Lesson ProgressPhase 4 of 6
Phase 4Independent Practice
Independent Practice: Project Rehearsal: Shared Payroll Workbook Audit
Complete weak spots in the shared workbook, write one recommendation + risk statement, name what transfers to project
Phase 4: Polish and Transfer Practice
Complete Weak Spots & Identify Transfer Items
With the shared workbook still open, complete any weak spots you found in the audit. Then write one recommendation with evidence, one risk statement, and identify what must transfer to your team's project.
Your Tasks (Continue in the shared workbook)
- Fix any weak spots you identified in Phase 3. Examples:
- Add missing validation rules
- Document a timing difference in reconciliation
- Ensure charts use structured references
- Write one recommendation in the Dashboard:
- State a clear claim (e.g., "Payroll is on track for Base scenario")
- Cite specific evidence (cell references with numbers)
- Add one risk statement:
- What's one thing that could go wrong or needs monitoring?
- Example: "If overtime exceeds 10% of total hours, labor costs exceed budget"
Recommendation Format
Your recommendation should follow this format:
Recommendation: [Your claim here]
Evidence:
- [Evidence item 1: specific number + cell reference]
- [Evidence item 2: specific number + cell reference]
- [Evidence item 3: specific number + cell reference]
Risk Statement:
[What could go wrong or needs monitoring]
What Must Transfer to Your Project
In Lessons 08–10, your team will build your own workbook with your own data. These features must transfer:
| Feature | Must Transfer? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll calculation logic | Yes | Gross → deductions → net |
| Tax table lookup structure | Yes | XLOOKUP with IFNA/IFERROR |
| Bank reconciliation tie-outs | Yes | Register = bank within $0.01 |
| Dashboard with recommendation | Yes | One clear claim + evidence |
| Validation rules | Yes | Catch negative hours, bad rates, stale dates |
| Structured references | Yes | Charts bind to Tables, not fixed ranges |
| Same employee data | No | Your team gets its own dataset in Lesson 08 |
What changes in Lesson 08: Each team receives its own payroll dataset. The structure stays the same; the data is different.
Self‑Assessment: Definition of Done
Before moving to Phase 5, confirm you've completed:
- Payroll calculations accurate for all 10 employees
- Reconciliation tie‑outs pass (register = bank within $0.01)
- Executive summary with one recommendation + evidence + risk
- Validation rules catch invalid inputs
- Charts bind to Tables (structured references)
- Clear error messages on lookup failures