As a global family-owned company, Viessmann faced a key challenge in Finance: How can an established finance organization evolve when structures, processes, and reporting data do not follow a consistent logic?
into root causes, interdependencies, and efficiency potential
of the key areas for action across organization, processes, content, and systems
for the next stages of development, including ongoing initiatives
* To respect our clients’ confidentiality, we do not publish project-specific metrics. The results presented reflect the qualitative impact of our collaboration.
Evolved structures, growing need for effective management
Viessmann’s finance organization was decentralized across production sites, sales companies, divisions, and the holding company. It was expected to provide reliable management information for the Group while also meeting the varying requirements of the individual business units.
Over time, inconsistent reporting data and differing process structures made Group-wide management increasingly difficult. There was no comprehensive view of where efficiency potential existed, how the various issues were interconnected, or where to focus the further development of the Finance function.
Individual process improvements alone would not have addressed this challenge. What was needed was a shared target operating model for the finance organization, supported by a roadmap that sets clear priorities and provides a coherent path for the next steps. The key question was: How should Finance be structured in the future to ensure that organization, processes, data, and systems work together more effectively?
From the big picture to the roadmap
4C began by analyzing the finance organization across the key areas of Accounting, Group Reporting, Controlling, Sales Management, and Finance IT. This provided a comprehensive view of where processes, data, and responsibilities were already working well together – and where inefficiencies were arising.
A particular focus was placed on Record to Report. The analysis identified inefficiencies within the process, assessed opportunities for optimization and digitalization, and evaluated potential organizational adjustments.
Based on these findings, 4C developed concrete options for action and incorporated ongoing initiatives into the overall approach. This resulted in a roadmap that established clear priorities and made the interdependencies between the individual steps transparent.
The roadmap provided transparency on root causes, interdependencies, and options for action. This helped us take a focused approach to further developing our finance organization.
Clear priorities for the further development of Finance
An organically grown and difficult-to-manage Finance structure was transformed into a clear path for the continued development of the finance organization.
Viessmann gained a shared target operating model and a roadmap that brought ongoing initiatives, key areas for action, and interdependencies into a clear sequence. This enabled the finance organization to drive its development forward in a focused way – with greater clarity for decision-making and a transparent implementation logic.
"What stood out was Viessmann’s openness in critically reviewing its own Finance setup. Together, we were able to identify which structures were making Group-wide management more difficult and which steps needed to be prioritized."
