and expense accounts should show zero balances. Only permanent accounts (assets, liabilities, equity) should remain.
Recommendation Evidence Check
Every number cited in your recommendation must match a value on one of your workbook sheets. Double-check each citation.
Your Recommendation sheet must follow this structure. Every group uses the same format—only the content changes based on your scenario.
Claim (1-2 sentences)
Based on our month-end close analysis, [company name]'s financial position shows [key finding—e.g., strong liquidity, concerning cash shortfall, healthy profit margins].
Evidence (at least 3 cited numbers)
Our workbook reveals: (1) [cited number from Financial Statements], (2) [cited number from Trial Balance or Adjustments], and (3) [cited number from Closing Entries or another sheet].
Risk or Limitation (1 sentence)
One limitation of our analysis is [risk—e.g., we assumed straight-line depreciation without testing units-of-production, or our data does not reflect year-end inventory counts].
Defense (1-2 sentences)
Despite this limitation, our recommendation holds because [reason tied to workbook evidence].
After completing your workbook, exchange with another group for peer critique. This is not a formality—your feedback should lead to at least one real revision before your final demo.
As the Reviewer
- Can you follow the logic from data → adjustments → statements → recommendation?
- Are all cited numbers traceable to workbook sheets?
- Is the recommendation clear and specific to their scenario?
- What is one concrete strength?
- What is one concrete improvement they should make?
As the Team Receiving Feedback
- Listen without defending—just take notes
- Identify at least one revision you will make
- Document what you changed and why on your Assumptions sheet
- Make the revision before your demo rehearsal
Before class ends today, your team must meet all of the following criteria. Your teacher will check each item.
- All workbook sheets completed (Data, Adjustments, Trial Balance, Financial Statements, Closing Entries)
- Trial Balance debits equal credits after all adjustments
- Financial statements are complete and tie back to the adjusted trial balance
- Closing entries reset all temporary accounts to zero
- Recommendation statement includes a clear claim, at least three cited workbook numbers, and one risk or limitation
- Peer critique completed with at least one concrete strength and one revision target documented
- At least one revision made based on peer feedback before demo rehearsal
- Open and organize (5 min): Open your Lesson 08 workbook. Verify all sheets from Lesson 08 are intact. Update the filename to Lesson 09 convention.
- Complete Trial Balance (10 min): Populate unadjusted and adjusted trial balance columns. Verify debits equal credits.
- Build Financial Statements (15 min): Create Income Statement, Statement of Retained Earnings, and Balance Sheet. Tie net income to retained earnings.
- Record Closing Entries (10 min): Close all revenue and expense accounts through Income Summary. Verify temporary accounts are zero.
- Write Recommendation (10 min): Complete the Recommendation sheet with claim, 3 cited numbers, 1 risk, and defense statement.
- Peer Critique (10 min): Exchange with another group. Provide and receive feedback. Document at least one revision.
- Demo Rehearsal (5 min): Run through your 4-5 minute demo as a team. Time yourselves.
- Teacher check-in (5 min): Review your workbook against the Milestone 2 acceptance criteria with your teacher.
- Workbook file saved with correct naming convention (Unit02_Lesson09_Group[Number]_[Scenario].xlsx)
- All seven sheets completed and cross-referenced
- Trial Balance balances (debits = credits)
- Financial statements produce a coherent business story
- Recommendation sheet has claim + 3 cited numbers + 1 risk
- Peer critique form completed and saved
- Revision notes documented showing what changed after feedback
- Demo rehearsal completed (4-5 minute run-through)
In Lesson 10, your team will present your completed workbook at the Innovation Fair. You will deliver a polished 4-5 minute demo, submit your final workbook, and reflect on how your team balanced speed with accuracy.
Bring to Lesson 10: your completed Milestone 2 workbook, your peer feedback notes, your revision documentation, and your polished speaking notes for the demo.
Final prep: Practice your demo at home if possible. Make sure every team member knows their part. Your audience will include classmates and potentially external reviewers.