Finance Applied Intelligence

Smarter Execution for the Modern Finance Function

Finance Applied Intelligence is a continuous, expert-led, decision-support program for chief financial officers (CFOs) and finance leaders. Our experts work alongside your team to challenge assumptions, navigate trade-offs, and coach and guide execution from strategy through implementation. We provide context-specific direction to shape your operating model, define priorities and understand constraints, not generic recommendations. Backed by decades of execution know-how and our proprietary AI-enabled platforms, we help finance organizations move faster, outperform peers and achieve breakthrough results.

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How Finance Applied Intelligence works


Finance Applied Intelligence is a membership program providing expert-led support to finance leaders – from strategy and ideation through execution – aligned to your priorities and pace at every stage of your journey.

Applied Intelligence begins by helping leaders evaluate and articulate what matters most. Using diagnostics, benchmarks and guided decision support, leaders gain a fact-based view of current finance performance, service delivery readiness and improvement opportunities, enabling structured ideation and clearly defined priorities and direction.

Applied Intelligence experts work closely with leadership teams to evaluate strategic options, prioritize high-impact initiatives, and align finance operating models, governance, technology, and capabilities. Executive briefings and structured discussions focus on key trade-offs and critical decisions grounded in Digital World Class® performance measurement and real-world experience.

Once priorities and decisions are defined, we remain actively engaged to support disciplined execution, change adoption, and capability development. Through decision support, on-demand learning, and AI-enabled intelligence, we help finance teams implement effectively and integrate Gen AI where it delivers measurable value.

As business conditions and priorities evolve, we adapt to stay aligned with your changing needs. Ongoing performance insight, refreshed diagnostics, and expert-led check-ins help you monitor outcomes, adjust course, and sustain finance performance improvement in a dynamic business environment.

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Finance leaders are turning AI into results in 2026. Discover how top organizations are improving performance as AI reshapes the CFO agenda and scales across core finance processes.

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Build a future-ready finance team with our Agentic Enterprise Operating Framework

The Hackett Group’s Agentic Enterprise Operating Framework outlines how strategy, governance, data, technology and agentic workflows work together to modernize finance. It provides a structured blueprint for scaling artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly while strengthening performance, control and enterprise value.

Comprehensive finance domains we cover

The Hackett Group® Finance Applied Intelligence program supports transformation across every major area of the finance function. It is structured to help finance leaders and their teams optimize strategy, streamline operations, and enable enterprisewide objectives. Our experts provide deep execution know-how across the following finance domains:

Customer-to-cash

  • Order and contract management
  • Credit
  • Customer billing
  • Cash application
  • Collections
  • Dispute management

Account-to-report

  • Intercompany accounting
  • Fixed assets
  • Cost accounting
  • General accounting and close
  • Enterprise consolidation
  • External reporting

Plan-to-result

  • Strategic business planning support
  • Annual planning
  • Forecasting
  • Business performance reporting
  • Business analysis

Control and risk management

  • Tax management
  • Treasury and cash management
  • Capital and risk management
  • Compliance management

What’s included in the Finance Applied Intelligence program?

Your Finance Applied Intelligence membership is designed to function as an extension of your leadership team. Members gain ongoing access to experienced professionals who help you identify high-impact opportunities, mobilize the organization and sustain change.

Executive briefings

Participate in focused, expert-led sessions addressing the decisions finance leaders are making right now – from operating model design and AI investment choices to performance targets and governance aligned to measurable outcomes.

Always-on conversational AI support

Get instant guidance between expert touchpoints. AskHackett™ delivers cited, context-specific recommendations grounded in real-world enterprise experience – helping leaders clarify options, validate assumptions and keep decisions moving.

On-demand expert inquiries

Ask questions on finance strategy, AI, operating model, governance, or performance topics, and get fast, practitioner-backed insights that support faster, better-informed decisions when timing matters most.

Agentic enterprise readiness models for finance

Evaluate finance-specific readiness across data quality, enterprise resource planning (ERP) architecture, governance controls, analytics maturity and talent capability using structured assessment frameworks.

Hackett AI XPLR™ Ideation Workshop

Participate in a facilitated Hackett AI XPLR™ working session and receive client-specific Gen AI use cases – each defined with business context and rated for complexity, expected benefit, and return on investment (ROI) to support informed prioritization.

Finance-focused learning and enablement

Engage in short, applied learning sessions covering topics that matter to your organization, such as Gen AI in finance, forecasting modernization, enterprise performance management, compliance automation, treasury optimization, finance technology adoption, and more.

Leadership forums and peer exchanges

Participate in invitation-only executive forums, roundtables, webcasts, and confidential benchmarking discussions focused on performance management, Gen AI adoption, operating models, risk, and finance transformation execution in action.

Finance performance measurement

Leverage curated finance key performance indicators (KPIs) and participate in topical performance studies to quantify gaps in cost, cycle time, productivity, working capital, close efficiency, planning effectiveness, analytics capability, and AI adoption maturity – translating targets into clear, actionable priorities.

Proprietary finance thought leadership

Access exclusive, data-driven finance research, case studies, perspectives, podcasts, and analysis on leading practices in planning, reporting, controls, compliance, digital enablement, and emerging trends shaping world-class finance performance.

How Finance Applied Intelligence drives transformation

Finance Applied Intelligence embeds experts into your transformation agenda, guiding strategy and ideation, design, and execution from within. We stay engaged through implementation, governance and performance measurement to turn strategy into operational capability.

Define and align finance strategy

We work with CFOs and their leadership teams to clarify organizational priorities, ideate, align finance strategy to business objectives, and establish measurable performance targets grounded in Digital World Class® standards.

Design the operating model for execution

We help redesign finance operating models to integrate automation, AI, governance and talent – ensuring structure, controls and accountability are aligned before implementation begins.

Build, deploy and sustain process improvements

We guide the transition from design to execution using a disciplined design-build-run approach that streamlines processes, embeds controls and operationalizes best practices across finance.

Improve working capital and cost performance

We apply proven methods to strengthen liquidity, optimize working capital, reduce cost-to-serve and improve productivity – with performance metrics tied to measurable value realization.

Operationalize data and analytics

We help finance teams build and embed advanced data and analytics capabilities – designing a robust insight-generation process that spans data sourcing, analysis, insight translation, storytelling and governance so information consistently drives better business outcomes.  

Strengthen governance and risk management

We align governance models, internal controls, and risk frameworks to support scalable AI adoption and sustainable performance improvement.

Develop talent for modern finance

We support finance leaders in building digital proficiency, strengthening change leadership and equipping teams to sustain transformation over time.

The Applied Intelligence advantage

Make better and faster decisions

Applied Intelligence embeds a hands‑on team of seasoned experts directly into your decision flow, bringing practical judgment, enterprise execution experience, and AI‑driven insight to every high‑stakes choice. Traditional analysts observe from the outside, but we help you pressure‑test your assumptions, weigh trade-offs, and create realistic business cases.

Drive measurable impact, not just insight

Applied Intelligence helps you translate insight into execution. Our experts focus your teams on the actions that maximize ROI, guide delivery, and ensure execution closes the gap between knowing and doing.

Stay ahead as conditions change

As your business evolves, so does our support. As priorities, operating models, and AI maturity evolve, expert-led guidance adapts in real time – helping executives anticipate shifts, course-correct early, and stay aligned with how your enterprise operates today and tomorrow.

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FAQs

Who is the Finance Applied Intelligence program designed for?

The program is built for senior finance leaders, including CFOs, finance transformation officers, FP&A leaders, controllers and business services leaders. It is ideal for organizations aiming to drive finance modernization, improve process excellence and gain expert guidance through a structured engagement model.

What does a Finance Applied Intelligence program include?

Our finance program includes access to The Hackett Group’s proprietary finance benchmarks, strategy
discussions, performance assessments, curated research and tools, and participation in peer learning events. Program participants also receive access to the Hackett Connect® platform.

Do participants get access to Hackett AI XPLR™ through the program?

No. Program participants do not receive a direct license to Hackett AI XPLR™. Instead, our experts use the platform on your behalf, using your information to identify, evaluate, and prioritize finance-specific AI opportunities and deliver structured outputs tailored to your operating environment.

How does our use of Hackett AI XPLR™ benefit program participants?

Hackett AI XPLR™ helps ideate and identify client-specific AI opportunities across finance processes and workflows, prioritizing initiatives based on impact potential, complexity, feasibility, and strategic fit. For selected initiatives, we translate findings into practical, environment-specific inputs that accelerate solution design and implementation decisions.

What do we need from clients to deliver relevant insights through Hackett AI XPLR™?

Hackett AI XPLR™ draws on a robust library of finance processes and best practices, enabling meaningful insights even with limited input. However, the more detail you provide on your technology landscape, current workflows, performance metrics, and pain points, the more precise and client-specific the outputs become.

Does Finance Applied Intelligence help clients design and implement solutions identified through Hackett AI XPLR™?

Through the program, experts support clients as they design and implement Hackett AI XPLR™ solutions, answering questions and providing recommendations to guide successful execution. If hands-on design and deployment support is needed, program participants can engage The Hackett Group’s transformation teams for direct delivery assistance.

Why do we conduct a readiness assessment for the Agentic Enterprise Operating Framework?

Adopting AI is not enough – sustainable advantage requires reimagining how work is structured and governed. The readiness assessment evaluates preparedness across the framework’s core dimensions and strengthens your ability to scale AI-driven performance.

Can the program be customized based on our finance function’s maturity or strategic priorities?

Yes. The program adapts to your current state – whether optimizing core processes, deploying new technologies or elevating finance’s enterprise value – with expert support aligned to your priorities and transformation goals.

Is finance benchmarking included in the Finance Applied Intelligence program?

Yes. Program participants receive access to a curated set of approximately 25 finance benchmark metrics, enabling comparison against peers and Digital World Class® organizations to support targeted improvement and informed decision-making.

How do we help program participants establish and mature their AI centers of excellence?

We draw on real-world transformation experience to guide the structure, staffing, governance, and
design of AI centers of excellence (COEs), sharing examples and practices to ensure COEs are executed effectively.

Can multiple stakeholders from our organization participate?

Absolutely. Participation supports multiple roles:

  • A primary contact to coordinate engagement
  • Additional team members with approved corporate access who may participate in executive briefings, diagnostics and learning events

How can we get started or learn more about the program?

To understand how the Finance Applied Intelligence program can support your goals, contact us for a personalized overview or consultation. Join other finance organizations achieving transformation and excellence through The Hackett Group’s unique engagement model.

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