In a recent Deloitte Center for ControllershipTM poll of more than 1,700 finance, accounting and other professionals, 52.8 percent say their organizations plan digital controllership improvements—leveraging process automation, analytics and other technologies for financial and accounting processes—in the year ahead. Using finance and accounting robotic process automation (RPA) to increase efficiency and internal controls is the top priority for such efforts (34.7 percent). https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/press-releases/finance-accounting-robotic-process-automation-priority-for-digital-controllership-2018-deloitte

1. Process automation:
What it means for the future of controllership
Deloitte poll results from December 2017

2. 2Process automation: What it means for the future of controllershipCopyright © 2018 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.
Methodology
1,720+ professionals participated in a Deloitte
Center for ControllershipTM Dbriefs webcast, “Process
automation: What it means for the future of
controllership,” on Dec. 8, 2017 about their
controllership functions and the digitization thereof.
Respondents largely work in accounting (47.7
percent) and finance (25.4 percent). Answer rates
differed by question.

3. 3Process automation: What it means for the future of controllershipCopyright © 2018 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.
Votes received: 4,004
During the next 12 months, will your organization drive Digital
Controllership improvement (e.g. digital core, process
automation and analytics & insights)?
Yes - we will
begin
developing
our strategy
Yes - we are
executing
projects /
initiatives
No - we have
competing
initiatives that are
taking precedent
YES=52.8%
NO=21.1%
33.9%
18.9% 21.1%
Don’t know/NA= 26%

4. 4Process automation: What it means for the future of controllershipCopyright © 2018 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.
24.4
%
Digital core
Enhancing our financial systems
and improving data architecture
20.8
%
Votes received: 4,014
What is your organization’s top priority in terms of driving
improvement in Digital Controllership?
Don’t know/NA= 20.2%
34.7%
Process automation
Increasing efficiency and internal
control with robotic process
automation, cognitive and other
technology enablers
Analytics & insights
Capturing value through visual
analytics, risk sensing and other
analytical applications
Process complexity HIGHLOW

5. 5Process automation: What it means for the future of controllershipCopyright © 2018 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.
Votes received: 4,026
Which do you think would be the biggest benefit of having a
digital controllership in your organization?
Improved internal controls by testing
wider sets of data and reducing human
error
Improved talent resource allocation
toward higher value, strategic work by
reducing manual, repetitive work
Improved visibility into future risks
and opportunities through testing of
wider data sets and talent able to
analyze trends and anomalies
23.5%
40.5%
16.9%
Don’t know/NA= 19.1%

6. 6Process automation: What it means for the future of controllershipCopyright © 2018 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.
Votes received: 1,720
Which do you think would be the biggest challenge to building a
digital controllership in your organization?
Retraining existing controllership talent to leverage
technologies including robotic process automation,
cognitive computing and visual analytics to address
financial risk, provide performance-driving insights and
inform strategy
Shifting organizational perception of controllership from
financial steward to that of value driver
Securing C-suite and board support to invest in robotic
process automation, cognitive computing and visual
analytics for the controllership
22.1%
23.3%
16.3%
16%
Changing organizational cultural bias against technology
(i.e., if robots/computers do x, we we’ll be eliminating
work for humans to perform)
Don’t know/NA= 22.4%

7. 7Process automation: What it means for the future of controllershipCopyright © 2018 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.
Votes received: 3,629
How would your organization measure success and justify the
cost of process automation?
Increased
operational
efficiency
33.1%
Enhanced
analytical &
reporting
capabilities
15.1%
Improved
internal
controls
6%
Reduced costs
25.7% Improved
data &
document
management
4.9%
Don’t know/NA= 15.2%

8. 8Process automation: What it means for the future of controllershipCopyright © 2018 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.
Media contact
Shelley Pfaendler
Public Relations
Deloitte Services LP
spfaendler@deloitte.com
Full press release available on Deloitte.com

9. The statements in this report reflect the aggregation of poll responses and are not intended to reflect facts or opinions of
any entities. All data, charts and statistics referenced and presented, as well as the representations made and opinions
expressed, unless specifically described otherwise, pertain only to the participants and their responses to the Deloitte poll.
The information obtained during the poll was taken “as is” and was not validated or confirmed by Deloitte.
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Copyright © 2018 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.