1Truth  /  Operational Finance
Operational Finance

A close process built for speed and insight.

Accelerated month-end close, delivering fast, actionable insight through streamlined, repeatable workflows - regardless of ERP platform. Less time reconciling, more time explaining.

The Challenge

Month-end eats the days you need for value creation.

Close, consolidation and working capital reporting run on spreadsheets and manual reconciliation - so by the time the numbers are ready, the finance team has no time left to act on them.

01

Month-end takes two to three weeks

Close, consolidation and variance analysis run on spreadsheets and manual reconciliation - numbers arrive stale, and often without actionable insight attached.

02

Every ERP, a different process

Multi-site or multi-entity groups end up with as many close processes as they have systems - each one a manual, undocumented workaround.

03

Working capital is a lagging indicator

Debtor, creditor and inventory reporting arrives too late to influence the number it's meant to be managing.

04

Manual processes don't scale with bolt-ons

Every acquisition adds another spreadsheet-based process to the close - and another point where it can quietly break.

What's Included

A close process re-engineered for a PE reporting calendar.

We work with your existing ERP and finance team - not around them - to compress the close and put the time back into analysis instead of reconciliation.

Month-end close redesign & controls

A close process mapped, timed and rebuilt task by task - removing manual bottlenecks and adding the controls a sponsor expects, without adding headcount.

  • Close calendar redesigned around critical path
  • Reconciliation automation & control points
  • Documented, repeatable process - not tribal knowledge

Finance process automation

Targeted automation of the manual, repetitive tasks that eat the most close-cycle time - built to fit your existing systems, not force a platform change.

  • Transaction & reconciliation automation
  • Consolidation across multi-entity groups
  • ERP-agnostic - works with what you already run

Working capital & cash reporting discipline

Debtor, creditor and inventory reporting rebuilt to run in real time alongside the close, not weeks after it - so working capital becomes something you manage, not just report.

  • Real-time working capital dashboards
  • Debtor & creditor ageing discipline
  • Inventory reporting tied to operations

Multi-site & multi-entity standardisation

One close process, one chart of accounts logic, one reporting standard - across every site and entity, regardless of the underlying ERP.

  • Standardised close playbook across sites
  • Group consolidation built for scale
  • Built to absorb the next acquisition
50%
faster month-end close process
23→5
days, group close at a £500m dairy group
20
manufacturing sites standardised on one KPI suite
3-week
diagnostic sprint, start to findings
How We Work

Diagnostic-led. No lengthy discovery decks, no theory.

Every engagement starts with a short, fixed-scope diagnostic - so you know exactly what's broken in the close process and what it takes to fix it before committing to a full programme.

1

Diagnose

A task-by-task review of the current close - timed, mapped and benchmarked against what a PE reporting calendar demands.

~3 weeks
2

Design

A redesigned close calendar and automation roadmap - sequenced by which fixes buy back the most time first.

Fixed-scope
3

Deliver

Hands-on implementation of the new close process and controls - with a founder-led team that stays accountable to the outcome.

Outcome-based
Related Work

Operational finance outcomes from the field

Month-end Optimisation
Dairy / FMCG

Creating finance capacity by optimising month-end close

Led a team of 35 through automation of transaction processes and a full redesign of the close process at a £500m-turnover NI dairy group.

Result: group month-end close cut from 23 days to 5
Operational Finance
Global FMCG / Manufacturing

Rebuilding Operational Finance across 20 manufacturing sites

Designed and rolled out an Operations Finance KPI and reporting suite, including standing up Monthly Ops Reviews with the Operations leadership team.

Result: transformed cost awareness, driving realisation of significant cost reduction opportunities

Ready to see what a diagnostic would find in your close process?

A fixed-scope, three-week review - with a clear view of what to fix first.

Enquire