Inspection week in the file room

When the inspection date is inside ten working days, long research projects stop being useful. What helps is a ruthless pass through the credit scoring applications most likely to be opened: recent high limits, overrides, and any product the last visit already criticised.

Order of operations

• Print or pin the sample list so custodians are not improvising under pressure.
• Fix identity and signature gaps before debating score philosophy.
• Separate “cannot repair before Friday” items so spokespeople are not surprised.
• Keep a clean desk copy of the policy version that governed the sample period — inspectors notice mismatched manuals.

Tone matters

File rooms that treat the walkthrough as blame theatre hide folders. Rooms that treat it as shared preparation surface problems early enough to repair. Our inspection readiness walkthrough is built for the second culture: short days, punch-lists, and no performance theatre.