PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) Performance Improvement offering helps you attain increased performance by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of your company’s key business operations. Using our deep understanding of finance, risk management/compliance, IT systems, operations and human resources, we help our clients identify and implement cost saving initiatives, improve management and control, identify and manage risk and improve quality. We also use our proven experience and expertise to provide hands-on assistance to improve financial under-performance and cash-flow management.
With over 8000 Performance Improvement professionals in more than 90 countries worldwide, we are able to leverage in depth local expertise supported by an extensive global network.
We focus on Financial Effectiveness, IT Effectiveness and Governance, Risk and Compliance business operations, applying data, technology and change and programme effectiveness skills to address the challenges your business face.
Our deep industry expertise and understanding ensures tailored solutions to support your response to increasing regulation, competition, risk and costs.
Performance Improvement Focus Areas
We offer advice and support around key client issues, using technology, data services and change and programme effectiveness skills to provide you with the best solution.
Services we provide include the following:
Financial effectiveness
· Standardisation and simplification
· Performance management
· Consolidation and management information
· People and organisation
· Controls optimisation
· Data analysis and transformation
IT effectiveness
· Aligning IT to the business
· Managing IT cost and value
· Making IT projects perform
· Sourcing and service management
· IT due diligence transaction services
· IT value for money audits
Governance, risk and compliance
· Governance
· Managing business process for compliance outcomes
· Compliance monitoring and reporting
· Compliance cost management
· Incident identification, investigation and remediation
· Information Security Management
· Systems and Process Assurance
· Information Systems Penetration Testing
Financial Effectiveness
The finance function is under pressure to enhance its value contribution to the business, deliver information and maintain effective controls in line with ever changing governance needs. It is at the same time being subject to continuing internal demands to reduce the cost of its operations. In combination, these pressures create a challenging environment for the finance function.
Multiple pressures imply multiple roles for the finance function:
· Scorekeeper – processing transactions and maintaining accounting records at low cost and delivering efficient month-end reporting processes.
· Communicator – explaining the business story to internal and external stakeholders.
· Diligent caretaker – ensuring effective operation of governance and control in matters of financial management and operations.
· Business partner – providing the business with insight and advice on competitive issues, developing strategy and plans, operating as business advisor and challenging the complexity of the business model.
If this is your situation
· You want to reduce complexity, standardise and simplify the business model and finance function.
· You wish to establish an integrated governance framework.
· You need to understand the value drivers which impact business performance and align key performance indicators (KPIs) to business strategy to support behaviours to drive performance.
· You have to improve the efficiency of the finance team and develop the people.
· You wish to improve management information to align internal reporting to the way external stakeholders view the business.
· You want to leverage investment in Sarbanes-Oxley and moving from ‘project’ mode into a sustainable process.
PwC can help you
In Financial Effectiveness we work closely with CFOs, Controllers and Treasurers to provide innovative viewpoints, independent advice and support in developing and optimising their finance operations, in order to meet the changing requirements of their businesses.
Services we provide include the following:
Standardisation and Simplification
· Conduct assessment of current standards applied to finance control, processes, behaviours, data, organisation, people and systems
· Conduct detailed benchmarking of core finance processes and functional activities
· Provide Best Practice illustrations of finance process and functional models
· Provide ‘Route maps’ to support improvement in finance process and function effectiveness
· Advise on re-engineering of finance department processes and support functions
Performance Management
· Prepare value driver analyses
· Assist with planning & budgeting
· Assist with forecasting
· Advise on stakeholder management
· Provide industry and trend related benchmarking information and business intelligence
· Advise on the alliance of financial and business strategies
· Advise on how to develop and use a risk-based reporting framework
· Advise on how to structure function-specific data models and applications architecture for effective performance management
· Assist in the development of Finance IT strategies supporting performance management
· Support in the selection of function-specific reporting packages
Consolidation and Management Information
· Advise regarding the assessment and redesign of function-specific reporting environments
· Support consolidation & close including SmartClose - PwC's methodology providing a top-down approach to accelerate the closing process and achieve more timely and accurate reporting
· Advise on financial reporting and new reporting standards, including:
· XBRL
· Regulatory reporting
· IFRS consulting (training, system & process reviews)
· Assist in assessing alternative approaches to meeting MIS/data needs (e.g., package applications, XBRL, etc.)
· Advise on simplification and remediation of spreadsheets
· Produce business models to support financial spreadsheets decision making
People and Organisation
· Advise on organisation structure
· Assessment of skills and requirements
· Provide recommendations to align and develop competencies and skills
· Provide coaching and assistance with training and development programmes (e.g., Finance Academy)
· Setting Balance Scorecard performance frameworks for finance staff; developing reward models consistent with corporate frameworks
· Conduct feasibility studies and provide recommendations on the improvement of function-specific;
· shared service centres (SSC’s)
· outsourcing & off-shoring solutions
· Support the design and setup of company administrative SSC’s
· Support the selection and transitioning to an outsourcing solution
Controls Optimisation
· Advise on operating models
· Advise on sustainable Sarbanes-Oxley and other control related processes to be embedded in risk and control systems
· Revise and document the control environments to support operation of new systems
Data analysis and transformation
· Data quality reviews
· Data cleansing (e.g. during system migration)
· Business Intelligence through data analysis
· Design for complex reporting solutions
· Design for interfacing systems
· Data warehousing design and deployment
IT Effectiveness
Information Technology (IT) has become critical to the operations and competitiveness of organisations around the world. Effectiveness management of IT is under the spotlight because IT is typically among an organisation's top five expenditures, yet research reveals that an average of 10 to 25% of a company's total IT spend is wasted or used unwisely. In today's regulatory compliance environment, it's no wonder senior executives have serious, valid concerns about the risks IT poses in their organisations and the accountability of costs.
If this is your situation
· You wish to have the right IT organisation in place to support business requirements
· You recognise the need to better align IT to the business
· Your organisation needs to be better equipped in performing IT due diligence activities for mergers and acquisitions
· You are aware that regulatory issues eventually will become an IT requirement
· You need IT projects to yield appropriate results for the business
· You want to see what can be done to better source and manage your IT services
PwC can help you
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) works with you to help you align your IT resources with your business objectives and structure them to minimise key business risks.
We assist organisations in managing IT as a business. We address problems in organisations where IT is seen as a constraint on the business or where the reputation of IT is held in low regard. We also help forward looking IT organisations to adopt leading practices in IT management, quality assurance and IT governance.
We meet our clients’ issues by delivering insight based on comparative evidence and fresh, compelling options for structuring IT and taking advantage of technology.
PwC improves the effectiveness of relationships between IT, the organisation and with suppliers. We also work with you to improve the fit of services and solutions to the organisation's needs and in increasing the value of IT to the business.
Services we provide include the following:
Aligning IT to the business
· Validate conceptual design and controls surrounding people, process and technology
· Provide recommendations regarding IT governance, operations and organisation
· Advise on application and technology maturity
Managing IT cost and value
· Conduct spend analyses and benchmarking
· Assist with cost modelling
· Advise on cost management and optimisation
· Assist with the preparation of investment appraisals
Making IT projects perform
· Conduct benefits and ROI modelling
· Advise on IT Best Practices in project governance, risk and controls
· Provide recommendations to assist with envisioning and planning change
· Assist with funding and investment evaluations
· Assist with benefits tracking and benefits realisation programmes
· Provide recommendations regarding internal communications and training needs
IT Sourcing and service management
· Advise on the selection of IT service providers
· Advise on performance of IT service providers (in-house and third party)
· Assist with the measurement of IT performance
· Assist with the development of business cases and service level agreements
· Advise on funding and commercial management
· Advise on managing risk
IT due diligence transaction services
· Assist with Buy side and Sell side IT strategy planning
· Review the status of current and planned IT projects and risks of failure
· Assess IT governance organisation (including structure, reporting and management), infrastructure, staff, security and controls
· Review the targets ability to report/analyse key business metrics
· Identify critical day-one and post integration risks
· Assist with function-specific Information Technology integration and conversion (applications, infrastructure, voice and data networks, data centre)
· Advise on project management of function-specific IT infrastructure activities
· Provide advice regarding evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of potential vendors
· Assist in the definition of function-specific systems architecture
· Develop Transition Service Agreements
IT value for money audits
· Systems effectiveness reviews
· Resource analysis and performance benchmarking
Governance, risk and compliance
In recent times there has been a paradigm shift in many economies in the way that corporate governance, business ethics, risk management and compliance are approached.
It is a shift that continues to be driven by demanding performance expectations, increasing stakeholder demands and growing public scrutiny after some spectacular failures around the globe.
Potentially, this is a highly positive development. An investment environment places a premium on solid performing businesses that are well-managed, conferring a competitive advantage on businesses that create and maintain a culture of “integrity-driven performance”.
If this is your situation
· You need advice on Board and management performance and accountability.
· You want to embed governance into the organisation.
· You need to make informed risk taking, growth, innovation and development/options selection.
· You are subject to market risk-exposure to FX, interest rates and commodity prices.
· You need to conduct strategic risk-testing and analysis level of risk associated with selected strategies/options.
· You need advice on Insurance, self-insurance and risk financing/treasury and hedging policy and practices.
· You want to manage processes and mitigate inherent business risk.
· You have an ever growing list of rules and regulations to comply with.
· You want to create a culture where bad news rises and your people act to protect the "brand".
· You want to free up valuable resource by de-layering add-on risk and compliance processes.
· You want to reduce the incidents of failure.
· You are experiencing a lack of clear and measurable KPI’s.
· You need reliable and available data for internal and external reporting.
· You need to achieve greater value for compliance spend.
· You need to improve stakeholder and regulator relationships and communication.
· You need to identify and address complaints and breaches of legislation and internal processes
PwC can help you
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) can help you to identify, understand and manage risks, both upside and downside. We assist businesses in building forward looking governance and compliance programmes, controlling compliance infrastructures, measuring and monitoring ongoing governance and compliance practices and help build a culture of doing the right thing.
Services we provide include the following:
Governance
· Design and implement governance frameworks and practices
· Benchmarking and review of governance frameworks
· Board structure and effectiveness assessment
· Board and organisational training and coaching
· Board reporting and oversight processes
· Executive remuneration programmes and disclosure practices
· Design of mechanisms to support a culture of compliance
· Development of Corporate Social Responsibility frameworks, measurement and reporting
Managing Business Operations for Compliance Outcomes
· Establishing a compliance mindset
· ‘Simplifying compliance’ by:
· aligning compliance initiatives to business objectives
· embedding compliance into business operations
· leveraging technology
· Compliance assessments
· Design and implementation for risk management systems affecting business process and management
· Change and programme effectiveness, as it relates to managing business operations for compliance outcomes
Compliance Monitoring and Reporting
· Development of performance measures
· Design or review of monitoring and testing programmes
· Incident and enterprise compliance reporting
· Review of compliance data
Compliance Cost Optimisation
· Development of baseline data and business-aligned KPIs
· Linking revenue and cost to reveal the net gain of compliance spend
· Identifying compliance value drivers using Six Sigma (or similar) methodology
· Cost identification and reduction
Incident Identification and Remediation
· Identifying and addressing complaints and breaches of legislation and internal processes
· Regulator liaison policies and procedures
Information Security Management
· Infrastructure security reviews
· Computer security reviews
· Deploying a security framework
· BS 7799:2 Certification
Systems and Process Assurance
· Financial and operation applications/business process controls reviews
· Database security controls reviews
· IT general controls reviews
· Third party assurance and opinion services
· Sarbanes-Oxley readiness, process improvement and sustainability services
· Compliance with other regulatory requirements (e.g., Turnbull, Basel II, King)
· Pre- and post-implementation systems reviews
· Project assurance services
· SAS 70 controls review
Information Systems Penetration Testing
· Internet connectivity penetration test (black box attack)
· Firewall audit
· LAN penetration test (internal attack)
· Application controls audit
