How could Xero improve the new Xero Workpapers solution?

We are experiencing a significant workflow issue with the layout and functionality of A1 – Financial Statements & Tax Return in the new Xero Workpapers.

How We Used This Section in the Previous Workpaper Pack

In the previous version, this section functioned as our final review and sign-off hub. It included structured default notes such as:

Financial Statements

Company/Trust Tax Return

Individual Tax Returns

Final Email to Client

This setup allowed us to:

Upload final versions of each document

Review each document individually

Add review notes directly against that specific document

Tick off and approve each item only once it was fully reviewed and ready to be sent to the client

Maintain a clear audit trail of what had been reviewed and approved

This structure was critical to our internal quality control process.

Current Limitation in the New Workpaper Pack

In the new workpaper pack under the same section (A1 – Financial Statements & Tax Return), the functionality appears to be limited to document uploads only.

Once a document is uploaded, the only available actions are:

Rename the document

Delete the document

Make the document permanent

There is no ability to:

Add review notes against a specific uploaded document

Track review comments at a document level

Approve individual final documents

Clearly distinguish which documents have been reviewed versus simply uploaded

If we need to provide review feedback, we must create a general “Review Point” and manually specify which document the comment relates to. This creates several issues:

Review points are disconnected from the actual document

There is no document-level approval workflow

It reduces clarity for staff

It weakens our internal quality control and review tracking

It increases the risk of documents being sent without proper documented approval

Why This Matters

For our firm, A1 is the final control point before documents are sent to clients for review and signing. The previous structure supported:

Strong quality assurance

Clear accountability

Efficient partner review

Audit-ready documentation

Reduced risk of errors

The current layout removes that structured control layer and replaces it with a basic document storage function.

Suggested Improvements

We would strongly recommend:

Reintroducing structured default notes within A1 (e.g. Financial Statements, Tax Return, ITRs, Final Email).

Allowing review notes to be attached directly to individual uploaded documents.

Adding document-level approval functionality (e.g. “Reviewed” / “Approved” status per document).

Providing clearer visibility of review progress at a document level.

The previous workflow supported strong governance and professional standards. The current setup materially reduces our ability to manage review quality efficiently.

We would greatly appreciate this being reconsidered as a priority improvement.