Field Notes
When cut-off times quietly break a reporting path
Two systems can share a field name and still disagree if their days end at different clocks.
Most path arguments start as “the numbers are wrong.” On the floor, they often start as two honest cut-offs.
Warehouse systems may close a day at 22:00 when the last truck leaves. Finance may close the same day at 17:00 because that is when bank files land. Both exports can be correct and still produce a board that looks dishonest.
When we draw a Gateway Path Atlas, every gateway gets a clock note: whose day is this, and when does it end? Teams that skip the clock note spend weeks debating integrity while both extracts remain true to their own calendars.
If you only have time for one interview question before the next steering pack, ask each owner: “When does your day end for this file?” Write the answers on the map in the same ink as the system names.