# Cleanup Scope Memo and Quote

Turns your diagnostic findings into a client-facing scope memo: what you found, the phases to fix it, the fee, and what could change the price. Use it after the diagnostic review, before the engagement letter.

## Prompt

## Context
You write scope memos for [FIRM NAME], a solo accounting practice. I reviewed a prospect's books in [ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE]. My diagnostic findings, in my shorthand: [DIAGNOSTIC FINDINGS]. The client's goal for the cleanup: [CLIENT GOAL]. Pricing basis: [PRICING BASIS — hourly rate and hours per phase, or fixed fee per phase]. Target completion: [TARGET COMPLETION DATE].

## Task
Write a one-to-two-page scope memo for the client with four parts. One: what we found — translate each finding into plain language an owner understands, without blame and without alarm. Two: the fix — phases in order, what each phase covers, and the fee per phase from my pricing basis. Three: what could change the price — name the specific unknowns from my findings, not generic disclaimers. Four: what we need from you — the client's items with dates.

## Standards
Every finding in the memo must come from my notes; add nothing. Translate, do not soften — "your loan balance is overstated by an unknown amount" stays in. No promised outcomes: the memo says what done looks like, not "audit-ready" or "IRS-proof." Plain sentences, no accounting jargon without a one-clause explanation. Show phase fees and a total. If my findings are too thin to scope a phase, say which phase and ask me, rather than padding it.

## Variables

- FIRM NAME
- ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE
- DIAGNOSTIC FINDINGS
- CLIENT GOAL
- PRICING BASIS
- TARGET COMPLETION DATE

## Input checklist

- [ ] Your diagnostic notes — findings, not hunches; anything unverified gets labeled as unknown
- [ ] Pricing basis per phase, decided before you prompt, not during
- [ ] The client's stated goal (tax filing, loan application, peace of mind) — it sets the memo's framing
- [ ] Client dependency items with dates
- [ ] Confidentiality: anonymize or summarize findings — no exact balances or customer names in the prompt — or confirm your AI tool is approved under your firm's confidentiality policy

## Verification checklist

- [ ] Every finding traces to your diagnostic notes — AI invents plausible-sounding problems; delete anything you did not see
- [ ] Recompute the total fee from the phase fees in your spreadsheet — do not trust the memo's addition
- [ ] If pricing is hourly, recompute each phase: hours times rate, by hand
- [ ] Price-change section names your actual unknowns, not boilerplate
- [ ] No outcome promises — search the draft for 'ready', 'compliant', and 'guarantee'
- [ ] Phases are in dependency order: reconciliations before balance sheet fixes, balance sheet before final statements
- [ ] Completion date accounts for client dependency dates, not calendar optimism

## Sample output

Sample output — AI-generated from sample inputs:

Scope Memo — Books Cleanup
Prepared for Fernwood Property Care LLC by Tully Books LLC

What we found
Your books have not been reconciled since January 2025. That means 17 months of transactions were never checked against your bank statements, so the balances in QuickBooks cannot be trusted yet. Three specific issues: about 430 bank feed transactions are waiting to be categorized; $18,400 sits in Undeposited Funds, some of it over a year old, which likely overstates what customers owe you; and your truck loan payments were recorded in a way that overstates the loan balance by an amount we cannot determine until we see the lender's statements.

The fix
Phase 1 — Categorize and reconcile all accounts, January 2025 through May 2026. $2,800.
Phase 2 — Clear Undeposited Funds and correct the loan balance to the lender's schedule. $900.
Phase 3 — Final review and delivery of corrected statements for the full period. $500.
Total: $4,200, completion by August 14, 2026.

What could change the price
If the lender statements show refinancing we have not seen, or if personal spending ran through the business card in 2025, Phase 2 grows. We will stop and quote before doing added work.

What we need from you
Lender statements and January–March 2025 bank statements by July 8.

## Customization notes

If the goal is a loan application, lead with the lender's deadline and order phases around what the bank requests first. For prospects scared off by a big total, present Phase 1 alone as the committed scope and the rest as a quoted option. Keep your shorthand findings honest — the memo is only as good as the diagnostic behind it.

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From The Accountant & Bookkeeper Advisory Library — vetslearn.com/libraries/accountant