The Ledger

Automated Technologies Could Be the Key to Agility

Today more than ever, finance teams are examining how agile methodologies can improve productivity, reduce market entry time for products, and increase profitability.  One of the ways that finance departments can improve their agility is through the adoption of new technologies that offer many opportunities to automate repetitive and manual departmental or enterprise-wide processes. When applied to these types of problems and scaled across multiple sites or groups, large cost savings and additional process improvement benefits can be achieved. These savings can help the finance team become more agile and focused on higher-value-added work, resulting in improved performance and job satisfaction.

Read More at Strategic Finance Magazine >

New Research Proves the Need for a Collaborative Platform for Financial Planning

According to a new study by Ventana Research, one of the C-suite’s top struggles is gaining clear, up-to-date information to support strategic business decisions – typically the result of disparate technologies and siloed departments. ERP systems can only provide a certain level of detail and collaboration, so businesses need a platform that can link data and provide management with a single source of the truth. Plans can reflect both operational and financial data to create hybrid key performance indicators, far more valuable for decision support than isolated KPIs. All businesses know that data is power, but the must understand that it’s access to actionable data insights that determines the competitive edge. Linking information greatly improves planning results and leveraging dynamic technologies to do so improves overall business agility.

Read More at The Digitalist by SAP >

Why You Need the Right Tools to Build an Intelligent Enterprise

Modern businesses are leveraging advanced technologies that are the driving force for rethinking how business is done and remaining competitive. To build an intelligent enterprise, businesses must make sure they are choosing the right platform that will accelerate their speed of delivery and drive better business outcomes both for their customers and themselves. As the pace of innovation quickens, speed and agility are essential for companies to stay relevant and compete effectively.

Read More at The Digitalist by SAP >

Better Decisions with Transparent Costing and Profitability Insights

“With companies under pressure to improve profitability, many seek higher levels of transparency into financial performance to uncover insights that can enhance decision-making and create value.”

Business leaders need actionable analytics to recommend actions that improve the bottom line; such as adjusting pricing, reducing product costs, and rationalizing unprofitable products or services. However, many companies rely on two-dimensional reports featuring a significant amount of words and numbers to facilitate a discussion or communicate a point. But in many cases, the information lends itself to more questions, requiring iterative versions to provide the answers.

Read More at The Wall Street Journal >