What has worked for our customers
A client faced serious regulatory scrutiny after experiencing fraud, revealing weaknesses in their internal controls. They risked massive fines and needed to strengthen compliance while reducing business risks. Their key challenges included:
They were looking for Continuous Control Monitoring over their Procure-to-Pay process to detect, prevent, and respond to high-risk activities.
Approach & Solution:
We designed and implemented a custom, automated control monitoring system that provided real-time risk detection and workflow-based escalation, ensuring business-wide compliance and fraud prevention.
1️⃣ Automated Exception Detection
Builta custom set of analytics routines to run overnight and flag high-risk activities, including:
✅ Unauthorised purchases (lacking approvals)
✅ Segregation of duty conflicts (one person handling multiple linked actions)
✅ Payments to high-risk countries or unknown accounts
✅ Master data changes (new vendors, bank account updates, or control setting adjustments)
✅ Policy & system configuration changes (approval limits, tolerances, and controls)
2️⃣ Real-Time Alerts &Notifications
Implemented an automated alert system that:
✅ Notified the manager of the responsible employee immediately.
✅ Sent email and SMS alerts for critical cases.
✅ Required transaction or change approval before further processing.
3️⃣ Automated Workflow & Escalation Management
Introduced a hierarchy-based escalation system:
✅ If the responsible manager did not approve within 48 hours, the alert escalated to their superior.
✅ Triggers were customised based on risk severity, allowing flexibility across different key risk areas.
✅ Overtime, the escalation system adapted as business practices improved.
4️⃣ Multi-Entity Rollout & Regulatory Reporting
✅ Rolled out the solution across all subsidiaries, tailoring controls for local business needs.
✅ Provided automated reporting to senior management & regulators, demonstrating compliance improvements.
Results & Business Impact:
Although implementing the system required cultural & operational adjustments, stakeholders quickly recognised the benefits. Customisation and business-specific rule incorporation helped drive adoption and long-term success.
A client was struggling to manage their working capital effectively, resulting in cash flow issues, disputes, and unnecessary manual work. They lacked clear visibility into their Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable processes, and experienced inconsistent use of payment terms, system misconfigurations, and behavior driven by personal goals over company performance.
Our Approach & Solution:
We conducted an in-depth analysis of their accounts payable and receivable data, uncovering four major areas of improvement:
1️⃣ Inconsistent Payment Term Use:
Employees were applying payment terms inconsistently, using ones they were familiar with rather than those aligned with supplier agreements or internal policies.
✅ Solution: We implemented automated payment term assignment based on contract data and internal rules, reducing human error and policy violations.
2️⃣ Incorrectly Configured Payment Terms
Two payment terms had been misconfigured, leading to unexpected delays in invoice due dates and negatively impacting cash flow.
✅ Solution: We identified and corrected the system configuration, ensuring accurate due date calculations.
3️⃣ Baseline Date Overrides for Personal Gain
Sales teams were manipulating invoice dates at year-end to secure bonuses, effectively extending payment deadlines without detection.
✅ Solution: We built anomalous behavior detection into their invoicing system, alerting supervisors to potential intentional misconfigurations.
4️⃣ Inefficient Payment Cycles
The client only had two payment cycles per week and relied on frequent manual payments, causing unnecessary workload and cash flow instability.
✅ Solution: We optimised the payment cycle structure, introducing a third cycle per week, reducing off-cycle payments, and implementing training programs for better data entry.
Results & Business Impact:
A client was preparing for a system upgrade but recognised that improving their processes first would reduce complexity, cost, and implementation time while maximising long-term benefits. Without addressing process inefficiencies and inconsistencies, they risked:
To ensure a successful and cost-effective system transition, they engaged us to analyse their current processes, map execution to the new system, and optimise workflows before migration.
Our Approach & Solution:
We structured the engagement into four key phases:
1️⃣ Assessing Current Process Practices via Data Analysis
We conducted a data-driven analysis of their maintenance processes across multiple sites, uncovering:
✅ Significant inconsistencies in how maintenance plans and order types were used.
✅ Challenges in comparing results across locations due to varying practices.
✅ Data quality issues that affected accurate reporting and process execution.
We identified opportunities for standardisation, ensuring a more consistent, efficient, and high-quality dataset before system migration.
2️⃣ Mapping Process Execution to the New System’s Functionality
We mapped the actual business process execution against the new system’s features, revealing:
✅ Gaps in system functionality where legacy processes didn’t align.
✅ Areas where customisation might be required to retain critical business practices.
✅ Opportunities to standardise processes instead of costly add-ons and custom
By evaluating these gaps, we helped the client decide:
- Which customisations were necessary and worth the investment.
- Where practices could be adjusted to fit standard functionality, avoiding future maintenance costs.
- How to align processes with industry best practices rather than reinforcing legacy inefficiencies.
3️⃣ Testing New System Functionality Using Real & Simulated Data
We ensured the transition was smooth by:
✅ Using existing data to test unchanged processes.
✅ Simulating new practices to validate system compatibility.
✅ Identifying potential issues before full deployment.
This approach reduced implementation risks and ensured that all new processes worked as expected before go-live.
4️⃣ Post-Implementation Review & Continuous Improvement
After implementation, we conducted a post-migration process evaluation to:
✅ Validate what was working well and ensure process improvements were realised.
✅ Quickly address areas where things weren’t working as intended before they became long-term issues.
This real-time feedback loop helped the client make immediate adjustments, maximising the effectiveness of the system upgrade.
A client was preparing for a system upgrade but recognised that improving their processes first would reduce complexity, cost, and implementation time while maximising long-term benefits. Without addressing process inefficiencies and inconsistencies, they risked:
To ensure a successful and cost-effective system transition, they engaged us to analyse their current processes, map execution to the new system, and optimise workflows before migration.
Our Approach & Solution:
We structured the engagement into four key phases:
1️⃣ Assessing Current Process Practices via Data Analysis
We conducted a data-driven analysis of their maintenance processes across multiple sites, uncovering:
✅ Significant inconsistencies in how maintenance plans and order types were used.
✅ Challenges in comparing results across locations due to varying practices.
✅ Data quality issues that affected accurate reporting and process execution.
We identified opportunities for standardisation, ensuring a more consistent, efficient, and high-quality dataset before system migration.
2️⃣ Mapping Process Execution to the New System’s Functionality
We mapped the actual business process execution against the new system’s features, revealing:
✅ Gaps in system functionality where legacy processes didn’t align.
✅ Areas where customisation might be required to retain critical business practices.
✅ Opportunities to standardise processes instead of costly add-ons and custom
By evaluating these gaps, we helped the client decide:
- Which customisations were necessary and worth the investment.
- Where practices could be adjusted to fit standard functionality, avoiding future maintenance costs.
- How to align processes with industry best practices rather than reinforcing legacy inefficiencies.
3️⃣ Testing New System Functionality Using Real & Simulated Data
We ensured the transition was smooth by:
✅ Using existing data to test unchanged processes.
✅ Simulating new practices to validate system compatibility.
✅ Identifying potential issues before full deployment.
This approach reduced implementation risks and ensured that all new processes worked as expected before go-live.
4️⃣ Post-Implementation Review & Continuous Improvement
After implementation, we conducted a post-migration process evaluation to:
✅ Validate what was working well and ensure process improvements were realised.
✅ Quickly address areas where things weren’t working as intended before they became long-term issues.
This real-time feedback loop helped the client make immediate adjustments, maximising the effectiveness of the system upgrade.