Operating Model Design

Decide what work Finance should do, where it should sit, and what it should cost — before redrawing the organisation chart.

Most finance reorganisations start with the chart and work backwards. This starts with the work itself, then builds the structure that fits it.

Six to ten weeks, depending on entities and scope.

You may recognise this

When structure is the constraint.

—Every business or entity runs its own payables, reconciliations and reporting, each a little differently.
—Finance is busy, but almost none of its time goes into margin, cash or investment decisions.
—Growth, an acquisition or a listing is exposing how the function is organised.
—A shared service has been suggested, but nobody can say what it would really save.

How it works

Baseline

Establish what work is done, where, by whom and at what cost.

Placement

Decide what should be eliminated, standardised, shared, automated, outsourced or kept close to each business.

Readiness

Assess which businesses are ready to change, and what must happen first.

Design

Build the organisation, services and governance from the redesigned work.

Business case

Separate real savings from redeployed capacity, and set out one-time costs and a roadmap.

What makes it different

The organisation chart comes last.

Current and future designs are costed the same way, and released capacity is not called a saving.

Regulatory and statutory work stays where it must.

Technology requirements are vendor-neutral.