For years, the finance teams at Diersch & Schröder Group devoted a significant part of their time to collecting data, checking figures and preparing reports in Excel. Today, the group is taking a further step in transforming its financial management with Board. This evolution illustrates how a complex organization can improve the reliability of its information and restore management control to its rightful place in decision-making.
When System Diversity Makes Management More Difficult
Founded in Bremen, Germany, in 1920, Diersch & Schröder Group has become a diversified international group, operating notably in the energy and chemicals sectors. With more than 20 companies, a wide range of activities and several IT systems, the group had to deal with financial data that was difficult to reconcile.
The teams worked in particular with SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, as well as other local applications. Since accounting structures and monitoring methods were not always consistent, comparing the performance of the different entities required significant preparation work.
Reporting relied heavily on Excel files, which were then converted into static PDF reports. Collecting and consolidating the data could take several days, and sometimes several weeks. The management controllers also had to contact the various companies to understand discrepancies and verify the consistency of the figures.
This situation limited the time available for analysis and for supporting management decisions.
For Katja Makiol, Head of Group Management Control, the challenge was clear: it was no longer simply a matter of producing figures, but of being able to compare performance on a common and reliable basis.
Board: A Common Foundation for More Reliable Financial Reporting
To address these challenges, Diersch & Schröder Group launched a transformation project for its management reporting, with support from PwC Germany. The group chose the Board EPM platform to bring together its data, validation processes and analyses in a common environment.
The project began with an essential step: defining the target management model before deploying the technology. The teams therefore worked on reporting structures, management levels, analysis dimensions and the monthly closing schedule.
This preparation made it possible to establish common rules without requiring the replacement of all existing operational systems.
Board now connects the various data sources and applies harmonization and validation rules. Users can consult results at several levels, from the overall group view down to legal entities, accounts and source documents.
The platform also makes it possible to compare actual results with budgets and performance in previous periods. Explanations for significant variances are integrated into the reporting process, with clearly defined submission and validation steps.
As a result, teams have access to more consistent information and can trace a figure back to its source whenever further analysis is required.
Teams Devoting More Time to Analysis
The benefits of the project are primarily reflected in how the finance teams’ day-to-day work has evolved.
Reducing manual handling limits repetitive data extractions, Excel-based consolidations and successive checks. Since the data is accessible in a common environment, the group’s companies can compare their results using harmonized structures.
Management controllers also spend less time looking for explanations by email. Since comments and validations are integrated into the process, significant variances are documented when the data is submitted.
This evolution is gradually changing the nature of their contribution. Instead of devoting most of their energy to producing and checking figures, teams can focus more on understanding results, identifying variances and informing decisions.
The objective is simple: no longer spend most of the time checking the figures, but focus on what they reveal about the company’s performance.
The DS Group case also shows that a transformation of this kind does not rely on a tool alone. Process definition, user training, clarification of responsibilities and the involvement of the group’s companies all played an important role in adopting the new platform.
From Modernized Reporting to Integrated Financial Planning
Once management reporting was operational, Diersch & Schröder Group began a new phase: extending the use of Board to integrated financial planning.
The planned scope notably covers the income statement, balance sheet, cash flows, sales, volumes, costs by responsibility center and headcount.
The ambition is to bring actual data, budgets and forecasts together in the same environment, while connecting the various operational plans to the group’s overall financial view.
This continuity between reporting and planning is an important challenge. A company must not only understand past results; it must also be able to anticipate changes in its business and measure their financial consequences.
For DS Group, the first step therefore established a common foundation on which to progressively build more integrated management control.
Artificial Intelligence: A New Opportunity to Accelerate Analysis
The group is also exploring the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence. Its teams conducted a four-week pilot involving Board Agent to assess how natural-language interaction could facilitate the use of management data.
The scenarios studied include identifying positive and negative variances, analyzing results by period or activity, searching for explanatory factors and preparing summaries for finance managers.
The objective is to make information easier to query and reduce the time required to move from a quantified observation to an initial analysis.
This experiment follows on from the project: artificial intelligence can deliver greater value when data is structured, indicators are defined and information is sufficiently reliable. However, the use cases being studied remain distinct from the reporting functionalities that are already operational.
A Success Based as Much on Methodology as on Technology
The experience of Diersch & Schröder Group offers a practical lesson to companies seeking to modernize their finance function. It is not always necessary to replace all existing systems to improve management control. A first step may consist of harmonizing management rules, connecting data sources and making information more accessible.
Choosing Board enabled the group to address its immediate reporting needs while preparing to extend the platform to financial planning and new analytical use cases.
The project’s success therefore lies in a structured progression: defining a common model, improving data reliability, supporting users and then gradually expanding the functional scope.
The DS Group case ultimately reminds us that more effective reporting is not simply about producing reports faster. Its true value lies in the time it gives back to teams to understand the business, anticipate changes and make better decisions.
Source: Board
