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Key Takeaways BCG confirms that 70% of AI transformation success depends on organization, people, and process, not the…

Key Takeaways The UAT phase is where digital projects succeed or fail in practice. Structured preparation, disciplined…

The execution phase is often where projects go off track. Yet, it’s also where everything is decided. Here are 4 key levers to ensure smooth, aligned, and controlled implementation from kick-off to delivery.

Key Takeaways Skills gaps and poor change management are the real reasons finance teams fail to adopt new technology….

Key Takeaways Poorly designed analytical dimensions are one of the most underestimated causes of slow financial…

Key Takeaways The Design phase is where most transformation programs either gain traction or quietly lose it….

Key Takeaways Most enterprise IT architectures were designed before AI-native platforms existed. By 2030, 40% of…

The hidden cost of an unstructured Record-to-Report process in multi-entity finance operations Key Takeaways An…

Key Takeaways Most AI projects fail not because of bad technology, but because of weak governance, misaligned…

Key Takeaways Transformation is a never-ending process, not a finite program. Organizations that still manage it…

Key Takeaways Intelligent HR assistant deployments fail in 69% of cases due to lack of adoption, according to…

Key Takeaways In 2026, 94% of French companies are accelerating their digital transformation, but maturity gaps remain…

Key Takeaways I tested Claude on a mission tracking Excel model. Result: visually perfect but unusable: hardcoded…

Let’s develop the “Plan Phase” of the Penon’s SAIL method to drive projects from start to finish. This framework in 6 phases (vision, plan, build, deliver, operate) helps project managers achieve outstanding results, whether for small projects or large-scale initiatives.

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly embedded in business operations, organizations must ensure that…

Your first U.S. hire will make or break your expansion. In the U.S., speed, adaptability, and cultural fluency matter more than perfect résumés. This first person becomes your brand, your credibility, and the foundation for every future hire.

Have you just merged and your SAP project threatens to paralyze everything or cost you much more than expected? Or maybe you just want to avoid getting to that point… Discover my 3 key tips for securing this transition without having to start all over again.

When situations become complex, our first instinct is often to add more: more tools, more meetings, more spreadsheets, more analysis… Yet, the best – whether athletes or leaders –> do exactly the opposite: they go back to basics. A tennis player in difficulty doesn’t try to invent a new shot. They return to their serve, their positioning, their tactics, and their breathing.

The first week of every month shouldn’t feel like a marathon of spreadsheets, late nights, and missing invoices. Every finance team dreams of a smooth, on-time close, without the pressure, errors, or stress. The good news? It’s achievable with structure, automation, and the right mindset. Here are 5 proven ways to take days off your closing deadline and give your team their evenings back.

The CEO community is split on how to incorporate AI into increasing productivity and managing costs. Some companies are using AI to replace workers, while others are figuring out ways that AI and humans collaborate with each other. Many are doing both. AI can do many things, but it can’t replace these three human superpowers.

In 2025, navigating tariff and trade uncertainty remains a top priority for global businesses. As costs fluctuate in increasingly short cycles, companies are under pressure to adapt quickly, but many overlook the critical role of workforce planning (headcount and required skills) in this equation.

In many companies, the Order-to-Cash (O2C) process (from customer order confirmation to cash collection) is still…

When stepping into a new mission—whether as a consultant or an interim manager—much is expected: expertise,…

Most ERP failures don’t happen during implementation—they’re even built into the project before it even begins. If your data is messy, your processes are unclear, or your teams are not aligned, your ERP project might not deliver the results you expect. The good news? You can avoid most of these issues by preparing a few things in advance.

As a CFO, you position yourself as the CEO’s strategic business partner—driving strategy, enhancing performance, and ensuring visibility. But have you taken a step back to assess your own Finance Operations? Are your internal processes as structured and efficient as those you optimize elsewhere?

These days, keeping information secure is more important than ever. Achieving ISO 27001 certification not only protects your data but also gives your business a real advantage. Here are five reasons why it’s worth pursuing:

Many clients aim to hire the “best” talent based on credential-centric hiring. Until recently, this was the norm, but in 2025, most companies now prioritize skills-centric hiring over credential-centric. Below is the difference:

Both consultants and interim managers are hired to provide services and their expertise to clients, whether it’s…

Financial teams often request other departments to improve their processes and reduce costs in order to focus on…

CFOs and finance leaders often find themselves overwhelmed by deadlines: reporting, budget, forecast, strategic plans,…

Are you an operational leader or executive in transition, considering a move to consulting? If you’re exploring options and recognize the need for a solid framework, brand identity, administrative support, coaching, and a collaborative environment, then Penon Partners is the right fit for you.

Regardless of your industry or strategy, some financial indicators are essential: you must track key figures like Gross Margin, EBITDA, Working Capital, Cash Flow, Return on Investment (ROI), Debt-to-Equity Ratio… But there’s more to it: tracking the right financial metrics could be the difference between informed decision-making and wasted effort.

Operating in the U.S. offers strategic advantages for foreign businesses, making it an attractive destination for global growth. The workplace culture, legal and compliance landscape, employee relations, and compensation models are all vastly different in the U.S., posing significant risks if not properly managed. Failure to adapt your HR practices to the U.S. market’s unique legal, cultural, and regulatory landscape can lead to costly lawsuits, severe financial penalties, and lasting reputational damage.

Is your IT development shop feeling more like the Wild West because everyone is doing what they feel like instead of following any rules? If it is, you are missing out on the benefits architectural standards can bring to your development organization. Benefits like:

Collecting payments from customers can be a complex and sometimes frustrating task. To convert sales into cash more…

Despite significant effort and team mobilization, many digital transformations fail to deliver the intended outcome…

If you work around IT, you have probably heard someone say “IT is too expensive” or better yet… “I can purchase a…

Most of us have already integrated AI into our daily routines: refining emails, summarizing articles, reviewing code,…

At Penon Partners, we’re thrilled to introduce our new HR solutions designed to elevate your company’s HR…

I have worked with several executives who like to continue using their IT assets beyond their financial lives. This is…

Am I the only European surprised by how frequently checks are used in the United States? In a world where digital transactions are nearly instantaneous, it’s interesting to see the continued use of paper checks. When assessing a P2P process, I always recommend transitioning to Automated Clearing House (ACH). It’s a compelling solution for better efficiency.

To capitalize on the benefits of your company’s transformation, whether it’s in the realm of business, digital, or…

For me, the art of taking comprehensive meeting minutes and managing action items efficiently can be quite challenging. Engaging actively in meetings is crucial, but it often detracts from my ability to document discussions accurately.

In today’s fast-paced business environment, maximizing financial operations is crucial for staying competitive and achieving sustainable growth. However, many companies find themselves facing challenges in effectively managing their financial processes. Take the quiz below to determine if your organization could benefit from the expertise of a finance transformation consultant.

The creation of an IT roadmap marks the commencement of an ongoing journey rather than a finite task, necessitating…

Moving from Excel to Power BI is a significant step for finance teams. More than just switching tools, it’s…

Congratulations you have a list of all the projects you need to complete the transformation of your area. However, how…

Introduction In the realm of digital transformation, the role of an experienced program manager cannot be…

The evolution from Excel to Power BI is not just a software upgrade—it’s a strategic development of your finance…

In the dynamic world of business, a temporary Chief Financial Officer (CFO) often becomes necessary. They offer…

Through a series of insightful interviews about Artificial Intelligence (AI) with IT executives and interactive…

It may feel like middle age torture, but a successful IT Executive does need to be “drawn” and “quartered”. They…

Most technology and services companies know agile methodologies, they may have tested it or implemented it in some…

Are you tired of managing your IT budget and constantly feeling a target on your back? Anybody who has ever managed an IT budget knows there is a target on their back

Have you ever heard about the importance of distinguishing Who you are (The Person) and What function/role do you play…

In the face of economic challenges, many employers are exploring ways to reduce costs. Before thinking about staff…

We all know the famous Einstein formula e=mc² ; but do you know that e=mc is another powerful formula for business and…

In today’s globalized world, businesses have access to a diverse pool of IT talent which offers numerous possibilities for optimizing IT staffing strategies. Companies must carefully consider several factors, such as cost, expertise, cultural compatibility, and must decide between onshore, nearshore, and offshore staffing models. Companies must also determine whether to utilize insourced or outsourced IT services and how much senior staff vs junior staff is needed. Each of these choices presents unique challenges and benefits. This article explores staffing options and provides insights into finding the right balance for optimal IT team composition.

Welcome to part IV of my five-step approach to finding the financial waste in your IT budget. Part IV is not for the…

Welcome to part III of my five-step approach to finding the financial waste in your IT budget. Are you reviewing your…

Financial teams often request other departments to improve their processes and reduce costs in order to focus on…

If you do, you are wasting some of your valuable IT operating budget and losing company revenue. Welcome to part II…

Do you want to perform at leading your programs and have fun while doing it? Do you want to drive programs (large…

If you are asking yourself this question or if your leadership is telling you they are, then you can be assured they…

Don’t you think the automation of financial processes has been largely neglected? It seems to me that there are…

Have you ever regretted spending $300,000 when you actually could have only spent $30,000? By hiring a consultant for…

Despite a tremendous effort and mobilization of teams, many companies started transformations but didn’t achieve the…

Not all ERPs offer the same features. Therefore, it’s important to assess your needs, what’s mandatory, nice to have, or not really necessary. 2 companies can generate the same annual revenue, one with one monthly invoice of $1M to one customer, the other billing $12 dollars one million times a year to thousands of customers; they will surely have very different requirements.

FP&A teams are often overwhelmed by operational dashboards and KPIs they must deliver, in addition to the official reporting. But what if… they suddenly stopped sending them? Just stopped, without notifying anyone… This exercise could be extremely interesting!

When millions of dollars of business value and optimization depend on one process, leaders better care for that process. In this article, we’ll view Requests for Proposals (RFP) from the demand perspective – the company that places the Request for Proposal. RFPs are estimated to have generated close to $500 billion of company spending, in 2022, globally. A large part of this spending is allocated to digital projects, of which only over a third are correctly implemented, according to recent research. With so much spent through RFPs, and so little of it succeeding, shouldn’t it be a priority to optimize your RFP management process? You will find below an overview and practical takeaways for managing RFPs.

Shared services are when a business consolidates its support functions to better serve the corporation and its business units. Typically, this includes services such as human resources, finance and accounting, information technology, and other front and back-office services. By consolidating these services into a centrally managed organization, businesses can achieve efficiencies that would otherwise be difficult to achieve with decentralization. These efficiencies could be consistency in processes and reporting, or they could be reduced costs.

You have just been hired to perform the work as a consultant. The first meeting with your client is starting; this is the time to begin your engagement. First and foremost, I would recommend not behaving as an employee who might wait for their “boss” to give them the tempo and lead their onboarding. But instead, I suggest taking the initiative immediately with a proactive attitude and organized behavior. It implies starting by doing this:

Master data is the core data used across your enterprise, for instance: customers, vendors, items, and chart of accounts. They are non-transactional, which means they should not change over a period of time. Everyone agrees that master data is important and should be treated as such: better efficiency, improved decision-making, compliance, and security… but Master Data Management is costly and time-consuming. The Finance and Administration department is directly involved and impacted by these hideous hidden costs!

Welcome to part IV of my five-step approach to finding the financial waste in your IT budget. Part IV is not for the…

It’s not by magic neither by pure gift that experienced consultants give such positive thoughts about their work and…

Are you reviewing your IT contracts and invoices on a consistent basis? You should be because there is always money to be found there.

You are facing critical difficulties in your projects’ execution. Our team of experts solves these issues for you so that you can reap the expected benefits of your project.

Collecting money from customers can be challenging. To ensure those sales become cash in the bank, consider the…

Cash shortages can be a nightmare for companies and the current “econovid” crisis is making businesses extremely…

Maintaining a strong technical professional team requires more than just hiring quality individuals. The real challenge lies in retaining and maximizing their performance. In the article “Building a Better Team – Sense of Purpose” (Gunter, J.G., 2023), the author highlights the significance of the quality “Sense of Purpose” in building a successful team.

Many of us have encountered the unfortunate situation of hiring team members who appeared to be of high caliber only to discover that they fell short of expectations. Despite having the appropriate credentials, experience, references, and interview skills, these people frequently failed to demonstrate a capacity to generate value. They might have required regular encouragement to work, constantly found themselves distracted by personal matters, or struggled to maintain high standards of work quality when presented with difficulties.

Moving to a “Business As A Service” model is quickly becoming a requirement in today’s market. Navigating your…

In your professional context, have you ever been annoyed by subjects that are circling around, that have already been discussed or decided, but come back to the surface again and put back on the table?

If you are asking yourself this question or if your leadership is telling you they are, then you can be assured they…

Are you confident enough to say that your digital transformation project is on track? Be able to clearly answer…

I had a great conversation with clients and consultants about the differentiators that make a consultant provide great…

Have you ever lived the situation in which people were expecting the others to do things, or in which things have been…

“Where is the printer?” (This Article is the first of 3 articles on Corporate Print costs reduction) Who has not heard…

Do you have immature ITIL processes? If you do, you are wasting some of your valuable IT operating budget and losing…

Do you need some help to make IT savings or want to learn about more ways to save money on your IT ? I can help you to…

If you do not have an Inside Sales Team, in addition to a “Field Sales Team”, now would be a great time to add one. …

As a new employee joining a company, especially in this remote work environment, don’t you think it is a real…

Is Servant Leadership a new concept? Does it provide a modern and relevant new perspective to serve people? What is…