The Perfect finance function

Imagine a finance function, with perfect symmetry.

Where finance sub functions and people underlying the coveted designations perform their duties in perfect harmony. Where every cog knows its role, expectations in the value chain or lack thereof.

Like a sweet note arising from a single flute, collectively bringing together a symphony to an orchestra.

Like a single imperfect firefly engaging in a midnight waltz to add life to the midnight sky.

Like a perfect rhyme scheme in a prose adding meaning, essence and completeness to a poem.

Vendors, appreciative of your organization for the timely clearances of fair dues, honoring your word, engaging in proactive, timely dialogue, articulating valuable and accurate information at all times.

Interacting department customers, appreciative of analytics from pricing & sales strategy. Enabling them to draw smart and timely decisions from the granularity & completeness of MIS reporting. Delivering apt depth from analytics and optimizing management focus on the perfect balance between value maximization and cost optimization.

Regulators, business owners and financiers, appreciative of accuracy & completeness of reporting. Not to miss, faster reporting resulting from thoughtful designing of chart of accounts/ financial statement nodes and sub nodes. Furthering their reliance on effective detective and preventive controls enabled across the length and breadth of all finance touch points.

Employees, grateful to an organization that recognizes real, tangible usage of talent. Incentivizing design thinking, critical thinking, motivated to maximize value as opposed to daily firefighting, drowning in waves of unattended "Urgent/ Important/ Critical" emails or indulging in unproductive back and forth caused due to process and technology gaps.

Technology, enabling data availability, performing all menial tasks that run purely on logics while humans are incentivized to perform what they are best at - Think.

While the perfect finance function may be achieved in distant future, all processes interventions to facilitate it are to be made keeping the stakeholders, specially customers at the heart of every action. And while there may be a lot that has been done, the importance of communicating effectively and timely with your customers remains under emphasized.

And that is the call to action to enable your finance function's journey. "To improve, Communicate!"