Editorial draft available to read. Factual and language review is pending. Examples are illustrative.
Decision and scope
An incomplete report should remain interpretable. State the covered period, received records and pending fields. Do not fill an unknown quantity with zero or carry the last value forward as though it were current. Missing evidence and poor performance are different states that call for different operational decisions.
Illustrative example
Illustrative example: two lines have closed their shift and a third is still sending records. Display a confirmed subtotal and coverage of two out of three lines. If management views the aggregate, place the warning beside the total rather than hide it in a footnote that disappears on export.
Acceptance check
Test interrupted capture, later corrections and report downloads. The incompleteness signal must accompany the table, chart and exported file. Accept the report when someone outside the reporting process can distinguish confirmed values, estimates and absences, and identify what is still needed to close the period.
Key takeaways
- Accept the report when someone outside the reporting process can distinguish confirmed values, estimates and absences, and identify what is still needed to close the period.