Top finance functions are embarking on substantive changes to their processes and their organizational role. APQC conducted a case study research project throughout 2018 seeking best practices from organizations transforming their finance and accounting functions, and found some common themes…

APQC is engaged in current and ongoing research on planning, budgeting, and forecasting through our Open Standards Benchmarking Survey on Planning and Management Accounting. As part of our research, we look at both key performance indicators, as well as practices data, about these processes…

Invoicing and accounts receivable (AR) are core finance transactional processes that lie at the heart of an organization’s liquidity and working capital management. These two processes are flip sides of the same coin, with invoicing encompassing the activities involved in billing customers for…

Business process management is a proven operating model to help organizations reduce variability, increase standardization, and improve process performance. APQC recently interviewed the Global Credit-to-Cash Process Owner at Minnesota-based Cargill Inc., a multinational food, agriculture,…

Accounts receivable (AR) is a core finance transactional process that lies at the heart of an organization’s liquidity and working capital management. APQC takes a process-based view in order to facilitate benchmarking and process improvement, and defines the AR process as all of the important…

More and more, APQC is hearing talk of “the rise of the analytics competency” and the importance of finance professionals to develop knowledge, skills, and competencies not only in their operational finance areas (accounting, planning, auditing, internal controls, etc.), but also in analytics and…

While no organization likes to admit that a certain percentage of their customer receivables may at some time become overdue, and some even become uncollectible, the reality is that it happens to most organizations. In fact, according to APQC’s Open Standards Benchmarking (OSB) Database on Accounts…

A core finance process, accounts payable (AP) involves all of the essential activities of an organization to pay its suppliers. As one of the primary organizational candidates for early automation, AP is ripe for innovation through process improvement and automation. These improvements can liberate…

As many of the readers may be aware, APQC was foundational in the establishment of the Malcom Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA), and helped to develop the concept, criteria, funds, and ultimately secure Congressional approval for this award in 1985. Since that award’s establishment, more than…

There are many benefits that organizations can realize by leveraging a shared services delivery model for finance transaction processing, such as increased efficiencies, reduced costs, and increased productivity. For example, consider the following efficiency and cost metrics for the overall…