Late changes to inventory obsolescence, revenue cut-off, or impairment can quietly invalidate hours of planned testing. The question is not whether the estimate is “interesting” — it is whether the original sample design and site order still answer the risk.
Trigger points we watch
- Management revises a key assumption after interim fieldwork is complete
- A new related-party arrangement appears in the closing package
- A warehouse is added or closed inside the reporting period
- External specialists deliver a valuation that differs sharply from prior year
What reopening looks like
We update the planning memo, adjust performance materiality if needed, revise sample sizes, and tell process owners which requests are withdrawn or replaced. The daily fieldwork log gets a clear “replan” entry so later reviewers understand why the calendar changed.
Skipping the replan to “save time” usually costs more days in March. We would rather have the awkward meeting in January.