Source Document & Filing

What it is: Indexed register of every supporting document, linked to the entry it supports.

Overview

Works out the smallest useful Source Document & Filing setup for the business in front of it, then builds it only when asked. The default output is a short recommendation, not a spreadsheet. Artifacts - CSV, SQL DDL, JSON Schema, Notion mapping - are produced on request, from one field list so they cannot drift apart.

Layer: Layer 2: Document. Fits: Growth stage. Table code: n/a.

When to Use This Skill

• source document filing
• document index register
• bill and voucher filing tracker
• supporting document audit trail

Also use it when the user says "indexed register of every supporting document, linked to the entry it supports", or describes the same process happening in a spreadsheet, a document or someone inboxes.

Do not use it for: day-to-day bookkeeping, tax filing, or legal advice. This skill produces empty templates only - it never holds or processes real employee or customer data.

How It Works

Follow the shared execution contract. The module-specific rules below define only domain fields, decisions, calculations, and safety constraints.

Step 1 - Identify intent

Read the request and pick the intent before asking anything.

• "set up" or "build" or "create" -> the user wants artifacts; go to Step 2.
• "our process is ..." or "it is in a sheet" -> the user wants to move an existing process; capture it, then Step 2.
• "is this right" or "review" or "audit" -> the user wants a check, not a build; answer from what they share.
• "how do I ..." -> advice question; answer directly and offer the build only if it helps.

Ask only if this is the highest-value missing fact; otherwise proceed without an opener:

Q: Which document types do you currently file?

Step 2 - Ask only what is missing

Treat ambiguous replies as unanswered and ask which explicit option the user means. Record unknown values as Unknown; Unknown is not zero. A record must not be Done when a required check fails.

Skip anything the user already answered, in any earlier message. Ask the rest one at a time, and stop as soon as the remaining answers would not change the output.

• Documents - Which types? / Purchase, sales, payroll? / How many a month?
• Filing - Physical, digital or both? / How are files named and sorted?
• Indexing - Any index or reference in use? / By period, by party or both?
• Retention - How long to keep? / Any legal retention rules? / Who disposes?
• Outcome - What do you need? / A register, a reindex plan or both?

Never invent an answer. If the user does not know, record it as unknown and carry on.

Step 3 - Hold the internal context

Hold the answers in this shape. It stays internal - it is not shown to the user unless they ask, and it never carries a value the user did not give.

module: source-document-filing
intent: null            # setup | advice | review | fix | build | convert | export
scale: null             # Starter | Growth | Scale, only if the answer changes it
areas:
  "Documents": null
  "Filing": null
  "Indexing": null
  "Retention": null
  "Outcome": null
requested_outputs: []   # csv | sql | json | notion | xlsx - requested formats only
confirmed_facts: []     # only what the user actually said
open_questions: []      # the unanswered ones, in the order worth asking

Step 4 - Recommend the smallest workflow

Build an already requested artifact without asking again. For advice-only requests, give a short recommendation and offer the relevant artifact.

Recommended approach: One register row per document, with a reference key built as period/party (for example 2026/08/BLUEPEAK) so retrieval is by month and by party, and relation links to the voucher and the transaction it supports.

Why this one: Audits and assessments fail on missing support, not on missing entries. A document register with a fixed index key and a link back to the entry is what makes an entry traceable in seconds.

Workflow: Document received → Referenced and indexed → Filed → Linked to entry → Verified

Step 5 - Build only on request

Once the user asks for it, derive the fields from the confirmed context and emit the requested artifacts. For machine-readable text, keep prose outside the data; for files, provide a usable link. Report material validation failures or limitations separately.

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