WGroup Launches New Finance & Accounting Function Rapid Evaluation to Help Companies Respond to Current Disruptive Trends

MALVERN, PA--(Marketwired - Oct 17, 2013) - WGroup, a leading boutique management consulting firm providing global businesses with strategy and execution services to optimize performance, today launched the Finance & Accounting Rapid Evaluation. The F&A Rapid Evaluation uniquely addresses the current challenges faced by finance organizations including dealing with disruptive technology trends to provide new insights and actionable strategies to improve business performance and reduce costs.

WGroup's F&A Rapid Evaluation results in a "power plan," a set of actionable recommendations designed to improve cost and efficiency, enhance customer satisfaction and improve the value finance provides to the business.

In as little as three weeks, WGroup conducts a series of interviews to assess the capabilities of the F&A function, client satisfaction and value creation. As part of the assessment, the F&A organization, current delivery strategies, processes, technology and existing data are analyzed and evaluated against best practices and industry standards. WGroup's proprietary methodology focuses on aligning the F&A function to the business strategy to help finance support the company's achievement of business goals. New technology solutions, and the use and integration of outsourcing and shared services to expedite transformation are considered throughout the evaluation. 

"There is a number of consulting F&A function assessment and evaluation approaches in the market," said Maureen Barry, WGroup's CMO. "How we stand apart is our team's 25-plus years' experience in both F&A consulting and running large-scale finance operations. We understand the impact of the technology disruptive trends and what opportunities this makes available to CFOs' and finance leaders. As a result we deliver practical, actionable and high-impact recommendations that make a significant difference in overall business strategy."

WGroup's F&A Rapid Evaluation considers the technology, tools and opportunities available to clients to design the right service delivery model. Whether it be shared services, outsourcing or insourcing, taking advantage of cloud and SaaS technology, choosing the right location for the work, or process improvement -- all factors are considered to assist companies in transforming their service delivery models.

"A properly built and executed F&A service delivery strategy helps an organization's senior management grow the business by enabling them to focus on business strategy rather than focusing on transaction processing," said Bill Fech, Principal of WGroup. "We provide our clients with an external perspective that is backed by leading practices and experience. WGroup is known for delivering practical recommendations to produce results, reduce costs, and improve performance."

Alongside the F&A Rapid Evaluation launch, WGroup recently released its strategy brief, The Challenge of Achieving Customer-Driven Shared Services, examining how the impact of disruptive IT trends on the business are causing a "rethink" of shared services, including the finance & accounting function. WGroup presents the top five reasons shared services operations prove inadequate:

• Lack of senior management, visionary direction, and support
• Ambiguous definition of roles and responsibilities between the customer and the shared service center
• Minimal customer engagement and involvement
• Misalignment of functions (e.g., finance, IT, etc.) with the business requirement of the business units
• Other than cost reduction, absence of clear goals and measurable objectives for the shared services organization

For more information on WGroup's Finance & Accounting Rapid Evaluation, please visit: http://thinkwgroup.com/finance-accounting-rapid-evaluation/

About WGroup
Founded in 1995, WGroup is a boutique management consulting firm that provides Strategy, Management, and Execution Services to optimize business performance, minimize cost, and create value. Our consultants have years of experience both as industry executives and trusted advisors to help clients think through complicated and pressing challenges to drive their business forward. For more information on WGroup, visit us at thinkwgroup.com.