Assessment Methodology
How we score and benchmark your finance operations
How the Assessment Works
The Finance Operations Index evaluates your finance operations across 8 categories using 12 targeted questions. Each question maps to one or more categories, and your responses are scored on a 1-4 scale based on maturity level.
Scoring Model
Category scores are weighted by industry. For example, construction companies weight vendor reconciliation and cash flow higher, while BPOs weight AP processing higher. This ensures your score reflects what matters most in your industry.
Overall score is normalized to 100 based on weighted category scores.
Percentile ranking compares your score against companies in the same industry and size cohort, based on our assessment database and published research benchmarks.
ROI calculation estimates potential savings based on your manual hours, team size, industry-standard hourly costs, and a conservative 70% automation savings rate.
The 8 Categories
AP Processing & Invoice Automation
Measures your invoice receipt, coding, approval workflows, and payment processing efficiency.
Top-performing teams process invoices 80% faster with 90% fewer errors through automation.
Vendor Statement Reconciliation
Evaluates how you match vendor statements against internal records to catch discrepancies.
73% of construction companies still reconcile vendor statements manually, costing 15+ hours/week.
Bank Reconciliation
Assesses your process for matching bank transactions to accounting records.
Automated bank reconciliation reduces close time by 40% and catches errors within 24 hours.
Financial Close
Evaluates the speed and accuracy of your month-end and year-end close processes.
Best-in-class organizations close their books in 4-5 days versus the 10+ day average.
Cash Flow & Forecasting
Measures visibility into cash position, payment timing, and forecasting accuracy.
Companies with real-time cash visibility make 30% better working capital decisions.
Fraud Prevention & Compliance
Assesses internal controls, segregation of duties, approval workflows, and audit readiness.
Organizations lose an estimated 5% of revenue to fraud annually (ACFE Report to the Nations).
Spend Management & Procurement
Evaluates purchase order processes, spend visibility, and vendor management.
Effective spend management typically saves 5-15% on total addressable spend.
Reporting & Analytics
Measures the quality, timeliness, and accessibility of financial reporting.
Finance leaders with real-time dashboards are 5x more likely to make timely decisions.
AI-Powered Analysis
After scoring, our AI engine generates personalized insights including:
- An executive summary interpreting your results in context
- Priority recommendations ranked by ROI impact
- Quick wins you can implement immediately with zero tools
- A 12-month improvement roadmap
AI insights are generated using large language models and are supplementary to the data-driven scoring. They should be treated as directional guidance, not definitive advice.
Research Sources
Our benchmarks and category weightings are informed by research from:
- Institute of Finance & Management (IOFM)
- McKinsey & Company — Finance function benchmarks
- Ardent Partners — AP and procurement research
- Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE)
- Deloitte — Global CFO surveys