A Record $1.94 Trillion Working Capital Opportunity Demands a New Playbook

Despite stronger revenue and profitability, the working capital performance gap among North America’s largest companies rose 12% to a record $1.94 trillion. The Hackett Group’s 2026 survey shows where cash is trapped and how process-led artificial intelligence (AI) can help drive more sustainable gains.

What finance leaders need to know:

• Why stronger financial performance is not translating into better working capital results
• How benchmarking days sales outstanding, days inventory outstanding and days payable outstanding against top performers quantifies the gap
• Where process-led AI can improve order-to-cash performance and sustain gains

With receivables deteriorating and payables gains narrowing, chief financial officers need a more durable path to improving working capital performance.

Rethink your working capital playbook. Download now.