LESSON 03 OF 04 / OFFICE WORKFLOW

Track every recipient and receipt.

Sending, receiving and resolving are different milestones.

List the recipients before sending.

Make one row for each reporting destination identified in your project instructions. Record the channel, the instructions reference and the person responsible for submitting. Do not treat one recipient’s acknowledgment as evidence that another received the same report.

Identify exactly what was submitted.

Record the report label, version, reporting period, destination and submission date. Save the acknowledgment or receipt in your secure project files and put its reference in the register. You should be able to move from a register row to the exact file and receipt without reconstructing the story from memory.

Use precise status language.

Choose a status that describes the evidence: prepared, sent, receipt saved, follow-up requested or closed internally. If a recipient has its own status label, record that separately and retain its message. “Uploaded” does not by itself establish that all legal requirements were met.

Practice.

Acorn sends version 02 to the prime and receives an email acknowledgment. A separate destination is still waiting. Keep two rows: the prime row has the receipt reference; the other row remains open with its owner and next action.