# Change Proposal

## Problem Statement

The project already solves the core technical problem of automating Odin-to-Lunchtab balance reconciliation. The remaining business problem is operationalization: ensuring the automated workflow is used consistently, reviewed appropriately, measured over time, and governed around sensitive data and financial outputs.

## Desired Outcome

Establish a controlled standard operating model for production use of the application while preserving its exception-driven automation benefits.

## Options Considered

| Option | Description | Pros | Cons |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Option A: Use application as-is with README guidance | Continue relying on current documentation and generated artifacts. | Lowest effort; core automation already works. | Leaves approval, retention, metrics, and profile governance informal. |
| Option B: Add operational governance package | Create SOP, profile governance, run metrics template, manual approval rule, and retention guidance. | Addresses highest business risks without major code changes. | Requires stakeholder decisions and staff adoption. |
| Option C: Build deeper integrations and workflow management | Add direct source/destination integrations, approvals, dashboarding, and centralized storage. | Reduces file handling and could improve oversight. | Higher cost, more security review, likely unnecessary until operations stabilize. |

## Recommendation

Proceed with Option B.

The application has strong technical controls for file validation, exception quarantine, audit totals, and blocked output behavior. The next highest-value change is to formalize the human and governance controls around those technical controls.

## Proposed Scope

1. Create an operational runbook covering reconciliation, candidate review, manual reconciliation audit, InitialBalances transfer, and final import.
2. Assign owners for matching profiles, manual review approval, release publication, and artifact retention.
3. Define approval rules for manual reconciliation statuses:
   - PASS: eligible for InitialBalances preflight.
   - REVIEW: reviewer approval required.
   - BLOCKED: correction required before downstream use.
4. Create a production run metrics log.
5. Define approved storage and retention rules for result folders, crosswalk exports, and candidate checklists.
6. Add a post-import verification checklist.

## Out Of Scope

- Direct Odin or Lunchtab API integration.
- Role-based access control inside the desktop app.
- Centralized database or dashboard.
- Automated upload into Lunchtab.

## Business Impact

- Reduces operational ambiguity around who approves manual changes.
- Strengthens evidence for financial reconciliation and audit review.
- Helps quantify realized labor savings and exception trends.
- Reduces privacy risk from unmanaged generated artifacts.
- Supports repeatable use across venues or future migrations.

## Risks

- Governance may be skipped if it is too burdensome.
- Staff may treat candidate guidance as authoritative rather than advisory.
- Profiles may drift without owner review.
- Metrics may be incomplete unless they are easy to collect.

## Next Steps

1. Confirm business owners for profile governance, manual approval, and artifact retention.
2. Draft the production runbook from existing README steps.
3. Pilot one production run using the metrics and approval template.
4. Review pilot exceptions and update profile guidance.
5. Decide whether aggregate metrics need tooling after multiple runs.