Mark Ready for Review

How to initiate the formal review phase and how to handle approved, pending, and rejected workpapers.

Once all automation results have been generated and the Accountant has reviewed and addressed any anomalies, the job can be formally submitted for review.

The review process

Workpapers are accessible for review as soon as automation is complete, even before the job is officially marked as ready. Initiating the formal review triggers the following states:

  • Click Mark Ready for Review to formally transition the job to the review team.

  • Permitted users can approve or reject workpapers after reviewing.

  • Unapproved workpapers display as Pending in the Workpapers Dashboard.

  • Approved workpapers are marked as Approved; those with issues show as Rejected.

  • The Ready for Sign-off button remains inactive until every individual workpaper is approved.

How to reject a workpaper

If a workpaper requires changes before it can be approved, Managers (Level 5) and Directors (Level 6) can formally reject it. Rejection sends the workpaper back to the assigned Accountant for correction and prevents the job from progressing to sign-off until resolved.

Steps to reject the workpaper

  • Open the job and navigate to the Workpapers Dashboard by clicking on the Workpapers under the Results icon.

  • Select the workpaper you want to reject.

  • Click the Approve button in the top action bar of the workpaper.

  • The Approve and Reject options will appear.

  • Click Reject.

  • (Optional)Add a comment or raise a Review Point describing the change required, so the Accountant knows what to action.

What happens after rejection

  • The workpaper status updates to Rejected on the Workpapers Dashboard.

  • The Ready for Sign-off button remains inactive until the rejection is resolved.

  • The assigned Accountant is notified and must address the issue before resubmitting.

Handling rejected workpapers

If a workpaper is rejected, an adjustment must be made to the underlying data:

  1. Manual editing: Update fields directly within the workpaper via Edit Mode.

  2. Supporting document updates: Amend or replace the source documents that affect results.

  3. Chart of Accounts (CoA) mapping: Change the CoA mapping for the accounts affecting the workpaper.

Once data is changed, re-run automation. The system recalculates figures, allowing the workpaper to be submitted for review again.

Email confirmation

When a job is marked Ready for Review, the assigned reviewer receives an automated email confirmation containing:

  • Subject: "Job Ready for Review - [Client Name] - [Job Name] - Zato"

  • Job Name: The full job name (e.g. Demo NZ Limited - Year End 31 March 2025).

  • Client Name: The client the job belongs to.

  • Marked Date: The date the job was marked ready.

  • Action prompt: Instructions to review the workpapers and either accept the job or add review comments where necessary.

  • Reassignment note: Reviewers can reassign the job or notify the team if they are unavailable.

The reviewer can click through to access the job in the portal directly from the email.