Tasks, blockers, and owner questions

What a task usually needs

A good task asks for the smallest fact needed to continue. It should be tied to a source, a record, a payment, or an accountant question.

• The source that raised the question: receipt, invoice, bank row, payout report, statement, contract, note, or prepared review item.
• The missing fact: business purpose, counterparty, payment relationship, private or business context, missing document, unusual amount, or period explanation.
• The right answer owner: business facts usually belong to the owner; accounting treatment, approval, and tax judgment belong to the accountant.
• Enough evidence or context to make the answer reviewable later, not just a vague comment such as "looks fine" or "probably business".

Task workflow

The task workflow should clarify the month without turning the owner into the accountant. Focus on the fact the product asks for.

1. 01See why the item is blockedOpen the task and read the reason. It may be a missing document, unreadable file, unclear vendor, unmatched bank row, low-confidence extraction, or accountant follow-up.
2. 02Read the attached contextLook at the receipt, invoice, payment row, note, or review item before answering. The best answer usually refers to the exact item, not the month in general.
3. 03Answer the business factState what happened: who the payment was for, why it was business-related, which document belongs to the row, whether it was private, or what context is missing.
4. 04Add evidence when the answer needs supportUpload the missing document, clearer scan, statement page, contract, payout report, or note when a text answer alone would leave the reviewer guessing.
5. 05Let the workflow continue or escalateAfter the answer, the item may move forward, become ready for review, or remain visible for accountant judgment. A professional decision should not be pushed onto the owner.

What Hans prepares

Hans narrows the question before a person answers, so the person can provide the missing fact instead of reconstructing the whole month.

• The source context behind the task, including the document, bank row, extracted details, payment relationship, or review item that needs attention.
• The reason for attention, such as missing business purpose, unclear counterparty, low confidence, duplicate evidence, unmatched payment, or period conflict.
• The next workflow path: continue preparation, return to matching, wait for more evidence, move to accountant review, or stay blocked.
• A visible trail that shows what was asked and answered, so the accountant does not need to rely on memory or separate messages.

What people decide

Tasks work because they separate business knowledge from professional accounting judgment.

• Owners decide facts they know from running the business: purpose, context, who paid, private versus business use, missing receipt explanation, or customer/supplier relationship.
• Accountants decide treatment-sensitive issues: classification, VAT handling, period handling, corrections, approval, rejection, and whether more evidence is required.
• The team decides when an unresolved task blocks close. Some questions can wait for accountant review; others prevent the month from being handed off cleanly.
• No task answer should pretend to be tax or accounting advice from the owner unless the accountant has reviewed and decided the issue.

What a good owner answer contains

A useful answer is short, direct, and tied to the item. It gives the reviewer a fact they can rely on or inspect.

• Answer the exact question. If the task asks for purpose, write the business purpose; if it asks for payment relationship, name the invoice or source that belongs to the bank row.
• Add context for unusual items: refunds, split payments, owner reimbursements, private charges, mixed-use costs, deposits, and platform payouts with fees.
• Attach evidence when the fact depends on a missing source. A better invoice, statement page, contract, or payout report is stronger than a long explanation.
• Say when you do not know. A clear "I do not have this receipt" or "please ask the accountant" is better than a confident guess.

What not to do with tasks

Most task problems come from guessing, ignoring blockers, or answering outside the workflow where the context is lost.

• Do not guess tax treatment, VAT handling, account classification, or professional treatment because a task is waiting. Route those decisions to the accountant.
• Do not mark an item as business-related without evidence or context when it might be private, mixed-use, or unrelated to the company.
• Do not ignore open tasks until close. Late answers are harder because details fade and the accountant may already be waiting on the blocker.
• Do not answer only in a side channel if the workflow needs the answer attached to the item. Keep review context with the source whenever possible.

After a task is answered

A task answer should either move the item forward or make the remaining issue clearer.

• If the answer supplies the missing business fact, the item can continue to preparation, matching, close readiness, or accountant review.
• If the answer reveals a professional question, the item should stay visible for accountant review instead of being treated as completed.
• If evidence is still missing, upload the source or leave the blocker explicit before handoff.
• Use Month-end close when you want to see whether open tasks still block the period.