Finance Transformation Advisory

Understanding where you are and where you need to go. We assess your current finance technology landscape, identify gaps and inefficiencies, and develop a multi-year roadmap that delivers business value incrementally rather than requiring massive upfront investment.

What our assessments cover:

• Current state analysis: Systems inventory, integration architecture, data flows, manual processes, and pain points
• Capability gaps: Where your technology doesn't support business requirements or strategic initiatives
• Opportunity prioritization: ROI-driven ranking of potential improvements based on business impact and implementation effort
• Platform evaluation: Honest assessment of whether to upgrade, replace, or optimize existing systems
• Risk assessment: Technical debt, data quality issues, and dependencies that could derail transformation
• Cost modeling: Realistic budget estimates including software, implementation, and change management

Our roadmaps are practical, not aspirational: We design phased approaches that deliver value every quarter while building toward long-term vision. Each phase is independently valuable, so if budget or priorities shift, you're not left with half-built solutions.

Typical deliverables: Current state assessment, capability gap analysis, prioritized opportunity backlog, 3-year transformation roadmap, phase 1 detailed plan, vendor evaluation criteria, and budget model.

Timeline: 3-4 weeks for comprehensive assessment and roadmap development.

Every vendor says they can do everything. We know what they actually can do. Our advisors have implemented Vena, Adaptive, Anaplan, OneStream, Workday Adaptive Planning, Board, and others. We've built on Azure, AWS, and Snowflake. We know where each platform excels and where it struggles.

Our evaluation approach:

• Requirements definition: Translate business needs into technical evaluation criteria that vendors can't talk their way around
• Vendor shortlisting: Narrow the field to 2-3 realistic options based on your specific requirements and constraints
• RFP development: Create scenarios and test cases that reveal platform limitations before you sign contracts
• Demo facilitation: We attend vendor demos and ask the hard questions about integration, scalability, and implementation
• Reference checking: Talk to actual users about what worked and what didn't, not just vendor-selected success stories
• TCO analysis: Full cost comparison including licensing, implementation, training, ongoing support, and hidden costs

What makes our guidance different: We've actually implemented these platforms dozens of times. We know which vendor promises are real and which are vaporware. We know which integrations work smoothly and which require custom code. We know which implementations finish on time and which drag on.

Recent evaluations:

• Healthcare system: EPM platform selection (evaluated 5 platforms, recommended Vena for financial consolidation + operational planning needs)
• Manufacturing company: BI platform evaluation (compared Power BI, Tableau, Qlik based on Azure data infrastructure and mobile requirements)
• Mining company: Data platform vendor selection (Azure Synapse vs Databricks vs Snowflake for multi-source integration)

We've walked away from vendor commissions when they conflicted with the right recommendation. While we maintain partnerships with leading platforms, we've repeatedly recommended solutions where we earn less (or nothing) because they better fit the client's needs. Our reputation depends on you succeeding, not on maximizing our commission.

Timeline: 2-3 weeks for vendor evaluation and selection recommendation.

Automating broken processes just makes you fail faster. Before implementing new technology, we help you redesign processes to eliminate waste, reduce handoffs, and clarify accountability. Then we implement systems that support these improved processes.

Our process optimization methodology:

• Process discovery: Map current workflows through observation, interviews, and system analysis (not just what people say they do)
• Waste identification: Find redundant steps, unnecessary approvals, manual rework, and bottlenecks
• Root cause analysis: Understand why inefficiencies exist (usually workarounds for system limitations or unclear ownership)
• Future state design: Redesign processes leveraging technology capabilities while maintaining necessary controls
• Change impact assessment: Identify who's affected, what changes, and how to manage the transition
• Implementation planning: Phased rollout that proves value quickly while minimizing disruption

Common process improvement areas:

• Month-end close: Reduce cycle time through automation, parallel processing, and variance analysis improvements
• Planning & forecasting: Eliminate spreadsheet churn through centralized systems with workflow management
• Management reporting: Replace manual report assembly with automated dashboards and exception-based narratives
• Intercompany transactions: Automate reconciliation and eliminate matching errors through systematic approaches
• Capital planning: Streamline request, approval, and tracking processes with proper integration to project management

Recent process optimization projects:

• Technology company: Reduced FP&A planning cycle from 6 weeks to 2 weeks through process redesign and Vena implementation
• Healthcare system: Cut month-end close from 15 days to 7 days by redesigning journal entry workflow and automating reconciliations
• Manufacturing company: Eliminated 80% of manual reporting through dashboard implementation and exception-based reporting

Timeline: 4-6 weeks for process assessment and redesign, then technology implementation as separate phase.

Everyone's talking about AI. Few understand where it actually creates value in finance. We help you separate genuine opportunities from hype, focusing on AI applications that solve real business problems with measurable ROI.

Our AI readiness assessment:

• Data readiness: Evaluate whether your data quality, integration, and governance support AI initiatives
• Use case identification: Find specific processes where AI can reduce manual work, improve accuracy, or enable new capabilities
• Technology evaluation: Assess AI-enabled features in your existing platforms (Vena Copilot, Power BI AI, Azure AI) vs custom solutions
• ROI modeling: Quantify expected benefits against implementation costs and ongoing maintenance
• Risk assessment: Understand data privacy, accuracy, and compliance considerations
• Implementation roadmap: Phased approach starting with high-value, low-risk opportunities

Practical AI applications we've implemented:

• Natural language Q&A: Enable business users to query financial data conversationally (Power BI AI, custom agents)
• Anomaly detection: Automatically flag unusual transactions or variances for review during close process
• Forecasting automation: ML-powered revenue and cash flow forecasts with confidence intervals
• Document processing: Extract data from invoices, contracts, and reports using OCR and LLMs
• Planning assistance: AI agents that help users with Vena formulas, data entry, and variance explanations
• Report generation: Automated narrative generation for management reports and board presentations

What we DON'T recommend: AI for the sake of AI. If a simple rule-based system solves your problem, we'll tell you that. AI adds complexity and requires ongoing maintenance. It's only worth it when the value clearly exceeds the cost.

Our approach starts small: Pilot one high-value use case, prove the ROI, learn what works, then scale to additional applications. No massive AI transformations that take years and deliver nothing.

Timeline: 2-3 weeks for AI readiness assessment and opportunity identification, then phased implementation.

Implementation partners work for themselves first, you second. Even with the best vendors, projects drift off scope, timelines slip, and quality suffers without independent oversight. We serve as your technical advisor throughout implementation, holding vendors accountable.

What implementation oversight includes:

• Project kickoff: Validate project plan, deliverables, and success criteria before work begins
• Regular checkpoint reviews: Attend key project meetings to ensure progress and catch issues early
• Deliverable validation: Review designs, configurations, and deliverables against requirements
• Change request evaluation: Assess whether change requests are legitimate scope additions or vendor failures
• Testing oversight: Ensure testing is comprehensive and issues are properly resolved before go-live
• Go-live support: Provide independent technical guidance during critical deployment periods

Why you need independent oversight:

• Vendors have incentive to cut corners: Fixed-price contracts encourage minimal viable delivery
• Your team lacks time: Internal resources are already overloaded with day jobs
• You need technical expertise: Understanding what's actually being built requires implementation experience
• Early issues compound: Design flaws identified in week 2 save months of rework later
• Scope creep works both ways: Vendors try to expand scope (more fees) while delivering less than promised

Our oversight approach:

• Weekly project checkpoint meetings (1-2 hours)
• Review of key deliverables (design docs, configurations, test plans)
• Direct communication channel for your project manager
• Monthly status reports to leadership with independent assessment
• Escalation support when vendors aren't delivering

Recent oversight engagements:

• Manufacturing company: Provided oversight for $500K Vena implementation (caught scope gaps early, ensured quality delivery)
• Healthcare system: Independent review of $1M+ ERP integration (identified missing requirements, prevented go-live issues)
• Technology company: Oversight for Azure data platform build (validated architecture decisions, prevented costly rework)

Investment: Typically 5-10% of implementation budget for oversight that often prevents issues costing 20-30% in delays and rework.

The best technology fails if users don't adopt it. We design and deliver change management programs that prepare your organization for transformation, train users effectively, and ensure new systems become part of daily workflow.

Our change management approach:

• Stakeholder analysis: Identify who's impacted, their concerns, and their influence on success
• Impact assessment: Understand how roles, responsibilities, and daily work will change
• Communication planning: Develop messaging and timing for different audiences (executives, managers, end users)
• Resistance management: Proactively address concerns and objections before they derail implementation
• Champion network: Identify and enable power users who can support peers
• Adoption tracking: Monitor usage and satisfaction to catch issues early

Training and enablement services:

• Role-based training: Different sessions for executives, managers, power users, and casual users
• Hands-on workshops: Practice with real scenarios and data, not just demo walkthroughs
• Documentation: User guides, quick reference cards, and FAQ resources
• Office hours: Scheduled support sessions post-launch for questions and troubleshooting
• Train-the-trainer: Enable internal resources to support ongoing training needs
• Video tutorials: Self-serve learning resources for new users and refreshers

What differentiates our approach: We focus on business outcomes, not just system features. Training covers not just "how to click the buttons" but "how your job changes and why it's better." We prepare people for the transition, not just the technology.

Typical adoption outcomes:

• 80-90% active usage within 3 months (vs 40-60% without change management)
• Faster time to proficiency (users productive in weeks, not months)
• Fewer support tickets (comprehensive training reduces confusion)
• Higher satisfaction scores (people understand value and feel confident)

Change management is not optional. Budget 10-15% of project cost for proper enablement. The alternative is a technically successful implementation that business never adopts.

Implementation success doesn't end at go-live. Finance teams often lack the capacity or specialized expertise to fully optimize their EPM platforms after implementation. We provide ongoing managed services that combine operational support with continuous improvement—acting as an extension of your finance team.

What makes our managed services different:

• Operational support: Handle month-end troubleshooting, model maintenance, user support, and system administration so your team can focus on analysis
• Continuous improvement: Proactively identify optimization opportunities, implement enhancements, and expand platform capabilities as your needs evolve
• Business partner, not just support: We understand your business context and finance processes, not just the technical platform
• Flexible capacity: Scale support up during peak periods (budget season, year-end close) and down during quieter months
• Knowledge transfer: We document everything and train your team, building internal capability over time rather than creating dependency

Typical managed services activities:

• Month-end/quarter-end support: Monitor loads, troubleshoot errors, validate consolidations
• Model enhancements: Add new cost centers, update allocation logic, create new reports
• User support: Handle questions, resolve issues, provide guidance on best practices
• System administration: Manage security, optimize performance, implement platform updates
• Integration maintenance: Monitor data flows, adjust mappings as source systems change
• Process improvements: Identify and implement workflow optimizations based on usage patterns
• Strategic planning: Quarterly reviews to assess platform utilization and identify expansion opportunities

Engagement models: We offer flexible retainer structures based on your needs—from light-touch advisory (4-8 hours/month) to dedicated operational support (40+ hours/month). Most clients start with higher support post-implementation and reduce over time as internal capabilities mature.

Real client scenario: A mining company implemented Vena for financial consolidation and operational planning. Post-implementation, we provide 20 hours/month of managed services: handling their month-end close support, implementing quarterly model enhancements, and providing strategic guidance on expanding the platform to additional use cases. Their finance team gets enterprise-grade EPM support without hiring a dedicated FTE.

Why clients choose managed services: Hiring a full-time EPM specialist ($90K-$130K + benefits) often doesn't make sense when you need deep expertise but not 40 hours per week. Our managed services give you on-demand access to implementation-level expertise at a fraction of the cost.