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Access review should end with a clear record of who still needs access, why they need it, and what must change. A list of active users alone does not establish that each person has the right permissions. The assistant can assemble the review packet; the authorized owner decides whether access should remain, change, or end.
Start with people and responsibilities
Use the current user list from the approved system and compare it with the team roster, contractor assignments, and documented responsibilities. Record the company or workspace being reviewed and the date of the export. Keep invitations that have not been accepted separate from active accounts.
Ask the responsible manager to confirm each person's current work. A familiar name is not enough: an employee may have moved teams, a temporary assignment may have ended, or a contractor may no longer support the company. Mark unclear entries for review rather than guessing from recent activity.
Build a decision-ready register
| Record | What the reviewer needs |
|---|---|
| Named account | The person, company or workspace, and account status |
| Current access | The role shown in the system and any separately managed access |
| Business need | The current task requiring that access and the responsible manager |
| Requested decision | Retain, change, remove, or investigate, with the supporting reason |
| Authorization | The designated approver, dated decision, and any conditions |
| Closure | Who implemented the decision, what was verified, and remaining exceptions |
Use a secure reference to the original access list. Do not place passwords, recovery codes, or private financial records in the register. Keep the review evidence in the organization's approved location.
Separate a recommendation from a change
Prepare proposed changes for the authorized owner. Do not treat a missing manager response as approval to retain or remove access. Put unresolved accounts in an exception queue with a named owner and a follow-up date.
A reviewer may need to coordinate a change with an active handoff. Record that dependency explicitly, including who accepts it and when it will be revisited. Avoid leaving an indefinite note such as “keep for now.”
Example: a contractor's assignment has ended
Suppose a contractor finished a cleanup project but still appears in the active user list. Link the assignment end date, identify the manager responsible for the work, and ask for a decision. If the owner approves removal, record the instruction and route it to the person authorized to make that change.
After implementation, check the current user list against the approved decision. Keep separately managed tools in view: a change in one application does not prove that shared files or other connected workspaces have also been reviewed.
Close the review with evidence
Summarize the accounts reviewed, decisions completed, and exceptions still open. Preserve the original list alongside the final record so a later reviewer can see what changed. Record verification failures as open work rather than marking the review complete because a request was sent.
Agree on the next review date and the events that require an earlier check, such as a role change or assignment ending. The useful output is a traceable access decision and verified follow-through, with ownership clear for anything still unresolved.
Related resources
Compare the service fit on the QuickBooks VA services page, then use the free consultation form to map the first handoff. For platform context, review QuickBooks Online.