Data Quality and Reconciliation: Getting Systems to Agree on a Fixed Calendar

Every operator reconciles. The question is whether reconciliation is a governed process or a monthly scramble. In the scramble version, analysts pull reports from each system, line them up in a spreadsheet, adjust the differences and send the result. Next month they do it again, because nothing upstream changed.

Governed reconciliation changes three things. Each field has a named system of record, so the comparison has a reference point. Breaks are routed to the people who can fix the source, so they do not recur. And the calendar is fixed, so owners, lenders and boards know when figures are final.

The result is not a world without discrepancies. Systems will always disagree at the edges. The result is that disagreements are found early, settled by rule and recorded, so the reported figure can be defended.

1. Step 1

   Choose the fields that matter most

   Start with the figures that appear in owner, lender and board reporting: census, billed days, hours worked, agency hours, care level. A short list governed well is worth more than a long list governed loosely.

2. Step 2

   Name a system of record for each field

   Decide which system's value governs. The choice belongs to the domain owner and is recorded in the data dictionary. It may differ by field even within one domain.

3. Step 3

   Set tolerances and cadence

   State how closely each comparison system must agree, and how often to check: daily for census, per pay period for labor, monthly for revenue. Tolerances are placeholders until owners approve them: [tolerance].

4. Step 4

   Route breaks to stewards

   Each break goes to the field's steward with a due date. The steward fixes the source record, or documents why the difference is valid, and closes the break.

5. Step 5

   Publish a close calendar

   Set dates when each period's figures are final. After close, changes go through a documented adjustment with an approver, so final means final.

6. Step 6

   Measure the process

   Track open breaks, average days to close and repeat breaks by field. A rising repeat rate signals a definition or workflow problem upstream.

• Fixing the report, not the source. Adjusting the spreadsheet makes this month's report right and guarantees the same break next month.
• No system of record. Without a named reference, every reconciliation becomes a negotiation between departments.
• Re-reconciling downstream. When each report team reconciles again, figures diverge between reports. Reconcile once, upstream, and have reports read the governed result.

Next guide: Master Data Management: Resident, Unit, Employee and Community Identifiers

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