Digital Transformation is the Top Priority For Corporate Finance in 2022, But Obstacles, Including Inflation, Growing Productivity and Efficiency Gaps, May

George T. Taft

The Hackett Group’s Finance Vital Difficulties Investigation Identifies Priorities and Troubles for 2022

MIAMI & LONDON, May 05, 2022–(Enterprise WIRE)–Digital transformation is now the top rated precedence for finance in 2022, in accordance to new Finance Essential Issues investigation from The Hackett Team, Inc. (NASDAQ: HCKT). But finance executives’ self-confidence in their capability to meet organization expectations is very low, in aspect because of to technological innovation and process complexity and expertise deficits. Mounting finance workload combined with declining budgets and headcount will also develop efficiency and efficiency gaps that are probable to restrict the means of finance to meet its 2022 goals.

The entire research, “The Finance Agenda: 2022 Important Troubles,” is accessible on a complimentary basis, with registration, from The Hackett Group® at this website link: http://go.poweredbyhackett.com/22finkey2201sm. Crucial results from the exploration consist of:

Inflation a Major Worry – With inflation accelerating to 7.9% in February 2022 and projected to persist into the foreseeable long term, several corporations ended up caught by shock and are now scrambling to comprehend the affect on their business enterprise, and produce responses to regulate the hazard. In The Hackett Group’s Finance Crucial Difficulties Study, conducted in Q4 of 2021, 31% of respondents cited inflation as a main problem and another 53% cited it as a reasonable issue. The present-day inflationary natural environment was induced by a confluence of factors that can be traced back to the pandemic: pent up desire, supply chain disruption, labor current market disruption, free monetary plan and fiscal stimulus. The unfolding conflict in Ukraine has added extra uncertainty to business conditions and could accelerate inflation by bigger power and commodity price ranges. Corporations that are agile and nicely-outfitted to answer to the disruption can switch their advantage into real financial acquire. That will demand very good examination and coordination.

Digital Transformation Now the Prime Priority – Electronic transformation has now turn into finance’s major priority, with numerous of the function’s top rated priorities dependent on the skill to speed up it. But executives’ assurance in the capability to fulfill business enterprise expectations is small, with precise cited problems that consist of technology and approach complexity, capabilities deficiencies, and organizational resistance to transform. Finance executives are putting emphasis on bettering analytical, modeling and reporting capabilities with 86% of businesses citing this as a essential or substantial precedence. Also, finance will have to be prepared to make investments in systems, such as cloud, robotic method automation, analytics and other people to decrease cost and produce new abilities. About two-thirds of all finance companies are also increasing approach automation, when in excess of a person-50 percent have an initiative to grow the use of self-support applications.

Budgets and Staffing Keep on to Tighten – Finance companies encounter ongoing emphasis on greater cost performance in 2022, with workload anticipated to maximize by practically 5% even though budgets and head counts are declining by .7% and .6%, respectively, the review observed. Finance is counting on engineering and company shipping model advancements, such as facilities of excellence and international business expert services, to bridge the productivity and efficiency gaps. In general, charge reduction moved down the precedence record by 4 places to sixth position in 2022, as companies have navigated the pandemic and extracted price savings. But it stays a key priority, and might rebound in significance if inflation carries on to speed up in 2022.

A few Crucial Areas for Growth – In three of the top rated 10 precedence regions, there are sizeable gaps involving their value and finance’s potential to meet anticipations. The 3 priorities with the greatest gaps are: accelerating finance digital transformation up skilling and retaining finance talent in the facial area of the “Wonderful Resignation” and enabling finance agility by fostering a nimble way of thinking.

Talent/Upskilling on the Increase – In the facial area of the “Excellent Resignation,” finance businesses are considering critically about constructing the future-era workforce. If finance is to attain its target of getting to be a additional powerful strategic advisor to the organization, it need to get or develop new techniques in parts, this sort of as teamwork and collaboration, and evolve business enterprise and sector acumen. The objective of aligning expertise and talent with evolving small business requirements moved up various spots in the 2022 Finance Critical Difficulties Research. Practically 50 percent of all corporations have plans to receive new capabilities and talent – considerably far more than other prepared workforce initiatives. Offered the challenges that companies are going through in discovering candidates with the appropriate expertise and at the appropriate price tag, there will also be a premium on retaining present employees. Pandemic-brought on disruption and accelerated electronic transformation are also sparking a reevaluation of the finance operating design, with 30% of the finance workforce predicted to operate from property by the close of 2022, and a further 52% relying on a hybrid arrangement.

Strengthening Organization Partnering – Acting as a strategic advisor to the business enterprise is now the variety two priority for finance, demanding an emphasis on organization partnering, the exploration identified. Just about 60% of finance organizations have a 2022 initiative intended to improve the conversation design between finance and organization stakeholders, generating it one of the most commonplace finance initiatives of any variety. In between just one-3rd and a person-50 percent of finance organizations also have initiatives aimed at bolstering unique small business partnering capabilities, and approximately a person-third program to devote full-time personnel to small business partnering. The focus on business enterprise partnering will be essential to acquiring other finance priorities, including optimizing doing the job cash, and enhancing regulate and compliance capabilities. It is also vital for taking care of inflation hazard.

ESG Accounting a Developing Problem – T
he environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda is quickly getting a strategic precedence for numerous companies, and this has much-achieving implications for finance organizations. The investigate located that even though a lot more than 60% rank the want to acquire and help ESG technique as critical, only 32% charge their means to satisfy business enterprise wants in this area as “superior.” As reporting and disclosure expectations go on to emerge, finance must consider how well prepared it is to support foreseeable future necessities from a individuals, procedure and technological know-how perspective. Finance also has an important purpose to play in serving to their firms comprehend the monetary implications affiliated with ESG-connected plans and initiatives. Finance businesses need to make their abilities in financial preparing and examination (FP&A), forecasting, compliance, and statutory and administration reporting obtainable to the group in purchase to guidance the ESG method and execution of operational strategies.

The Hackett Group’s 2022 Vital Challenges analysis is based on success gathered from more than 250 executives in IT, finance, HR, procurement, supply chain, and worldwide business expert services at a global set of midsized and significant enterprises.

About The Hackett Group

The Hackett Team, Inc. (NASDAQ: HCKT) is an mental assets-dependent strategic consultancy and major enterprise benchmarking agency to international firms, featuring digital transformation, together with implementation of foremost business cloud apps, workflow automation and analytics that help Digital Earth Class general performance.

Drawing from our unparalleled IP from just about 20,000 benchmark research with the world’s primary businesses – like 97% of the Dow Jones Industrials, 94% of the Fortune 100, 70% of the DAX 30 and 51% of the FTSE 100 – captured through our leading benchmarking platform, Quantum Leap® and our Digital Transformation System (DTP), we speed up ideal-practice implementations.

Much more facts on The Hackett Team is readily available at: www.thehackettgroup.com, facts@thehackettgroup.com, or by calling (770) 225-3600.

The Hackett Group, quadrant logo, World Class Defined and Enabled, and Quantum Leap are the registered marks of The Hackett Group.

Cautionary Statement Regarding “Forward-Seeking” Statements

This release contains “ahead-looking” statements in just the meaning of Area 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 as amended and Segment 21E of the Securities Trade Act of 1934, as amended. Statements like without having limitation, terms this sort of as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “programs,” “believes,” seeks,” “estimates,” or other similar phrases or variations of this sort of phrases or identical expressions indicating, current or foreseeable future expected or expected occurrences or outcomes are supposed to establish this sort of ahead-seeking statements. Ahead-looking statements are not statements of historic reality and contain regarded and not known threats, uncertainties and other factors that may induce the Company’s precise benefits, performance or achievements to be materially different from the benefits, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the ahead-looking statements. Factors that might impact such ahead-on the lookout statements consist of without having limitation, the skill of The Hackett Group to properly market place its digital transformation and other consulting expert services, level of competition from other consulting and engineering firms that may have or develop in the potential, similar choices, the business viability of The Hackett Team and its expert services as effectively as other risk detailed in The Hackett Group’s experiences submitted with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The Hackett Team does not undertake any obligation to update this release or any forward-looking statements contained herein.

Look at source edition on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/dwelling/20220505005707/en/

Contacts

Gary Baker, Global Communications Director – (917) 796-2391 or gbaker@thehackettgroup.com

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