At a time when finance departments are expected to deliver both speed of execution and high-quality analysis, many organisations are looking to modernise their consolidation and reporting processes. The experience of General Dynamics provides a concrete illustration of this shift.
Consolidation Still Too Dependent on Manual Tasks
Before the solution was implemented, finance teams faced familiar challenges:
- relatively long close cycles
- complex consolidation processes
- a reliance on manual intervention to correct or validate data
These constraints limited the teams’ ability to focus on analysis and the production of value-added insights.
Transformation Driven by the OneStream Platform
To address these challenges, OneStream Software was deployed to streamline consolidation and reporting processes.
According to the vendor, one of the most significant results concerns the performance of consolidation cycles:
processing time was reduced from approximately 45 minutes to one minute per consolidation.
Beyond this speed improvement, the platform made it possible to:
- improve data quality and reliability
- reduce issues related to data loads
- limit manual troubleshooting activities
- standardise processes across multiple entities
Teams Refocused on Analysis
Thanks to automation and more intuitive workflows, finance teams progressively reduced the time spent validating data.
Self-service reporting capabilities now provide more direct access to information, making it easier to produce analyses and share results with stakeholders.
This development enables teams to refocus on higher-value activities, including:
- interpreting performance
- financial management
- supporting decision-making
A More Strategic Finance Function
The General Dynamics case illustrates a broader trend: the gradual transformation of the finance function.
Beyond operational gains, the challenge lies in the ability to:
- produce reliable information more quickly
- strengthen trust in data
- contribute more actively to the company’s strategy
By leveraging a unified platform such as OneStream Software, organisations are therefore seeking to evolve their operating model, shifting from production-focused finance to decision-oriented finance.
A Shift Aligned with Current Expectations
This type of initiative reflects a strong market expectation: not only to accelerate processes, but also to make them smarter and more reliable.
From this perspective, modernising consolidation tools is emerging as a key lever for supporting finance departments as they increase their maturity.
source: OneStream
