Office Source Reconciliation

Use this skill when the real work is not extraction, but deciding whether the sources agree.

Use when

• A workbook, PDF, memo, or report all mention overlapping numbers.
• Version drift is possible.
• The user wants a reliable final summary, not just a merged pile of inputs.

Do not use when

• Only one source matters.
• The task is pure drafting with no overlapping evidence.

Reconciliation principles

• Never assume the newest file is automatically correct.
• Decide source of truth by role, not by convenience.
• Separate direct mismatches from interpretation mismatches.
• If a conflict cannot be resolved, carry it forward explicitly.

Workflow

Step 1: Build the overlap map

List:

• which files overlap
• which metrics or claims overlap
• what period or version each source appears to cover

Step 2: Identify likely source-of-truth hierarchy

Common hierarchy examples:

• signed or finalized report over draft memo
• raw export over manually edited presentation tab
• approved finance workbook over narrative summary written from memory

If the hierarchy is unclear, say so and avoid overstating confidence.

Step 3: Compare line by line

For each overlapping item:

• source A value
• source B value
• match / mismatch / ambiguous
• likely explanation

Step 4: Produce the reconciled view

Return either:

• one clean reconciled figure set
• or a short unresolved conflict register

Output format

Return:

1. Source map

• files compared
• likely source-of-truth ranking

2. Reconciliation table

• item
• source values
• status
• comment

3. Final recommendation

• what can be reported safely
• what still needs human confirmation

Use together with

• office-spreadsheet-analysis
• office-document-operations
• xlsx, pdf, docx