Sample advisory artefacts

Make the decision structure visible.

These generic demonstrations show the form and purpose of common advisory outputs. They contain no client data and do not represent a specific implementation.

Illustrative, not evidentiary

Labels and example fields are generic. A real engagement would populate them only from reviewed documents, stakeholder validation and agreed evidence.

01 · Understand

Layered enterprise landscape

Shows where capabilities, platforms and control responsibilities sit. The example layers are generic.

Experience & channelsCustomer · Staff · Partner · Regulatory

Integration & orchestrationAPIs · Events · Files · Workflow

Transaction platformsValidation · Processing · Settlement

Finance & ledgerPosting · Subledger · General ledger

Controls, data & assuranceReconciliation · Lineage · Evidence · Reporting

Decision question: Where does each obligation live, and which dependencies cross the layer boundaries?

02 · Trace

Transaction-to-ledger lineage

Connects a business event to its accounting result and reconciliation evidence.

01Business eventWhat happened?

02ValidationWas it accepted?

03Posting instructionWhich rule applied?

04Subledger & GLWhere was it recorded?

05ReconciliationWhat proves completeness?

Evidence required: event definition, accounting rule, interface record, posting reference, exception route and reconciliation result.

03 · Compare

Options and trade-off matrix

A blank decision frame. No scores are pre-filled because weighting must come from the organisation's requirements.

Decision criterion	Option A	Option B	Option C	Evidence required
Business and finance fit	Assess	Assess	Assess	Approved requirements
Accounting and control	Assess	Assess	Assess	Rules and control evidence
Integration and data	Assess	Assess	Assess	Interfaces and data profile
Operability and support	Assess	Assess	Assess	Operating model
Transition risk	Assess	Assess	Assess	Dependencies and constraints
Cost and value	Assess	Assess	Assess	Validated commercial inputs

Decision discipline: criteria, weighting, evidence quality, assumptions and the accountable decision owner are recorded before scoring.

04 · Govern

Control and evidence register

Links material risk and control questions to evidence, accountability and a decision.

Generic control and evidence register
Risk or obligation	Control question	Evidence	Owner or decision
Completeness	Are all in-scope events captured?	Population and reconciliation record	Assign and validate
Accuracy	Is the correct rule applied?	Rule catalogue and test evidence	Assign and validate
Traceability	Can the outcome be reconstructed?	Identifiers, lineage and logs	Assign and validate
Exception handling	Are breaks owned and resolved?	Queue, ageing and resolution evidence	Assign and validate

Governance principle: an assertion is not treated as evidence until its source, owner, date and review status are recorded.

05 · Sequence

Decision-led transition roadmap

Uses the firm's four-stage approach to move from an unresolved question to governed next actions.

01
Define
Decision, scope, owners, constraints and success evidence.
02
Understand
Current state, flows, controls, gaps and evidence quality.
03
Design
Options, target state, transition states and trade-offs.
04
Advise
Recommendation, assumptions, decision gates and next actions.

Roadmap rule: dates, cost and benefits are added only after dependencies, delivery capacity and commercial inputs have been validated.

06 · Decide

Executive decision pack

A concise structure for a decision that remains traceable after the meeting.

01Decision required

The exact approval, choice or direction needed.

02Evidence baseline

Confirmed facts, source quality and known gaps.

03Options and trade-offs

Viable alternatives against agreed criteria.

04Recommendation

Preferred action and the reason it fits.

05Conditions and risks

Assumptions, controls, dependencies and triggers.

06Decision record

Owner, date, rationale and required follow-through.

Outcome: a decision can be reviewed later without relying on memory or presentation narrative.

Apply the structure

Start with the decision your organisation needs to make.

Actual artefacts are shaped to the agreed scope and populated only from available, reviewable evidence.

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