Improving operations with SAP Central Finance

PwC helped a global professional services organization modernize its finance operations so it can be more agile. With a complex global footprint and multiple acquisitions, the company faced challenges in integrating financial reporting and reducing data complexity. The two teams collaborated to implement SAP Central Finance (cFIN) and SAP S/4HANA Finance for group reporting. The transformation resulted in increased scalability, enhanced financial consolidation and a more resilient financial infrastructure.

Streamlining finance, strengthening trust

What sparked the need for change?

As the organization grew, it saw an opportunity to modernize its financial operations to better support growth. Legacy systems — particularly an aging consolidation platform — were increasingly misaligned with evolving business needs. Manual workflows also created complexity and slowed decision-making. Leadership recognized that unifying global financial data could help unlock greater efficiency, improve reporting reliability and empower finance to focus more strategically.

What solution did the teams unlock by working together?

PwC worked with the client to roll out SAP Central Finance (cFIN) and SAP S/4HANA Finance for group reporting on SAP S/4HANA, creating a single source of truth for financial data. cFIN acted as a real-time bridge between the client’s legacy SAP ECC system and the new platform, helping reduce disruption while building a solid foundation for a broader SAP S/4HANA migration.

What really set this transformation apart was the design of custom, complex capabilities that were tailored to the client’s needs — but still easy for project teams to use day-to-day. Finance teams no longer had to juggle fragmented systems or dig for the right data. Everything they needed was integrated and accessible, helping them move faster and make better decisions. PwC’s hands-on approach helped the client navigate the technical challenges and set up a scalable, future-ready financial system.

Where did tech innovation meet human ingenuity?

Technology was instrumental, but the transformation’s success was driven primarily by process enhancements and upskilling. By incorporating advanced analytics and automating data processing, finance teams were freed up to transition from manual reconciliation to strategic decision-making.

Time spent on closing tasks and manual entries was significantly reduced, allowing accountants to support the consulting practice in accounting for new revenue streams. PwC also offered training and change management support, directly involving the client’s IT team in the build, helping the team to leverage the new capabilities of SAP cFIN and SAP S/4HANA Finance for group reporting.

What was the real-world impact of approaching things differently?

By moving to cloud-based reporting and automating key finance tasks, the organization went from chasing numbers at month-end to having clear, real-time visibility. Teams were no longer tied up in manual work, opening the door to focus on bigger-picture initiatives like supporting new revenue streams.

The new tools were sophisticated behind the scenes, but easy to use on the ground — especially for project teams managing complex work. And because CFIN gave them a strong starting point, they can now roll out the rest of their S/4HANA roadmap at their own pace, adding new capabilities as the business evolves.