According to The Hackett Group's latest Finance Key Issues Study, workload is set to rise by 4.1% this year, yet staffing and operating budgets will decline by 0.8%. The result: a 4.9% productivity gap that finance organizations must urgently address.
Hackett’s benchmarking data highlights striking differences between “Digital World Class” organizations and their peers. Top performers automate an average of 98.84% of order-to-cash processes — compared with just 64.52% for the rest — and achieve significantly faster cycle times and stronger working capital performance.
The study also identifies finance leaders’ top priorities for 2025, with liquidity optimization, working capital improvement, and operational efficiency leading the list. Meeting these goals will require both technological investment and new operating models that balance automation with strategic decision-making.
For those interested in exploring these findings in more depth, the Hackett Spotlight Report offers detailed benchmarks, case data, and recommended actions.
A related webinar, “Closing the Finance Efficiency Gap with AI & Automation”, will take place on 17 September 2025, hosted by CICM.
You can find more information here: Event details.