Area of expertise

Transformation to the modern support function

Increased pace of change, globalization and digitalisation are placing increasing demands on business and business management to handle complexity and unpredictability.

In this new reality, readiness to act becomes increasingly important. To cope with a challenging decision-making environment, management needs efficient and insightful support functions adapted to the organization's specific needs.

The financial and business support must deliver challenging and business-oriented decision support as well as efficient financial support processes by being an active and future-oriented partner with both expert knowledge and broad competence.

Example of vision of a modern finance function

Many support functions today experience a growing number of tasks and a fragmented and unclear mission. To be able to meet the requirement for efficiency as well as business understanding and specialist competence, clear and separated tasks are required. Only then is the modern support function enabled.

The potential of support functions as business and operational support
In order for the support functions to be able to assert themselves in the future, they need to offer more strategic and proactive support. At the same time, there is an increased demand for expertise in prioritized areas as well as efficient and correct volume transactions.

Through long experience and many examples, Ekan Management has developed a model for how we help support functions to clarify their roles and to streamline and raise the quality of their deliveries. In short, it is about separating and coordinating the functions.

Separate and develop the support
By differentiating the support functions' various missions and tasks, it is made clear what benefit they are each expected to contribute to. The assignments are divided into three type areas:

• Specialist competencies
• Transactional processes and systems
• Business and decision support tasks.

This division is important as it makes visible differences in the nature of the assignments which are difficult to combine. For example, requirements for situational business analysis within business support in relation to lowest unit cost within the ledger department.

Based on clear assignments and goals, there are good conditions for developing processes and strengthening competences within each delivery area. If several support functions follow the same logic, there is further potential for strategic coordination and synergies.

Our offer
Is your organization and function facing these challenges? Based on long experience and proven models and methods, we help you and your organization realize the potential. The assignment may include one or more support functions and a
selection of, or all, of the following areas.

• GAP analysis with regard to the support function's existing tasks and deliveries against real need
• Development of the support function's mission, vision and goals
• Process mapping and development of the support function's various processes
• System review and proposals for development in solutions and working methods
• Organizational review and proposal for a new structure
• Competence mapping, role clarification and competence development plan
• Competence development for business and decision support roles
• Analysis and support in the development of control models and system support for business and decision support