Over the past 20 years, organizations have invested in modern financial consolidation software to streamline reporting and enhance the financial close process; however, over 90% still rely on spreadsheets, leading to inefficiencies and errors. The article discusses the need for organizations to adopt technology that integrates financial data more effectively, improves auditability, and ensures regulatory compliance, while also emphasizing the importance of a centralized platform for accurate financial reporting. Ultimately, to achieve a more efficient financial consolidation and reporting process, businesses must modernize their systems and focus on continuous improvement.

1. MANAGEMENT
Financial Consolidation Management
1410
For the last 20 years, organisations have invested into transformation of the entire financial consolidation
process from ERP accounting systems to financial consolidation software in order to improve the way of tackling
the challenge of Financial Close & Balance Sheet Consolidation with modern software solutions. Despite these
investments, more than 90 per cent of organisations still rely on spreadsheets to gather information from
disparate financial systems and perform variance analysis on financial statements, compiling information
from multiple sources. The requirement for transparency in financial statements is non-negotiable, and this
starts with the financial close and reporting process. Financial consolidation software solutions have certainly
improved the process, driving organisations towards a more consistent chart of accounts, and supporting
the period end processes, such as allocations and inter-company eliminations. However, when looking at the
actual activities that finance employees perform each month, it is clear that there are still significant gaps. This
article provides a realistic view of the use of technology to improve the financial close and reporting process
and achieve increased quality, accountability, auditability, efficiency and ultimately, regulatory compliance.
Support for the Financial ideally in the fewest number of days
Close possible in order to release results on
The financial closing process a timely basis.
represents a key corporate gover- Despite the importance of the
nance process and the ultimate set of financial close as a key corporate
controls over financial results. While governance process, the resources,
transactions represent the results or “toolbox,” that finance typically
of operations, it is up to finance to uses to execute this process is less
execute control reviews and analysis than strategic, and focused on filling
processes to validate transactional technology gaps, with the norm being:
information, identify potential errors • Multiple general ledgers and
or misstatements, and put the seal disparate transactional systems
of approval on financial results. For with inconsistent data structures
many organisations, the number of that must be mapped to a
information interfaces, period end consistent reporting format;
journal entries, validation and analysis • A lack of visibility to the status and
Sanjay Mehta activities, and consolidation of results execution of the closing process,
(The author is a CEO, MAIA Intelligence
equates to several hundred sequential and the related tasks and evidence
Private Limited. He can be reached at
sanjaymehta@maia_intelligence.com) steps performed to close the books, gathering performed by finance,
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2. 1411 MANAGEMENT
To date the obsession considered as well. Leading finance users, consistently
with Fast Close The water-fall process presented highlight the following areas where
velocity has been below outlines the key phases of automating the financial close drives
narrowly focused on the the financial close process at a high value and a corresponding return on
consolidation system itself — level. During each phase, and as a investment (ROI).
usually located in group finance prerequisite to moving to the next • Process improvements – fast
at the centre or corporate phase, analytic activities are performed close, real-time reporting, shorter
headquarters. Naturally, it is to validate the results. These manual, planning and re-forecasting
highly desirable that modern spreadsheet-based processes are cycles.
consolidation software is able ‘internal control’ reports that provide • Efficiency – less manual effort
to compute the group results the analysis of information required for required for reporting and
quickly. Over the years successive assurance during the financial close. analysis.
improvements in hardware This process of validating information • Reliance – more accurate and
capability together with database with manually compiled analytics is timely information available to
and software techniques time consuming, resource intensive, more users.
help in faster collation and error prone and presents critical control • Audit efficiency – reduced resource
representation of data. implications for financial reporting, requirements and cost of annual
with the knowledge of these and ultimately business decisions. and quarterly audits.
processes in the heads of just a most financial consolidation systems • Finance ownership – a solution
few employees; integrate information at a high level, that is owned by finance and easy
• Limited reporting capabilities that automate period-end activities, such as to use, with less reliance on IT.
have propagated spreadsheet- eliminations and produce summarised Although there is no agreed
based reports that house critical income statements and balance sheets definition of the ‘Fast Close’, it is
financial results which are the with limited analysis capabilities. commonly deemed as the number of
company’s “corporate records.” Detailed analysis and reporting (both days taken by companies to publish
Spreadsheets are further used to variance and management) take place their final audited accounts following
support multiple manipulations outside the consolidation system. the year end. It is, however, a broad
of the same data over and Analytic reporting – a key capability brush measure that says little about the
over to meet various reporting on which finance professionals spend efficiency of the underlying process. For
requirements, with weak controls most of their time – is missing. example, two companies that produce
as to accuracy, approvals, and
tracking of recipients.
When taking a deeper look at the
risks and opportunities within the close
process, dealing with reporting and
analysis issues is where organisations
have the best opportunity to achieve
both greater efficiency and reliability.
Optimising the Financial
Close Process
In order to optimise the financial close Modernising the Financial their results thirty days after the year
process, organisations should match Reporting Environment end are ranked equally, irrespective of
the key activities that drive the actual When a strategic goal is to modernise whether one of them uses thirty percent
close process with the technologies the financial reporting environment, the more finance resource than the other
that provide process support as well as best practice is to invest in a solution to meet the deadline.
information integration. With increased that will meet financial consolidation Another curiosity is that a
scrutiny of the financial close as a key analytic requirements, statutory benchmark focused exclusively on the
internal control process, providing financial reporting, and provide the year end, says nothing about the regular
assurance over the internal controls information platform for performance monthly or quarterly reporting cycles
that govern the close process must be management and decision support. which are the lifeblood of management
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3. MANAGEMENT 1412
reporting, performance measurement subsidiaries’ systems tightly into the The first priority
and control. Clearly, there is a need for reporting supply chain and require little for an organisation
more holistic approach which not only in the way of formal IT skills are allowing seeking to change
drives faster reporting throughout the finance functions to exert control over processes in order to maintain
year, but also underpins a process of mapping tables, data transfer and compliance is to focus on
continuous improvement. changes to charts of accounts so that improving the core systems
To date the obsession with Fast the process of harvesting data from that directly support financial
Close velocity has been narrowly reporting entities becomes depend- reporting and accuracy. This
focused on the consolidation system able and accurate. This level of means looking at the processes
itself — usually located in group automation accompanied by greater for gathering, consolidating,
finance at the centre or corporate control and visibility across the entire and reporting financial
headquarters. Naturally, it is highly organisation greatly accelerates the information results, and finding
desirable that modern consolidation process whilst simultaneously reducing improvements to deliver
software is able to compute the errors. the information in a more
group results quickly. Over the years The expectation of the User Group transparent, accurate, secure,
successive improvements in hardware is always to have a process as simple and timely manner.
capability together with database and as the Approval Process depicted results.
software techniques help in faster here, however to have best possible • ERP Systems
collation and representation of data. controls and efficiencies in the process, Enterprise Resource Planning
Collecting data from subsidiaries one need to ensure the application (ERP) and general ledger systems
has always been fraught with difficulty. provides the ease and control both are excellent for storing data and
The heterogeneous nature of many that are managed and control by the managing the transactions that
global businesses, reflected in their Finance team. support the business. Companies
diverse operational systems and The fact that statutory reporting typically have an array of ERP and
charts of account has acted as a these days has partly metamorphosed other financial and non-financial
significant drag on the Balance Sheet into a marketing exercise and a means application systems, ranging from
Consolidation (BSC) as group finance of delivering a corporate message has state-of-the art solutions to legacy
grapple with a multitude of different added to the pressures. and proprietary data systems.
systems interfaces. Even the simplest
‘mapping’ of data from local ERP to
group systems can involve extensive
manual procedures, spreadsheets,
and batch transfers of files, introducing
the potential for serious error along
every step of the way. The scope for
mistakes is also greatly magnified by
the number of entities involved and
frequent changes in group reporting
packs, brought about by management
demands and regulatory change.
The difficulty is that once erroneous Inefficacy of Current Unfortunately, ERP and general
data enters the reporting supply Consolidation Systems ledger systems are not designed to
chain, it tends to travel through the meeting the consolidation challenge easily integrate or consolidate data
process unchallenged, consuming is difficult because organisations from other sources. To produce
valuable time and resources to put use manual, inadequate, or multiple appropriate financial statements,
it right. consolidation systems for their a single aggregated view across
However, vast improvements in financials. As a result they are unable all transactional systems is
the management of data quality are to structure, control, and automate required. As well, these systems
beginning to have an impact. A new the process for internal and external do not provide all the necessary
generation of advanced ETL (Extract, reporting, and are unable to gain consolidation functionality. To
Transform and Load) tools which bind a single, accurate view of financial ensure that the closing process is
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4. 1413 MANAGEMENT
To do away with needed to calculate and track impor- the current regulatory environment,
the inefficacy of tant functions such as inter-company companies need a consolidation
Current Consolidation adjustments, business changes, and system that streamlines processes,
Systems the use of modern other journal entry changes. ensures accuracy, and helps control
software solutions becomes costs. It is essential that the system
inevitable which would lead Consolidation: The deliver in these areas:
to improved financial close First Step in Sustaining • Financial reporting from a single
and reporting process and Compliance version of the truth. Reporting must
achievement of increased The first priority for an organisation also support delivery of many styles
quality, accountability, seeking to change processes in order and types of reports – for example,
auditability, efficiency to maintain compliance is to focus producing reports across multiple
and ultimately, regulatory on improving the core systems that GAAPs – and providing a line of
compliance. All above may result directly support financial reporting and sight from management reports to
in achieving a better financial accuracy. This means looking at the financial statements.
consolidation management processes for gathering, consolidating, • Future-proofing of consolidations.
system. and reporting financial information As requirements such as IFRS enter
timely and accurate, the system results, and finding improvements the fold, systems need to be able to
must handle all the complexities to deliver the information in a more handle the different consolidation
of consolidation, such as currency transparent, accurate, secure, and and reporting complexities driven
conversion and inter-company timely manner. by common accounting standards
eliminations. What’s more, it is The goal is to have a consolidation and reporting.
not flexible enough to manage and financial reporting system that • A single, centralised platform for
the accounting of business helps businesses effectively manage all processing and calculations. It
changes such as mergers and their financials; reduce the risk factors is no longer appropriate to provide
acquisitions— in a timely manner. for errors, fraud and manipulation; supplementary processing with
• Spreadsheets lower the cost of compliance audits; multiple systems, spreadsheets,
Spreadsheet systems are widely and accelerate the closing and and people.
used for accounting and financial reporting process. • Adaptable to business change.
reporting. But multiple spread- Reliable financial data is the back- The current pace of business
sheets make each person or bone of compliance, and a robust con- requires a new degree of agility and
department an island of report solidation system provides the foun- nimbleness in finance. Companies
information. This can lead to dation for accountability. And this is the need to quickly incorporate the
duplicated effort and opens the jumping off point for delivering greater latest information for analysis or to
door to inconsistent data repre- transparency and management of identify scenarios for mergers and
sentation. Spreadsheets drive un- company performance— the broader, acquisitions. As organisations add
acceptable rates of input errors— sustainable objectives going forward. and divest new entities, financial
from data entry, re-keying, link- results must reflect these changes
failures, and cut-copy-and-paste Compliance Calls for a in a timely manner.
activities. Security of spreadsheets Better Solution
is inherently problematic, since Using manual and inadequate Conclusion
communication of information is consolidation systems creates In conclusion, to do away with the in-
via emails or shared drives. As well, inefficiencies, exposes the process efficacy of Current Consolidation Sys-
auditing of spreadsheet content is to errors, and increases compliance tems the use of modern software
virtually nonexistent, since there costs. Such systems negatively impact solutions becomes inevitable which
is no systemic ability to track who the bottom line, as businesses sacri- would lead to improved financial close
received what information or who fice performance initiatives to instead and reporting process and achieve-
made which changes to the data. direct time and resources toward fixing ment of increased quality, accountabi-
As with ERP systems, spreadsheets errors and reworking the numbers. This lity, auditability, efficiency and ultimately,
also lack sophisticated consolidation can lead to further inspections, audits, regulatory compliance. All above may
capability. They don’t have the and restating of financial statements, result in achieving a better financial
necessary level of sophistication which drive expenses even higher. In consolidation management system.n
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