I told you it won't work

This is not working in our type of organisation 😫! Local finance is not ready for this, they already have too much on their plate 🤹. We cannot ask more from them. We cannot implement yet another new tool…

Sounds familiar to you? It does to me. These are objections that every now and then come up during the conversations I have with tax leaders and their teams. Sure, often valid remarks. But when hearing them, I frequently push back with this question. What does your Plan B look like? How long are you going to put the transformation of your tax function on hold in a world and a tax ecosystem that is transforming at the speed of light? The era of change, or change of era, your tax function will need to future-proof itself, or you will be in big trouble. Very soon… As @Stephen Covey said before, if we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to keep getting what we’re getting. Which is not acceptable anymore in this day and age…

Now, what does it take to successfully transform your tax function? Here are some recommendations on how to get started. And rest assured, getting started is most important!

– Identify the biggest problems and tension points in your current tax operations. Like, what is really painful? What is exposing you to risks? What is keeping you up? Well, focus on these problems first, to get started.

– Scope well, be precise. Come with a plan 🗺️. Start small, but, as said, get started! Walk, run, fly.

– Irrespective of how small you get started, keep the end in mind 🎯. Make your efforts and investments scaleable, keep it flexible. Avoid overly complex tech blueprints.

– Think beyond technology. Sure, you will need tools. But you know that in reality people and processes will come first. Or put differently, you will need the 3 of them. With as a bonus dimension your data.

– Mind the RoI. Mind the business case. Your CFO will be happy 🙌.

– Be proactive towards all stakeholders involved in the transformation 💬. Be focused on the “what’s in it for them” question. So that adopting the outcome of your transformation, whether it is in the form of new processes or new tools, becomes a no-brainer for all people involved…