Factor: Finance Function Improvement

This factor revolves around the extent to which financial professionals have the ability and the skills to improve their function. The associated characteristics are:

• improvement measures in the finance function are monitored and evaluated using performance indicators;
• the implementation of improvements is tackled in a structured manner in the finance function;
• the financial professionals have been able to spend sufficient time in the past year on making their activities more effective and efficient;
• and the implementation of improvements in the finance function is actively encouraged.

In addition, this factor contains a characteristic that is aimed at increasing the process knowledge in the finance function: in the finance function, processes are carried out as uniformly as possible and in one place, so that expertise about these processes is bundled.

Finally, there is a characteristic that describes an activity that makes line managers less dependent on the finance function for assistance in finance-related matters while, at the same time, giving the finance function more time for more complex tasks; this is achieved through the use of financial self-service by managers in the organization. “Self-service” means that line managers can prepare their own reports without assistance from the finance function.