Which spreadsheet is current? Check its approval record

A file named FINAL can still leave an important question unanswered: final for which task? Before using a spreadsheet for a handover, match its revision to the record that says which version is approved for that use.

Your outcome: given two files and a short approval record, choose the supported revision or identify the missing information before proceeding.

You only need to read the fictional file labels and notes below. There is no software to install, and you do not need access to workplace files. Every filename, revision and approval in this article is invented for the exercise.

Start with the job you need to do

Imagine you are preparing a demonstration handover. You have two copies of a sample cash log:

File	Revision shown inside	Status shown inside
CashLog_FINAL.xlsx	Revision 03	Approved for demonstration handover
CashLog_review.xlsx	Revision 04	Under review

Revision 04 includes a proposed change to the explanatory notes. It was modified after revision 03. You have also been given this fictional handover record:

Demonstration cash-log handover: revision 03 is approved for use on 22 September 2026. Revision 04 remains under review. Approval recorded by the designated demonstration approver.

Your task is to prepare the approved handover, not to review the proposed changes. That distinction gives “current” a useful meaning: the revision currently approved for this particular job.

Ask three short questions

Which revision? Identify the revision in the file itself. In this example, the approved record names revision 03, and the first file contains revision 03. The filename alone would not establish that match.

Approved for what use? Read the scope of the decision. Here, approval covers a demonstration handover. It says nothing about using the sample to run a real business or treating it as an approved financial report.

Where is that recorded? Find the decision that connects the revision to the intended use. Our example provides a handover record. In your own work, use the record and approval route your team actually recognizes.

The supported choice is revision 03 for this handover. Preserve revision 04 as the review copy. Choosing revision 03 for this task does not require deleting newer work or pretending that the proposed changes do not exist.

Explain the choice in one sentence

A useful explanation would be:

I am using revision 03 for the demonstration handover because the handover record approves that revision for this use; revision 04 is still under review.

Notice how much that sentence tells the next person. It identifies the revision, the purpose and the evidence. “I picked the final one” would leave all three unclear.

Newer edits can be useful while still awaiting a decision. A filename containing “approved” can also be misleading if its contents and the recognized record do not agree. Treat the labels as clues to check together.

If you were asked to review the proposed changes instead, revision 04 would be the relevant review copy. It would still be under review. The task changes which file you need; it does not automatically change the file’s approval status.

Try the changed case

Use the same two files, but replace the detailed handover record with this message:

Cash log approved. Please prepare the handover.

The message gives no revision number. You cannot tell which attachment the approver saw.

Before reading on, decide:

1. Can you establish which revision is approved for this handover?
2. What exact information would resolve the uncertainty?
3. What could you prepare while waiting, without representing either file as approved?

Write a short response using the fictional details. Avoid choosing a version simply because its name looks more finished.

Check your reasoning

The evidence is insufficient to select an approved revision. The message may refer to either file. Neither the higher revision number nor the word FINAL resolves that missing connection.

A precise clarification would be:

Please confirm whether revision 03 or revision 04 is approved for the demonstration handover, and identify the approved copy.

While waiting, you could prepare a neutral handover checklist, record both candidate revisions and note that the version decision is pending. Keep both files intact. The missing decision limits the handover, not every useful preparation step.

Apply the habit to your own files

This exercise teaches a small evidence check. It does not replace your team’s document-control rules or establish whether a real approver has authority. Some work does not require formal approval; follow the process appropriate to the task.

For the next file you need to use, be ready to complete this sentence: “I chose this revision for this purpose because this record supports it.” If one part is missing, identify that gap before presenting the choice as settled.

Then practise a different kind of check in Money in, money out: once you have the right file, can you explain why its total is correct?