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Finance function effectiveness

Produce an efficient finance team. Our selection of books, articles, links and guides can help you identify best practices and techniques to apply to your finance function.
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Latest on finance function effectiveness

Read our latest features and articles on finance function effectiveness.
Global finance teams failing to integrate sustainability
  • Article
  • 14 May 2024
Rather than waiting for ‘perfect tools’, CFOs and finance teams need to start including sustainability questions into their systems and controls, experts warn.
Finance function key to materiality testing
  • Article
  • 09 Apr 2024
Bringing accountants into materiality testing early on is vital not just for better reporting, but more effective ESG strategies, consultancy says.
Your transformation programme needs action (planning)
  • Article
  • 26 Feb 2024
In the latest in our series on implementing a transformation programme, Neil Cutting looks at the steps required to create a concrete action plan.
How generative AI is set to disrupt finance
  • Article
  • 20 Feb 2024
As its capabilities grow, Gen-AI is poised to shake up the finance function in general and accountancy in particular – but its risks and drawbacks cannot be ignored.
Leading digital transformation in finance
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2023
At the ICAEW Annual Conference this year, there was an overarching focus on the opportunities and responsibilities that technology brings for finance professionals and their organisations, and how it is reshaping the world of finance and accounting.
Delivering transformation: a lesson in project management
  • Article
  • 06 Sep 2023
Finance transformation series: Neil Cutting advises CFOs and transformation leaders on the essential skill of project management.
ESG for SMEs: how to adapt your finance function
  • Article
  • 18 Aug 2023
Implementing ESG practices and procedures throughout the finance function presents team leaders with a host of challenges, as five experts explain.
Gap analysis: the transformation starts here
  • Article
  • 18 Aug 2023
Finance transformation series: getting started with a finance transformation project can be daunting, but Neil Cutting has an exercise to help you get moving
Read more

Reports

Exclusive Special Report 69 - Effective collaboration
  • Report
  • 2020
Collaboration has been a trendy buzz word in business lexicon for some time now, but, as the pandemic has done with many other ‘nice-to-have’ skills, it has now become absolutely necessary to master. With your colleagues, business partners, suppliers and all other stakeholders more than likely working from home, and maybe even across different locations and time zones, effective collaboration is essential.
Automation in finance functions: lessons from India and the UK
  • Thought leadership report
  • 2020
Drawing on real-life experiences, this collaborative thought leadership report by ICAEW and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) considers how finance functions can harness automation to deliver greater value to business and the skills needed by accountants in the future.
Exclusive Special Report 68 - Commercial insight
  • Report
  • 2020
This special report explores how to be more commercial to add value and generate profit for your firm.
Digital transformation in finance functions: ASEAN and UK perspectives
  • Thought leadership report
  • 2019
This thought leadership report provides a rare insight into how digital transformation is being managed in practice across a range of different business settings and highlights pertinent considerations for leaders undertaking their own transformation projects.
The finance function: A framework for analysis
  • Thought leadership report
  • 2017
How does your finance function compare and how do you deal with the inherent tensions we highlight?
Finance in the broadest sense
  • Thought leadership report
  • 2016
Building effective finance functions is a key concern of organisations and finance professionals. At a time when many claim we face unprecedented challenges, Stanley Harding's 1963 lecture on the finance function reminds us that there are many lessons we can learn from history. This report reproduces the lecture in full and complements it with expert commentary.
BPM guideline: Determining your approach to budgeting and forecasting
  • Helpsheets and support
  • 2014
Most organisations spend significant time and resources on budgeting and forecasting activities.
Finance transformation
  • Report
  • 2010
The authors share their expertise on service level agreements, people management, and innovation and technology.
More reports

Webinars and recordings

The role of finance in achieving net zero
  • Video
  • 08 Dec 2022
Kevin Berryman, CFO of professional technical services company Jacobs discusses his passion for sustainability, and the role of the finance function in addressing climate change.
Future proof your finance function
  • Webinar
  • 21 Mar 2017
How will engagement with technology and process automation affect the finance function in future?
Exclusive Effective business partnering
  • Webinar
  • 20 Nov 2013
A webinar for business partners on the finance function and how to contribute more to your company.
More webinars

Training courses

Our personal impact training courses cover topics including: 'Develop and sustain a high-performance finance team' and 'Bring the numbers to life with commercial insight'.
A-Z of CPD courses by topic As a global leader of the finance profession, ICAEW offers a comprehensive range of learning solutions for every stage of professional development, designed for finance teams and finance leaders.

eBooks

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides full text access to a selection of key business and reference eBooks from leading publishers. eBooks are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support advice or contact library@icaew.com.

Exclusive Complete CFO handbook: from accounting to accountability, The
  • 2008
  • Frank J. Fabozzi | Pamela Peterson Drake | Ralph S. Polimeni
  • John Wiley and Sons
An overview of cost accounting for financial executives.
Exclusive Finance director's handbook
  • 2007
  • Glynis Morris | Sonia McKay | Andrea Oates
  • CIMA Publishing
Guide to the duties of modern finance directors.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

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Business press

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides access to leading business, finance and management journals. These journals are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to suppliers' terms of use.
Exclusive The power of storytelling in the finance function
  • Article
  • 01 Jun 2023
  • Daniel Butcher
The CFOs of RGP and Paychex provide tips for finance professionals to improve their communication skills through storytelling. Start with analysis and interpretation to get an accurate view of the data, then weave an insightful financial narrative adapted to your audience. A storytelling sklll set can be used many ways - within presentations, meetings, reports or just everyday interactions.
Exclusive Exploring the future of controllership
  • Article
  • 01 May 2023
  • Kate Gates, Katie Glynn, Beth Kaplan
Find the right path to transformation to realize the full value from the evolving role of the controllership function. The article reports on insights from an IMA and Deloitte report, 'Stepping into the Future of Controllership', which involved a global survey and interviews with experienced finance and accounting leaders.
Exclusive Can finance teams develop software?
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2022
  • Jun Liu
Solutions architect Jun Liu explains how finance professionals can be empowered to drive digital transformation and boost productivity through using low-code application platforms. Common functions in low-code app platforms include a form builder, workflow engine and data intelligence to build custom analytics. Finance professionals can now develop their own applications within days.
Exclusive The value of connectors
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2022
  • Romana L. Autrey, Tim Bauer, Kevin E.Jackson, Elena Klevsky, Margaret Shackell
Team members who act as 'connectors' can help reduce employee turnover, according to a new research study. The authors take a look at the traits and skills of connectors and the implications for teamwork in the finance function.
Exclusive Why automating finance is just an integration game
  • Article
  • 08 Nov 2022
  • Marc Ambasna-Jones
Marc Ambasna-Jones looks at how the software that powers finance departments can help businesses navigate the worsening economic climate. The article discusses 'hyperautomation', an approach involving rapidly automating as many processes as possible using technology such as robotic process automation (RPA), low-code application platforms (LCAP), artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual assistants.
Exclusive The tech helping firms to manage their finances
  • Article
  • 01 Nov 2022
  • Madeline Bennett
The article discusses how, with a worsening economic climate, software has an important role in helping finance departments control budgets with technology that helps CFOs not only predict, forecast and plan, but also apply automation to reduce manual finance tasks. Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning plays a big part in this.
Exclusive Improving finance and accounting software
  • Article
  • 25 Oct 2022
  • Craig Le Clair
Article explores the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in improving operations in finance and accounting (F&A). The F&A processes that may be empowered by AI technology include audit analytics, order to cash, procure to pay and financial planning. The areas in which AI in F&A needs further development include contract analytics, accounts reconciliation, automated closing and expense management.
Exclusive Three mindset shifts to achieve autonomous finance
  • Article
  • 01 Oct 2022
  • Dennis Gannon
CFOs need to adjust their thinking in three key ways to fully embrace the set of technologies needed for autonomous finance, says Dennis Gannon. He explains the technology use cases in autonomous (rather than automated) finance and how CFOs can 'lead from the front' in digital upskilling.
More articles

Online magazines

Some online journal titles are available only to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. To view the full range of titles available to you, please log in.
AB: Accounting and Business
  • ACCA
A magazine for finance professionals produced by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). Includes news, analysis and technical updates.
Acuity
  • Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand
Bimonthly magazine from Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand (CA ANZ). Includes news, opinion and analysis on issues relating to accountancy, business and finance.
CFO
  • Industry Dive
Online publication aimed at CFOs, publishing news, opinion and analysis. Until 2021 it was a print magazine; the Library provides online access to issues published between 1994 and 2021 via its premium databases.
Financial Accountant
  • Redactive Publishing Ltd.
The official magazine of the Institute of Financial Accountants, published six times a year. Features news, opinion pieces and articles on general topics such as health and wellbeing.
Disclaimer

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided 'as is' with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

Articles and books in the ICAEW Library collection

The collection of the ICAEW Library & Information Service includes a range of articles, books and reports on finance function effectiveness. Use the links below to see what we have available to request in our Library catalogue (Libcat).

To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to borrowing books.

You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports through our document supply service.

External resources

Being the best: Inside the intelligent finance function
  • KPMG International
For its 2013 survey, KPMG surveyed approximately 440 CFOs and other senior finance executives on how finance functions are adapting to emerging business challenges.
Finance matters: Finance function of the future
  • PwC
PWC paper from 2013 considering how to prepare finance teams for the future. The paper examines existing trends in the sector and looks forward to 2030.
The Deloitte Finance Benchmark: Getting back to growth
  • Deloitte
Deloitte's Finance Benchmark survey, conducted with 216 organisations in 2015. The survey identifies important opportunities for the finance function and highlights examples of current good practice.
The Digital CFO: Using the digital finance function strategically
  • PwC/WHU
A PwC 2022 survey study on the digitisation of the finance function. In co-operation with the WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management, PwC surveyed CFOs of stock-listed and non-listed firms worldwide to examine the current state of digitisation of the firms’ finance functions and their use of digital technologies.
Terms of use

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided 'as is' with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

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