A reliable monthly close is a process with owners, checkpoints, and a defined order of operations. Without it, every month is improvised.
The core steps
Reconcile every bank and card account, review uncategorized transactions, confirm tax is captured, then review the P&L and balance sheet for anything that looks wrong.
Make it handoff-ready
Documented steps mean any bookkeeper can run the close. That is the difference between a process and a person.