SCF Quick Compare — Skill
What This Skill Does
Runs a period-over-period variance analysis on the Statement of Cash Flows (SCF) pulled directly from QuickBooks Online. Outputs a 4-tab Excel workbook: Summary | Detail | Flags | CDC Log.
Mirrors the pl-quick-compare pattern exactly but for the Cash Flow Statement — Operating / Investing / Financing sections, balance validation, and SCF-specific analysis notes on flagged items.
When to Use
Use when:
- A client needs month-over-month or YTD cash flow variance analysis
- Reviewing SCF as part of monthly close deliverables
- Investigating a material shift in operating, investing, or financing cash flows
- Client asks: "why did our cash position change?" or "what drove the cash swing?"
NOT for:
- 13-week rolling cash flow forecasting → use
cash-flow-forecast.py
- P&L variance analysis → use
pl-quick-compare.py
- AR aging / collections tracking → use
ar-collections
- Balance sheet analysis (not cash flows)
Script Location
scripts/pipelines/scf-quick-compare.py
Requirements
pip install openpyxl (already installed in workspace)- Node.js QBO client with valid auth token
- QBO credentials configured
Usage
# Current month vs. prior month (auto-detects prior)
python3 scripts/pipelines/scf-quick-compare.py \
--slug my-client \
--current-start 2026-03-01 --current-end 2026-03-31
# Explicit prior period
python3 scripts/pipelines/scf-quick-compare.py \
--slug my-client \
--current-start 2026-02-01 --current-end 2026-02-28 \
--prior-start 2026-01-01 --prior-end 2026-01-31
# YTD vs prior YTD (Jan 1 → end of last completed month)
python3 scripts/pipelines/scf-quick-compare.py \
--slug my-client --ytd --year 2026
# Custom output directory
python3 scripts/pipelines/scf-quick-compare.py \
--slug my-client \
--current-start 2026-03-01 --current-end 2026-03-31 \
--out ~/Desktop/reports
# Sandbox mode (QBO sandbox environment)
python3 scripts/pipelines/scf-quick-compare.py \
--slug my-client \
--current-start 2026-03-01 --current-end 2026-03-31 \
--sandbox
Arguments
| Flag | Required | Description |
|---|
--slug | ✅ | Company slug (must be connected in qbo-client) |
--current-start | ✅* | Current period start date (YYYY-MM-DD) |
--current-end | ✅* | Current period end date (YYYY-MM-DD) |
--prior-start | ❌ | Prior period start (auto-shifts 1 month if omitted) |
--prior-end | ❌ | Prior period end (auto-shifts 1 month if omitted) |
--ytd | ✅* | YTD mode (alternative to explicit dates) |
--year | ❌ | Year for --ytd (default: current year) |
--out | ❌ | Output directory (default: ~/Desktop) |
--sandbox | ❌ | Use QBO sandbox environment |
*Either --current-start/--current-end OR --ytd is required.
Output
Excel file: SCF_QuickCompare_{slug}_{period}.xlsx saved to Desktop (or --out directory).
Tab 1: Summary
- Operating / Investing / Financing section totals (current vs prior, $ variance, % variance, F/U)
- Net Change in Cash
- Beginning and Ending Cash Balance
- SCF validation:
Operating + Investing + Financing = Net Change and Beginning + Net Change = Ending Cash
Tab 2: Detail
- Every SCF line item with hierarchy preserved
- Prior period | Current period | $ Variance | % Variance | F/U label
- Color-coded by section (Operating = blue, Investing = gold, Financing = purple)
Tab 3: ⚠ Flags
- Material variances: ≥10% change OR ≥$2,500 absolute
- Analysis note for each flagged item — plain-English explanation of what the variance likely means
- SCF-specific interpretation (AR buildup, D&A add-back, capex, debt repayment, distributions)
Tab 4: CDC Log
- Change Data Capture: compares current SCF flat map against last cached run
- First run: full snapshot saved (no deltas)
- Subsequent runs: shows exactly what line items changed since last run
- Cache location:
.cache/scf-quick-compare/{slug}.json
SCF Logic
Section Classification
The parser classifies each QBO CF row into sections by keyword matching on row names:
- Operating: net income, depreciation, amortization, AR, AP, inventory, prepaid, accrued, working capital
- Investing: equipment, property, asset, purchase, capex, investing
- Financing: loan, line of credit, note payable, distribution, equity, contribution, SAFE, financing
- Net Change: net change, net increase/decrease in cash
- Beginning/Ending Cash: beginning, ending (balance check rows)
Variance F/U Logic
For SCF: positive delta = Favorable (more cash generated/retained vs prior).
This is directionally correct for all sections — the goal is always more net cash.
Balance Validation
Net Change = Operating + Investing + Financing (≤$1 tolerance)
Ending Cash = Beginning Cash + Net Change (≤$1 tolerance)
Both checks run on both periods and displayed in the Summary tab.
YTD Mode
--ytd: Current = Jan 1 → end of last completed month. Prior = same date range in prior year.
Example: run on March 17, 2026 → Current = Jan 1 – Feb 28, 2026 | Prior = Jan 1 – Feb 28, 2025.
Analysis Notes (Flags Tab)
The Flags tab includes an Analysis Note column with SCF-specific interpretation for each material variance:
| Item | Note logic |
|---|
| Net Income | Profitability driver — directs to P&L for root cause |
| Depreciation / Amortization | Non-cash add-back explanation |
| Accounts Receivable | AR buildup (cash tied up) vs. collection acceleration |
| Accounts Payable | AP extension (cash benefit) vs. paydown (cash use) |
| Inventory | Buildup (cash use) vs. drawdown (cash release) |
| Equipment / CapEx | Strategic capex alert — verify against growth plan |
| Loan proceeds / repayments | Debt structure activity — review debt schedule |
| Distributions | Owner draw alert — verify cash availability |
| SAFE / Equity | Cap table activity — verify with investor records |
| Net Change | Overall cash generation summary |
CDC Cache
.cache/scf-quick-compare/{slug}.json
Stores the flat map of all SCF line names → amounts for the most recent run. On re-run, diffs against the prior cache and shows exactly what changed. Useful for catching mid-month QBO adjustments or reconciliation entries.
Decimal Math
All calculations use Python Decimal with ROUND_HALF_UP — no floating-point rounding errors in financial outputs.
