WHAT WE DELIVER
Six service areas across the full transformation path.
Functions
Industries
Services
Our services
From strategy and operating model design to process automation, technology selection, application creation, and data architecture, each service can stand alone or connect into a full end-to-end digital transformation.
Interactive matrix
Pick a service and a function. See exactly what we deliver.
FUNCTIONS WE SERVE
Finance
F
IT
I
Strategy Definition & Roadmap / Finance
Finance Transformation Plan
DESCRIPTION
Define the Finance function’s transformation priorities and translate them into an
executable plan. From reporting modernization and process standardization
to shared services and FP&A capability building, we help CFOs connect Finance’s
operational ambitions to the broader corporate strategy.
executable plan. From reporting modernization and process standardization
to shared services and FP&A capability building, we help CFOs connect Finance’s
operational ambitions to the broader corporate strategy.
WHAT YOU GET
A prioritized Finance transformation plan, with business cases for key initiatives and a realistic implementation sequence.
Strategy Definition & Roadmap / it
IT Strategy & Technology Roadmap
DESCRIPTION
Define an IT strategy needed to support business priorities and digital transformation, covering applications, infrastructure, sourcing, governance, and
capabilities. We translate that strategy into a practical multi-year plan with clear priorities, dependencies, and implementation steps.
capabilities. We translate that strategy into a practical multi-year plan with clear priorities, dependencies, and implementation steps.
WHAT YOU GET
A practical IT roadmap that leadership can act on, with clear priorities, budget implications, success metrics, and implementation steps.
Operating Model Design / Finance
Finance Function Design
DESCRIPTION
Design how the Finance function should work across processes, governance, organizational structure, capabilities, systems, and data. We move from a current-state assessment to a detailed target operating model and a practical implementation plan.
WHAT YOU GET
A Finance target operatingmodel grounded in your actual business, with clear design decisions acrossprocesses, governance, roles, capabilities, systems, and data, plus atransition plan you can act on.
Operating Model Design / IT
IT Operating Model & Governance
DESCRIPTION
Design how IT should operate across service delivery, governance, sourcing, organization design, and enterprise architecture. We work with IT leadership and business stakeholders to define a model that reflects what the business needs from IT.
WHAT YOU GET
IT operating model withclearly defined roles, governance structures, service responsibilities, and atransition plan from current state to target state.
Process Optimization & Automation/ Finance
Finance Process Optimization
DESCRIPTION
Map the current Financeprocess landscape, identify inefficiencies and automation potential, redesign workflows, and implement the improved process on the Lowgile platform or through the tooling that best fits your environment. Typical use cases include accounts payable, expense management, financial close, and reporting workflows.
WHAT YOU GET
Reduced manual effort in Finance operations, faster cycle times, and auditable processes.
Process Optimization & Automation/ IT
IT Service Management & Operations Automation
DESCRIPTION
Identify and automate repetitive IT operations and service management processes, from onboarding and access provisioning to monitoring and incident response. We redesign the process first, then build the automation on the Lowgile platform or integrate with existing tooling where that is the better fit.
WHAT YOU GET
Faster IT service delivery, reduced manual overhead, and consistent process execution across the IT function.
Tool Selection & Integration/ Finance
Finance Tool Selection & Integration
DESCRIPTION
Select and integrate the right Finance tools, from requirements definition and vendor assessment to contract negotiation and go-live. This includes ERP, CPM and consolidation platforms, treasury systems, expense management tools, and reporting and analytics solutions. Process design comes first, so the selected tool fits how Finance should work.
WHAT YOU GET
A finance tool selected against the right criteria and integrated into the existing technology landscape without disrupting ongoing operations.
Tool Selection & Integration/ IT
Technology Selection, Integration & Architecture
DESCRIPTION
Guide technology selection and integration across corporate functions, from business requirements and architecture design to vendor evaluation, contract negotiation, and implementation oversight. We assess how each solution fits the business requirements, existing systems, and wider corporate architecture before a decision is made
WHAT YOU GET
A structured technology selection process with clear architecture decisions, integration requirements,and implementation priorities from the start.
Application Creation/ Finance
Custom Finance Applications
DESCRIPTION
Build custom Finance applications on the Lowgile platform, including dashboards, planning tools,approval workflows, and reporting applications fully integrated with your ERP
WHAT YOU GET
Finance applications that replace spreadsheets and manual workarounds, developed or implemented to fit how your Finance function operates.
Application Creation/ it
Custom IT Management Applications
DESCRIPTION
Develop custom IT management and operations applications on the Lowgile platform, from asset tracking and service catalogs to project portfolio and vendor management tools.
WHAT YOU GET
Purpose-built or best-fit IT management applications delivered in days to weeks - fully integrated with your existing landscape.
Data Foundation & Architecture/ Finance
Finance Data Architecture & Governance
DESCRIPTION
Define and implement the Finance data architecture, including master data management, data quality rules, ERP, and reporting-system integration, and governance structures that make reporting, AI, and automation reliable.
WHAT YOU GET
A clean, consistent Finance data architecture that supports automation, AI, and reliable reporting.
Data Foundation & Architecture/ IT
IT Data Architecture & Governance
DESCRIPTION
Design and implement the IT data architecture, covering data flows across systems, integration patterns,data governance, and the infrastructure needed for analytics and AI applications.
WHAT YOU GET
A structured data architecture that reduces integration complexity and gives IT a reliable foundation for analytics, AI, and future capability development.
PROCESS EXPLORER
Where should transformation start?
Not every digital transformation begins with a new strategy or operating model. Most organizations already have a direction. What they lack is execution.
The more immediate question is often not “Where are we going?” but “What is broken and where does it hurt most?” Approval workflows bypass finance. Reconciliations take days at month-end. Reporting depends on one person and one spreadsheet.
For many organizations, the highest-impact entry point is the process level: fix what is not working, automate what should not be manual, and build on what already functions.
The Lowgile Process Explorer helps you identify where to start. Browse 101 common operational challenges across Finance and IT, filter by function or process, or search for a topic already on your agenda.
Try “month-end close” or “audit trail” to see how similar challenges are framed, and what solving them may involve, from process redesign to organization, governance, and data improvements.
The more immediate question is often not “Where are we going?” but “What is broken and where does it hurt most?” Approval workflows bypass finance. Reconciliations take days at month-end. Reporting depends on one person and one spreadsheet.
For many organizations, the highest-impact entry point is the process level: fix what is not working, automate what should not be manual, and build on what already functions.
The Lowgile Process Explorer helps you identify where to start. Browse 101 common operational challenges across Finance and IT, filter by function or process, or search for a topic already on your agenda.
Try “month-end close” or “audit trail” to see how similar challenges are framed, and what solving them may involve, from process redesign to organization, governance, and data improvements.
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Finance - processes
Order-to-Cash
8 challenges
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Procure-to-Pay
8 challenges
Treasury & Cash
Management
Management
7 challenges
Payroll & Expense Management
6 challenges
Tax & Compliance
7 challenges
Record-to-Report
8 challenges
Financial Planning
& Analysis
& Analysis
7 challenges
Order-to-Cash
8 challenges identified
1
Lack of structured returns and refund processing creates revenue and inventory discrepancies
Customer returns are authorised informally by Sales or Customer Service without a defined approval process or link to the original invoice. Finance is notified after the return has been received, by which point inventory has already been adjusted and the original invoice may already be paid. Credit notes, refunds, and inventory corrections are processed inconsistently and reconciliation between the three is performed manually if at all.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a returns and refund policy, establishing standard authorisation requirements linked to the original sales order, defined timelines for processing credit notes and refunds, and a reconciliation step confirming inventory, financial, and customer records are aligned.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Most ERP systems include a returns management module that handles RMA creation, goods receipt confirmation, and credit note generation. Configuring these capabilities within the existing ERP is typically the right starting point.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where returns involve complex approval chains, cross-system coordination, or customer portal integration, we build a structured returns workflow on the Lowgile platform that manages the full process from customer request to credit note posting.
1
Manual sales order entry creates downstream errors in pricing, availability, and invoicing
Sales orders received by email, phone, or web form are entered manually into the ERP by order administrators. Pricing is applied by reference to memory or static price lists that may not reflect current agreements, and stock availability is checked separately rather than at the point of order entry. Errors introduced at this stage propagate through fulfilment and invoicing, surfacing only when the customer disputes the final invoice.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a sales order entry policy, establishing standard data validation requirements at entry, a defined process for confirming pricing against the current agreement before order confirmation, and an escalation route for orders that cannot be fulfilled as requested.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Most ERP systems support electronic order intake via EDI, customer portals, or email-to-order parsing. Enabling these native capabilities - or connecting the ERP to the customer's ordering system via a standard integration - is typically the right approach for straightforward order types.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where orders require dynamic pricing validation, multi-system inventory checks, or structured approval before entry into the ERP, we build an order intake workflow on the Lowgile platform that validates inputs and routes exceptions before writing to the ERP.
1
Lack of structured dispute management perpetuates recurring revenue leakage
The resolution of customer invoice disputes and pricing exceptions relies on informal email exchanges between Sales and Finance, outside any structured workflow. There is no central log of open disputes, no defined resolution timeline, and no formal escalation mechanism for unresolved issues. In the absence of a feedback loop to address underlying root causes, the same categories of disputes recur, perpetuating inefficiency and revenue leakage over time.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a dispute management policy, establishing a central log capturing every open dispute and its status, resolution timelines differentiated by dispute type and complexity, and escalation rules that trigger when a case remains open beyond the agreed timeline.
💻 Lowgile Platform
We build a dispute management workflow on the Lowgile platform with defined request types, mandatory fields, SLA timers, and escalation rules. Status is visible to both Sales and Finance at all times. Resolution decisions are documented on the dispute record, and recurring dispute patterns are surfaced in a management dashboard so root causes can be addressed rather than managed repeatedly.
1
Uncontrolled master data changes create fraud risk and recurring invoice errors
Changes to customer billing addresses, payment terms, and price lists are made directly in the ERP by anyone with the required system access. There is no approval step, no record of who changed what and when, and no notification to Finance when commercially significant changes are made. This creates both fraud exposure and a recurring source of invoice errors traced back to incorrect master data.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a master data governance policy, establishing which fields - billing addresses, payment terms, price lists - require prior approval, who holds approval authority for each field type, and how every change is logged with a timestamp, requester, and approver to support both fraud prevention and audit traceability.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Most ERP systems support field-level change logging and configurable approval workflows for master data. Where these native controls exist, activating them is the right first step before adding a separate workflow layer.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where ERP-native master data controls are insufficient, or where a consolidated audit trail across multiple systems is required, we build a master data change workflow on the Lowgile platform. Any change to a controlled field requires structured approval before the update is written to the ERP via integration, and every change is logged with submitter, approver, timestamp, and prior value.
1
Unstructured credit note process creates duplicate processing and limits visibility
Credit note requests arrive by email with no structured intake, no duplicate detection, and no formal approval chain. The same credit is occasionally processed twice without either instance being caught. Finance has no consolidated view of outstanding credits, open chargebacks, or the total value of credits issued in a period, limiting the ability to monitor exposure and identify recurring root causes.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a credit note policy, establishing structured intake requirements with mandatory reason codes, approval thresholds that scale with the value of the credit, and a consolidated log capturing every request, approval, and issuance to prevent duplicate processing and support trend analysis.
💻 Lowgile Platform
We build a credit note request workflow on the Lowgile platform with a structured intake form, mandatory reason code and supporting documentation, approval routing by amount threshold, and automatic duplicate detection against recently issued credits before any processing takes place. Approved credit notes are posted to the ERP via integration.
1
Manual AR aging reporting produces inconsistent and outdated information for leadership
Accounts receivable aging reports require manual data extraction from the ERP and reformatting in spreadsheets each period. Output varies depending on who produces it - different aging buckets, different filters, different layouts - making period-over-period comparison unreliable. By the time the report reaches the CFO, the underlying data is already partially stale, limiting its value as a basis for timely decision-making.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a standard AR reporting framework, establishing a fixed set of aging buckets and filters used consistently across periods, a regular reporting cadence aligned with management review cycles, and a single accountable owner for production, accuracy, and timely distribution to the CFO.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
A BI tool such as Power BI, connected directly to ERP data, can provide a standardised and automatically refreshed AR aging view without manual extraction. Where the organisation already has a BI tool in place, this is the most efficient path to consistent aging reporting.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where AR aging needs to reflect data from multiple systems, trigger automated escalation actions, or sit inside a broader collections workflow, we build a dedicated AR aging dashboard on the Lowgile platform with standardised aging buckets, responsible owner filters, and threshold-based alerts.
1
Manual cash application and delayed AR reconciliation
Incoming payments are matched to open invoices through a manual process, with Finance teams reconciling bank statement exports against ERP reports in parallel. This consumes substantial Finance capacity on a recurring basis and introduces a meaningful risk of misallocation. As a result, the accounts receivable ledger reflects the true cash position only intermittently rather than in real time. Unmatched payments are held in a suspense account and cleared periodically in batch, creating temporary distortions in AR reporting and limiting visibility into actual customer balances.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a cash application policy, establishing matching priority rules for incoming payments, ageing thresholds that trigger review of items sitting in the suspense account, and clear ownership for investigating and clearing unmatched payments within a defined timeframe.
💻 Lowgile Platform
We build an automated cash application workflow on the Lowgile platform that imports bank statements via a direct banking interface, matches incoming payments to open invoices by reference number and amount, and posts matched items to the ERP automatically. Unmatched items are routed to the AR team as structured tasks with the relevant bank transaction detail, so exceptions are resolved quickly rather than left in a suspense account.
1
Manual invoicing introduces errors and delays cash collection
Invoices are created manually within the ERP or via document templates, with draft versions circulated for review by email before final issuance as PDF attachments. This approach is time-intensive and relies on informal version control, with no structured checkpoint to consistently catch errors such as incorrect pricing, wrong payment terms, or missing line items prior to dispatch. Each error effectively restarts the payment clock, generating rework for both the issuing organization and the customer and delaying cash collection.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We introduce a standard invoice review and approval protocol, establishing mandatory checks on pricing, payment terms, and line items, defined sign-off responsibilities before an invoice leaves the organisation, and an escalation route for exceptions so errors are caught before dispatch rather than after the payment clock has started.
💻 Lowgile Platform
We build an invoice generation workflow on the Lowgile platform triggered automatically from a confirmed delivery or service completion record. Drafts are reviewed via a structured task before dispatch. Once approved, the system sends the formatted PDF, logs the send timestamp and recipient, and stores all prior versions against the record - eliminating manual creation and version confusion.
1
Lack of structured credit risk management increases exposure to bad debt
Credit limits for new and existing customers are set based on judgment or historical relationships rather than a structured assessment of financial risk. No defined process exists to review limits when customer circumstances change, no escalation path is triggered when orders exceed approved limits, and no consolidated view of credit exposure across the customer base is maintained. Bad debt provisions are determined reactively, after payment failures occur, rather than managed proactively as part of ongoing risk monitoring.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a credit risk policy, establishing objective assessment criteria for new and existing customers, approval thresholds tied to exposure levels, a defined review frequency triggered by changes in customer circumstances, and clear escalation rules when orders would exceed approved limits.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated credit risk management tools provide automated financial scoring, limit recommendations, and ongoing customer monitoring. Most ERP systems also include a credit management module that enforces limits at order entry. Selecting and configuring the right tool - or enabling existing ERP capabilities - is typically all that is required.
1
Unstructured collections process drives payment delays and revenue risk
When invoices become overdue, Finance staff follow up individually and manually - with no defined escalation logic, no consistent timing across customers, and no record of prior communications on the invoice. Coverage depends on individual initiative rather than a reliable process. The result is extended payment cycles, inconsistent treatment of customers, and Finance capacity consumed by administrative follow-up rather than exception handling.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a structured collections policy, establishing escalation triggers based on days overdue, a contact cadence tailored by customer segment and risk profile, and a shared communication log so that every interaction is visible to both Finance and Sales and follow-up is no longer dependent on individual memory.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Most ERP systems include a collections module that supports automated reminder sequences, escalation rules, and a communication log by customer. Where this functionality exists and is underused, configuring it is the right starting point before adding a separate workflow layer.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where ERP-native collections capabilities are limited, or where coordination across Sales, Finance, and external contacts needs to be tracked in a single place, we build a structured dunning workflow on the Lowgile platform. Reminders go out automatically at defined intervals, escalation to a senior contact is triggered by unpaid thresholds, and every communication is logged against the invoice record.
No items found.
Procure-to-Pay
8 challenges identified
1
Lack of supplier performance measurement weakens the organisation's negotiating position
No structured process exists for evaluating supplier performance against contracted terms - delivery reliability, quality, responsiveness, and pricing compliance. Performance conversations at renewal time are based on anecdote rather than evidence. The organisation enters renegotiations without data and accepts terms that a more structured approach would have challenged.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We introduce a supplier performance management framework, establishing scorecards covering delivery reliability, quality, responsiveness, and pricing compliance, a defined review cadence throughout the contract term rather than only at renewal, and escalation routes for sustained underperformance that feed directly into negotiation positioning.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Supplier performance tracking can often be managed within existing procurement or ERP systems, or via a structured scorecard built in a BI tool connected to existing operational data. For organisations with manageable supplier counts, this is a practical and low-overhead starting point.
1
Lack of a central contract repository undermines visibility of supplier commitments and renewals
Supplier contracts are stored across personal drives, email archives, and shared folders with no consistent structure. Renewal dates are tracked informally and notice periods are missed when the responsible individual is unavailable. There is no consolidated view of committed supplier spend, contract terms, or upcoming renewal obligations.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a contract management policy, establishing a central repository as the single source of truth for all supplier agreements, mandatory capture of key metadata - value, term, renewal date, notice period - at the point of signing, and a defined renewal review process that begins well ahead of each notice deadline.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated contract management tools provide structured repositories, metadata management, renewal alerts, and obligation tracking as a standard product. For organisations with significant supplier contract volumes, a purpose-built contract management tool is typically faster to implement than a custom solution.
1
Off-contract purchasing bypasses preferred suppliers and inflates procurement costs
Purchases are frequently made from suppliers outside approved vendor lists, either because employees are unaware of preferred agreements or because the procurement process is perceived as too slow to be practical. The result is lost volume discounts, inconsistent quality, and contract compliance issues that are difficult to evidence during supplier reviews or audits.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a preferred supplier policy, establishing the mandatory sourcing channels for each spend category, a clearly defined and time-bound exception route for cases where the preferred supplier cannot meet the need, and visibility for category owners into off-contract spend so it can be addressed proactively.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Most procurement and ERP systems support preferred supplier lists and category-level controls. Activating supplier catalogue management within the existing system is the right first step, combined with clear communication to employees about which suppliers are approved.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where supplier controls need to be enforced dynamically within a broader purchase request workflow - including budget checks and escalated approval for non-preferred vendors - we build this capability into the procurement workflow on the Lowgile platform.
1
Lack of threshold-based payment approval routing weakens audit trail integrity
Payment approvals are granted by reply email without threshold-based routing, defined service levels, or a clear link between the payment and the underlying purchase request, purchase order, and goods receipt. Approvers act on incomplete information and the approval trail cannot be reconstructed by an auditor.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a payment approval policy, establishing approval thresholds by value and spend category, the supporting documentation required at each threshold - purchase request, PO, and goods receipt - and defined turnaround times so approvers act on complete information and the trail can be reconstructed by an auditor.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Most ERP systems support configurable payment approval workflows. Where this functionality exists, configuring threshold-based routing within the ERP - linked to the delegation of authority framework - is the right starting point.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where payment approvals need to span multiple systems, include structured context beyond the ERP record, or trigger direct transmission via banking interface, we build a payment approval workflow on the Lowgile platform with threshold-based routing and a complete audit trail from request to bank confirmation.
1
Absence of duplicate payment controls exposes the organization to financial loss
Supplier invoices are processed and paid without a systematic check for duplicates. The same invoice - submitted twice by a supplier or received through two channels simultaneously - is occasionally processed and paid twice. The error typically surfaces months later during audit, rather than being prevented at the point of processing.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a duplicate payment prevention policy, establishing standard checks performed at invoice intake before any payment is scheduled, defined responsibility for investigating and resolving flagged potential duplicates, and a periodic review of payment history by vendor to catch patterns that point-in-time checks might miss.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Most ERP systems include duplicate invoice detection as a standard feature. Correctly configuring this control within the existing ERP - covering vendor, amount, invoice number, and date range - is typically all that is needed.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where invoices arrive through multiple channels or systems and ERP-native detection cannot cover all entry points, we build a cross-system duplicate detection step into the invoice intake workflow on the Lowgile platform.
1
Three-way matching is performed manually, leaving invoice exceptions untracked
Matching of purchase orders, goods receipts, and invoices is performed manually in spreadsheets, or not performed systematically at all. Discrepancies - quantity mismatches, price deviations, invoices lacking a PO reference - are identified inconsistently and resolved informally by email. Unmatched invoices accumulate in an untracked queue and remain invisible to the AP manager until they surface as overdue or disputed.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a three-way matching policy, establishing matching tolerances for quantity and price variances, defined categories for the types of discrepancy that can occur, and assigned ownership with target resolution timeframes so unmatched invoices no longer sit in an untracked queue.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Most ERP systems support automated three-way matching natively. Where this functionality exists but is not configured or actively used, enabling it within the ERP is the right starting point.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where goods receipts are confirmed outside the ERP, matching tolerances need to vary by supplier, or exception management requires a structured workflow with SLA tracking, we build an automated matching workflow on the Lowgile platform that connects PO, goods receipt, and invoice data and routes discrepancies as structured tasks.
1
Manual invoice entry introduces data errors caught only late in the payment cycle
Supplier invoices arrive by email as PDFs or scanned paper and are keyed manually into the ERP by Finance staff. Data entry errors - incorrect amounts, GL codes, or vendor references - are common and are typically identified only during payment review, by which point significant rework has already been generated.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We introduce a supplier invoice intake and review policy, establishing standard data entry checks covering amounts, GL codes, and vendor references, a segregation between the staff member entering data and the staff member reviewing it, and an escalation process for vendors with recurring error patterns.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated AP automation tools provide OCR-based invoice capture and ERP integration as a standard product. For organisations processing high invoice volumes, a purpose-built AP tool is typically faster to implement and more cost-effective than a custom build.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where a dedicated AP tool is not justified by volume or complexity, we build an invoice intake workflow on the Lowgile platform using OCR and AI to extract invoice data, validate it against the ERP vendor master, and route exceptions for human review - eliminating manual keying for the majority of invoices.
1
Unauthorized purchases and retroactive approval undermine budget control
Procurement commitments are frequently made before a purchase request has been raised or approved, with spend already incurred by the time an invoice reaches Finance. As a result, approval functions as a retrospective formality rather than a genuine control point. Budget overruns are identified late, preferred supplier agreements are bypassed without visibility, and audit reviews consistently surface transactions with incomplete or missing supporting documentation.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a procurement policy, establishing mandatory pre-approval thresholds based on spend value and category, clear requisition requirements before any commitment is made, and an escalation route for cases where spend is committed outside the approved process, so that approval becomes a genuine control point rather than a formality.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Most ERP systems include a purchase requisition and approval module. Where this exists but is unused, activating and configuring it - including approval thresholds and budget availability checks - is the most direct path to closing the control gap.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where ERP-native purchasing controls are limited, or where a flexible multi-step approval workflow is needed across cost centers, legal entities, or systems, we build a structured purchase request workflow on the Lowgile platform with automatic budget checks and threshold-based routing.
No items found.
Treasury & Cash Management
8 challenges identified
1
Manual cash flow forecasting produces unreliable short-term liquidity projections
Short-term cash flow forecasts are built manually each week by combining AR and AP ageing extracts, payroll schedules, and Treasury's own estimates in a spreadsheet. The forecast relies on assumptions that are not systematically validated against actuals, and variances between forecast and actual cash position are not reviewed, so forecasting accuracy does not improve over time.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a cash flow forecasting policy, establishing the data inputs and assumptions to be used, a standard forecasting horizon and update frequency, and a periodic review comparing forecast to actual to refine assumptions over time.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated cash forecasting tools provide automated forecast consolidation, actuals comparison, and rolling scenario modelling as standard products. For organisations where cash forecasting is a recurring pain point, a purpose-built forecasting tool addresses the core problem without requiring custom development.
1
Manual bank guarantee and letter of credit tracking creates exposure to missed deadlines and unreleased collateral
Bank guarantees, letters of credit, and similar instruments are tracked in spreadsheets maintained by individual Treasury staff. Expiry dates, renewal requirements, and release conditions are monitored manually, and instruments are occasionally left in place - tying up credit lines or cash collateral - well after the underlying obligation has been fulfilled.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a guarantee and instrument management policy, establishing a central register of all active instruments with expiry and release conditions, a defined review cadence ahead of expiry dates, and assigned ownership for initiating release once the underlying obligation is satisfied.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated treasury management systems typically include trade finance modules for bank guarantee and LC management. For organisations already running a treasury platform, activating the trade finance module is the most efficient path.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where a TMS is not in place and the volume of guarantees and LCs justifies a structured tracking approach, we build a bank guarantee and LC management application on the Lowgile platform with deadline alerts, collateral release tracking, and integration with the banking interface.
1
Documented treasury controls are not enforced in operational practice
Treasury policies and approval authority frameworks are documented in static files that are not reflected in any system. Payments proceed and banking transactions are initiated regardless of whether the required approval level was obtained. The gap between documented controls and actual practice creates audit findings and fraud exposure.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We introduce a treasury control framework, establishing defined approval authority levels embedded into how payments and banking transactions are actually processed, a programme of periodic control testing, and an escalation route whenever practice diverges from documented policy.
💻 Lowgile Platform
We encode treasury controls directly into the payment and transaction workflows on the Lowgile platform. Transactions above defined thresholds cannot proceed without the configured approval level - the control is structural rather than reliant on individual discipline. Every decision is audit-trailed automatically, and policy changes take effect immediately across all connected workflows.
1
Working capital is not actively managed, leaving cash tied up in the operating cycle
Days Sales Outstanding, Days Payable Outstanding, and inventory days are reported periodically but are not actively managed as levers. No defined working capital target exists, no individual is accountable for each metric, and no process connects operational decisions to their cash impact.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a working capital management framework, establishing specific targets for DSO, DPO, and inventory days, a designated owner accountable for each metric, and a regular review cadence that connects operational decisions in Sales, Procurement, and Operations directly to their cash impact.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
A BI tool such as Power BI, connected to ERP data, can provide DSO, DPO, and DIO tracking dashboards without custom development, provided underlying data quality supports it. This is a practical starting point for organisations that already have a BI tool.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where working capital tracking needs to connect to live collections workflows, automated threshold alerts, or integrated payment scheduling, we build a working capital dashboard on the Lowgile platform that tracks the key metrics in real time and flags deterioration to the responsible owner.
1
Lack of a structured FX management process creates unbudgeted currency risk
Organisations operating across currencies accumulate foreign exchange exposure through trading activity, intercompany transactions, and balance sheet positions. Without a structured hedging policy and a process for monitoring and acting on exposure, currency movements translate directly into P&L volatility.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We introduce an FX risk management policy, establishing a methodology for measuring exposure across trading activity, intercompany transactions, and balance sheet positions, defined hedging thresholds that trigger action, and a regular review cadence so currency movements are managed proactively rather than absorbed as P&L volatility.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated FX risk management tools provide exposure monitoring, hedge recommendations, and execution connectivity as standard products. For organisations with significant FX exposure across multiple currencies, a purpose-built FX management tool addresses this problem more directly than a custom solution.
1
Inflexible payment scheduling results in missed early payment discounts
Invoices are paid on a fixed weekly cycle regardless of individual payment terms or early payment discount conditions. Finance has no systematic process for identifying discount opportunities, evaluating them against current cash position, and acting before the discount window closes.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a payment scheduling policy, establishing clear criteria for identifying and prioritising invoices eligible for early payment discounts, and a defined review point ahead of each payment run where these opportunities are evaluated against the current cash position before the discount window closes.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Most ERP systems support payment term management and can be configured to flag early payment discount opportunities at the point of the payment run. Where this functionality exists, enabling it within the ERP is the right starting point.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where dynamic payment scheduling needs to account for live cash position data, integrate with a broader P2P approval workflow, or transmit directly via banking interface, we build this capability on the Lowgile platform.
1
Manual payment execution creates processing risk and key-person dependency
Initiating outgoing payments requires Finance staff to log into banking portals manually, prepare or upload payment files, and confirm execution - steps repeated multiple times per week. The process creates a key-person dependency: when the responsible individual is absent, payment runs are delayed and supplier relationships are affected.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a payment execution procedure, establishing documented step-by-step processes for each banking portal and payment type, cross-trained backup resources so execution does not rest with one individual, and a defined escalation path if a scheduled payment run is at risk of delay.
💻 Lowgile Platform
We configure centralised payment execution on the Lowgile platform via EBICS. Outgoing payments approved within the workflow are transmitted to the relevant bank automatically - no manual portal login required. Payment confirmation is received back from the bank, stored against the payment record, and the full audit trail from approval to bank confirmation is maintained without any manual steps.
1
Fragmented cash visibility prevents effective liquidity management
Cash balances across multiple bank accounts and currencies are not visible in a single consolidated view. Treasury decisions - whether to draw on a credit facility, initiate an intercompany transfer, or invest short-term surplus - are made without a current picture of total available liquidity.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a cash visibility framework, establishing a standard consolidation template covering all accounts and currencies, a defined update frequency that matches the pace of Treasury decision-making, and minimum reporting requirements so liquidity decisions are based on a current, complete picture.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
A BI tool such as Power BI, connected to ERP and banking data, can provide a consolidated cash position view where data feeds are reliable and timely. Where the organisation already has a BI tool in place and the underlying data is accessible, this is a practical starting point.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where real-time multi-bank consolidation, direct EBICS connectivity, or integration with the payment execution workflow is needed, we build a treasury dashboard on the Lowgile platform that consolidates live account balances across all connected banks with drill-down to transaction level.
1
Manual bank portal access creates daily reconciliation effort and operational risk
Treasury staff log into each banking portal individually each morning, download statements manually, and consolidate balances across accounts in a spreadsheet. The process consumes significant time before any analytical work can begin, produces a point-in-time snapshot rather than a live view, and creates a single point of failure when the responsible individual is unavailable.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a treasury operating procedure, establishing standard daily routines for accessing accounts and consolidating balances, documented backup coverage so the process does not depend on a single individual, and clear ownership for producing a consolidated cash position each morning.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated treasury management systems provide multi-bank connectivity, automated statement retrieval, and cash position dashboards as a standard product. For organisations with significant treasury complexity or multiple banking relationships, a purpose-built treasury platform is the right tool.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations where a dedicated TMS is not warranted by complexity or cost, we connect banks directly via EBICS or open banking interfaces on the Lowgile platform. Account statements are retrieved automatically each day, balances across accounts and currencies are consolidated in a live dashboard, and unmatched transactions are routed to the treasury team as structured tasks.
No items found.
Payroll & Expense Management
8 challenges identified
1
Manual interface with the external payroll provider introduces errors and delays
Most mid-size organizations outsource payroll processing but manage the data handoff manually - exporting files, formatting them to the provider's specification, and transmitting them by email or secure file transfer. Errors in the export or formatting are identified only when the provider returns the processed run, by which time the pay date may be at risk.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We introduce a payroll data handoff procedure, establishing a standard pre-submission validation checklist that catches formatting and data errors before the file leaves the organization, and a defined timeline buffer ahead of the provider's deadline to allow time for correction if issues are found.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Most payroll providers offer a standard file import format and, increasingly, direct API connectivity. Connecting the existing HRIS or time recording system to the payroll provider via the supported standard interface eliminates the manual file handling without requiring custom development.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where the payroll data handoff involves aggregation across multiple source systems, custom validation logic, or a structured pre-transmission review step to catch anomalies before submission, we build the payroll handoff workflow on the Lowgile platform.
1
Lack of structured overtime and leave management creates liability and compliance risk
Overtime is worked and reported after the fact without prior authorisation. Leave balances are maintained in spreadsheets by HR administrators with no real-time view available to employees or managers. Neither process produces a reliable picture of accrued liability, and both generate significant administrative effort for HR and Finance at each payroll cycle.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define an overtime and leave management policy, establishing a requirement for prior authorisation before overtime is worked, and standard reconciliation points where leave balances are checked and confirmed, giving HR, managers, and Finance a reliable, current view of accrued liability.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Most HRIS platforms include leave and overtime management as standard modules. Where an HRIS is already in place, activating these modules is the right starting point.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where leave and overtime management needs to integrate with a broader payroll workflow, project cost allocation, or custom approval logic, we build a structured overtime pre-authorisation and leave management workflow on the Lowgile platform.
1
Lack of expense policy enforcement at submission creates downstream correction effort
Expense reimbursement policies exist in a document that employees rarely consult before submitting claims. Policy limits are interpreted inconsistently by different managers. Non-compliant claims - missing receipts, disallowed categories, amounts above policy limits - enter the approval workflow and are identified only by Finance after significant back-and-forth has already occurred.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We introduce an expense policy enforcement framework, establishing clear, consistently applied limits by expense category, practical guidelines that help managers apply policy at the point of approval rather than after the fact, and standard handling procedures for non-compliant claims that reduce rework for Finance.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated expense management tools enforce policy rules at submission, handle receipt OCR, and integrate with ERP and payroll systems as standard products. For most organisations, a purpose-built expense tool resolves this problem more directly than a custom build.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where expense management needs to be integrated with a broader project costing or P2P workflow, or where a standalone expense tool is not warranted, we build an expense submission workflow on the Lowgile platform with AI-assisted receipt OCR and policy enforcement at the point of entry.
1
Manual payroll payment execution creates key-person dependency and processing risk
Once payroll is approved, Finance staff export the output file, log into the banking portal manually, upload the payment file, and confirm execution. These steps are repeated every pay cycle and create a key-person dependency: when the responsible individual is absent, payroll runs are at risk of delay, with direct impact on employee experience and regulatory compliance.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a payroll execution procedure, establishing documented step-by-step processes for each stage from approval to bank confirmation, cross-trained backup resources so the pay date is never at risk due to a single individual's availability, and a defined escalation path if execution is delayed.
💻 Lowgile Platform
We build payroll payment automation on the Lowgile platform via the banking interface. Once the payroll run is approved within the workflow, the payment file is transmitted to the bank automatically - no manual portal access required. Payment confirmation is received back from the bank and linked to the payroll record, with the full audit trail maintained automatically.
1
Fragmented time recording creates errors in payroll and project costing
Employee time is recorded via email, paper timesheets, or a disconnected tool that does not integrate with the ERP or project management system. Aggregation for payroll processing and project cost allocation is performed manually each period. Corrections require back-and-forth between employees, managers, and Finance, consuming time on both sides and delaying downstream processes.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a time recording policy, establishing clear submission deadlines for employees, a structured manager approval step before data feeds payroll or project costing, and standard correction procedures that reduce the back-and-forth currently required between employees, managers, and Finance.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated time recording tools provide structured time entry, manager approval, and payroll integration as standard features. Where an HRIS is already in place, activating its time module is the right starting point before considering a separate application.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where time recording needs to be integrated with a broader project costing workflow, cross-system cost allocation, or custom approval logic not supported by the HRIS, we build a time recording application on the Lowgile platform.
No items found.
Tax & Compliance
7 challenges identified
1
Documented internal financial controls are not operational in practice
Controls over financial reporting exist in policy documents and control matrices but are not embedded in the processes they are designed to govern. Segregation of duties is defined on paper but not enforced in systems. Control effectiveness is assessed once per year during audit preparation rather than monitored continuously.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define an internal control operating framework, establishing named control owners embedded within the processes they govern, a continuous monitoring schedule rather than an annual exercise, and a structured process for testing control effectiveness and remediating gaps as they are identified throughout the year.
💻 Lowgile Platform
We encode key controls directly into financial workflows on the Lowgile platform - mandatory sign-offs, segregation of duties enforcement where roles are configured, and automated exception detection for high-risk transaction patterns such as round-number journal entries or last-day postings. Control execution is documented automatically, producing audit evidence without separate preparation effort.
1
Informal tracking of multi-entity compliance obligations creates recurring risk of missed deadlines
Statutory reporting and compliance obligations differ by legal entity and jurisdiction. Deadlines are tracked in shared calendars maintained by individuals, without structured ownership, evidence requirements, or escalation when deadlines are approaching. Missed obligations are discovered when regulators make contact rather than being prevented by a proactive process.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We introduce a compliance calendar governance process, establishing a single consolidated register of statutory and compliance obligations across all entities and jurisdictions, assigned owners for each obligation, and escalation triggers that activate as deadlines approach.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
For organisations with a manageable number of entities and obligations, a structured compliance calendar in an existing collaboration tool - SharePoint, for example - can provide the required visibility without custom development.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where the number of entities, jurisdictions, and evidence requirements makes a lightweight tracker insufficient, we build a compliance calendar application on the Lowgile platform. Each obligation is tracked with its owner, deadline, and evidence standard. Automated reminders fire at configurable intervals, and completion requires evidence upload and sign-off - producing an audit-ready record automatically.
1
Informal regulatory change tracking results in compliance gaps discovered after the effective date
Tax and regulatory changes affecting Finance processes are identified through individual awareness rather than a structured monitoring process. No defined ownership exists for assessing the impact of regulatory changes on existing processes and system configurations, and no mechanism ensures required updates are made before the effective date.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a regulatory change management process, establishing defined monitoring sources for tax and regulatory developments relevant to Finance, clear ownership for assessing the impact of each change on processes and system configuration, and a timeline that ensures required updates are implemented before the effective date.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Regulatory monitoring subscription services provide structured change alerts by jurisdiction and topic as a standard offering. The monitoring layer itself does not require custom tooling - the challenge is typically ownership and process, not technology.
1
Manual tax filing preparation is time-consuming and dependent on reconciling unreliable data
Preparing tax filings requires manual extraction of data from multiple ERP modules, reconciliation to the general ledger, and assembly of supporting schedules under time pressure. The process is error-prone because source data quality is inconsistent and no single reliable source of truth exists for tax-relevant transactions.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a tax data preparation framework, establishing standard extraction templates that pull consistent data from each ERP module, reconciliation checkpoints scheduled well ahead of filing deadlines, and defined ownership for the quality of source data so filings are no longer assembled under avoidable time pressure.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated tax compliance tools automate tax calculation, return preparation, and direct filing for most standard tax types. For organisations with recurring filing complexity across multiple jurisdictions, a purpose-built tax compliance tool is the right approach.
No items found.
Record-to-Report
7 challenges identified
1
Undocumented and inconsistent cost allocation methodologies create audit and management reporting risk
Cost allocation methodologies are not formally documented. Calculations are performed manually each period and the methodology applied varies between periods as assumptions drift.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We introduce a cost allocation policy, establishing formally documented methodologies and allocation drivers for each cost category, and a periodic review to confirm the methodology is applied consistently period over period and that drivers remain representative of how costs are actually incurred.
💻 Lowgile Platform
We build an allocation calculation workflow on the Lowgile platform where each period's allocations are calculated automatically using the documented and agreed methodology, submitted for Finance review, and posted to the ERP after approval. The full calculation history - input data, methodology applied, and resulting amounts - is stored per period and available for audit without reconstruction effort.
1
Manual group consolidation is error-prone and delays the group close
Group consolidation involves manual elimination of intercompany balances, currency translation, and assembly of the group reporting package from entity submissions. The process is performed in Excel, is error-prone, and delays the group close by several days each period.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a group consolidation governance framework, establishing standard submission templates used by every entity, a defined timeline for submissions that allows adequate time for review, and a structured checklist for intercompany eliminations and currency translation to reduce errors and shorten the group close.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated consolidation tools automate intercompany elimination, currency translation, and group reporting package assembly as standard products. For groups with significant consolidation complexity, a purpose-built consolidation tool is the right answer.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations where a dedicated consolidation tool is not in place and the scale does not justify the investment, we build a consolidation workflow on the Lowgile platform that manages entity submissions, identifies eliminations automatically, applies configured currency translation, and gives the group CFO a real-time view of close status across all entities.
1
Infrequent fixed asset reconciliation allows discrepancies to accumulate undetected
Fixed asset register reconciliation against the physical asset base and the ERP is performed annually at most. Discrepancies between what the register shows and what exists or is in active use accumulate and require significant effort to resolve when eventually surfaced. Depreciation calculations and insurance coverage may both be affected by an inaccurate register.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We introduce a fixed asset governance policy, establishing a periodic cycle of physical verification against the register, defined ownership for reconciling any discrepancies identified, and a process for updating the register, depreciation calculations, and insurance coverage following each verification.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Most ERP systems include fixed asset management modules that support structured reconciliation workflows and periodic verification. Activating these within the existing ERP is the right starting point.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where physical asset confirmation needs to be conducted across multiple locations via mobile forms, with results tracked centrally and discrepancies routed for immediate resolution, we build a physical asset confirmation workflow on the Lowgile platform.
1
Manually produced management reporting arrives too late to support decision-making
Management reports are assembled manually from multiple ERP modules by Finance analysts, typically 5-10 days after the period closes. By the time the report reaches the leadership team, some of the decisions it should inform have already been made on incomplete information.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a management reporting framework, establishing a standard report package with consistent content and structure each period, a target production timeline that brings reporting closer to period-end, and defined ownership for each component so the leadership team receives timely, decision-ready information.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
A BI tool such as Power BI or Tableau, connected directly to the ERP, provides real-time management reporting dashboards without manual extraction. Where the organisation already has a BI tool and the ERP data is accessible and reliable, this is the most efficient path to eliminating the manual assembly step.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where management reporting requires consolidation across multiple source systems, custom drill-down into non-ERP data, or integration with the close workflow and sign-off process, we build a real-time management reporting dashboard on the Lowgile platform.
1
Manual intercompany reconciliation delays close and consumes disproportionate Finance effort
Intercompany transactions are reconciled manually by staff from each entity comparing their own records. Discrepancies are common, resolution happens by email between Finance teams, and period-end close is delayed every month by unresolved intercompany differences.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We introduce an intercompany reconciliation policy, establishing standard requirements for how intercompany transactions are recorded by each entity, a reconciliation timeline that completes well ahead of close, and an escalation process for differences that remain unresolved beyond an agreed number of days.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Most ERP systems include intercompany matching functionality. Where this is available, configuring it to automate elimination identification and surface discrepancies directly in the ERP is the right starting point before adding a separate layer.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where intercompany reconciliation spans multiple ERP instances or legal entities with different systems, or where a structured resolution workflow with SLA enforcement between entities is needed, we build an intercompany reconciliation workflow on the Lowgile platform.
1
GL reconciliations performed in disconnected spreadsheets consume significant close capacity
General ledger reconciliations are prepared by matching ERP ledger balances against sub-ledger totals manually in Excel. The process takes several days of Finance capacity at month-end. Reconciling items are tracked in a spreadsheet separate from the ERP, making it difficult to confirm that all items have been resolved before the books are closed.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We introduce a reconciliation governance process, establishing standard templates for each reconciliation, a defined materiality threshold above which reconciling items require investigation, and a sign-off step confirming all items have been resolved before the books are closed.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated account reconciliation tools automate balance population, reconciling item tracking, and sign-off workflows as standard products. Where a financial close management tool is already in place, its reconciliation module is typically the right answer.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations that need reconciliation capabilities integrated with a broader close workflow, or where a dedicated tool is not warranted by scale, we build a GL reconciliation workflow on the Lowgile platform with automatic balance population from ERP data, structured reconciling item management, and period-end sign-off tracking per account.
1
Reliance on manual close checklists limits real-time visibility of month-end progress
The close process is managed through Excel checklists or email threads maintained by individual team members. Task ownership is informal, dependencies between tasks are not tracked, and the CFO has no real-time view of close progress. The same tasks are delayed every period for the same reasons, and in the absence of a structured root cause process, delays are accepted as normal rather than addressed.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a close governance framework, establishing a standard task list with named owners and explicit dependencies visible to the whole team, real-time progress tracking that gives the CFO an up-to-date view of close status, and a recurring root cause review for tasks that delay close period after period.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated financial close management tools provide structured task management, dependency tracking, and real-time close status dashboards as standard products. For organisations where close management is a persistent pain point across multiple teams, a purpose-built close management tool is the right answer.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where close management needs to be integrated with reconciliation workflows, journal entry controls, intercompany coordination, and ERP posting in a single workflow environment, we build a structured close management application on the Lowgile platform.
No items found.
Financial Planning & Analysis
7 challenges identified
1
Manual assembly of board reporting consumes disproportionate Finance capacity for a largely mechanical process
Board and management packs are assembled manually each period - data extracted from multiple sources, formatted in presentation software, reviewed by email, and approved before distribution. The process takes several days of Finance and leadership time per cycle and is repeated in nearly identical form each quarter.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a board reporting framework, establishing a standard pack structure used every cycle, defined content owners for each section with clear input deadlines, and a fixed production and review timeline that brings the process closer to a routine exercise than a recurring fire drill.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
A BI tool such as Power BI provides automated board reporting dashboards with export to PowerPoint as a standard feature. Where the organisation already has a BI tool and the underlying data is reliable, this eliminates the manual assembly step without custom development.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where board pack generation requires multi-source data, branded templates with specific layouts, or a structured sign-off and distribution workflow, we build a board pack generation workflow on the Lowgile platform that exports to PPTX in a single step.
1
Fragmented headcount planning between HR and Finance produces unreliable cost forecasts
Headcount and personnel cost planning is performed independently by HR and Finance using different tools and assumptions. The two are reconciled manually at budget time and diverge again as the year progresses. Actual personnel costs frequently deviate from budget in ways that are difficult to explain because the underlying driver - headcount movement - was never tracked consistently.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We introduce a headcount planning process, establishing a single shared headcount model used by both HR and Finance, one source of truth for tracking headcount movements throughout the year, and a defined reconciliation cadence so the two views do not diverge as the year progresses.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Most HRIS platforms include headcount and position management modules that can serve as a shared source of truth for HR and Finance. Where an HRIS is already in place, integrating it with the financial planning process is the right starting point.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where a shared position register needs to be maintained across HR and Finance with a structured approval workflow for new positions, backfills, and departures, we build a position management workflow on the Lowgile platform. Finance pulls personnel cost forecasts directly from approved position data rather than maintaining a parallel calculation.
1
Disconnected strategic planning and operational budgeting weaken alignment between strategy and resource allocation
The multi-year strategic plan and the annual budget are produced by different teams, at different times, using different assumptions and tools. The link between strategic priorities and resource allocation is rarely explicit, and it is common for the budget to reflect historical spending patterns rather than the strategic direction the organisation has committed to.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a planning alignment process, establishing a shared set of assumptions used by both the strategic planning and budgeting teams, a defined sequence in which strategic plan outputs inform the budget cycle, and a review step that confirms resource allocation reflects the priorities the organisation has committed to.
1
Slow profitability reporting by product or customer limits its value for commercial decisions
Generating a view of profitability by product line, customer segment, or business unit requires manual assembly of revenue, cost, and margin data from multiple ERP modules. The report is produced monthly and is already 2-4 weeks stale by the time management reviews it. Commercial decisions are made without a current view of where the organisation actually makes and loses money.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We introduce a profitability reporting framework, establishing standard dimensions - product, customer segment, business unit - with consistent allocation rules applied across periods, and a target production timeline that aligns the availability of profitability data with the cadence of commercial decision-making.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
A BI tool such as Power BI or Tableau, connected to ERP data, can provide real-time profitability dashboards by product line, customer, and cost center without custom development - provided ERP data structure and quality support the required analysis.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where profitability reporting involves multi-source margin calculations, custom allocation logic, or needs to be embedded in a broader commercial workflow, we build a profitability dashboard on the Lowgile platform with drill-down to transaction level and export to XLSX, PDF, or PPTX.
1
Reforecasting takes almost as much effort as the original budget cycle, so updates are done less frequently
Quarterly forecast updates are collected by redistributing the original budget templates to responsible managers. The process is largely identical to the budget cycle in terms of effort and elapsed time, which limits how frequently the organisation can update its view. The forecast is typically stale before it is finalised.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a reforecasting process with a streamlined update template that focuses responsible managers on material changes since the last forecast, rather than a full rebuild, and a timeline significantly shorter than the original budget cycle to ensure updates remain current upon completion.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated FP&A tools support rolling forecasts with pre-populated prior submissions and change-only input. Where a tool is already in place, activating its forecast update functionality eliminates the re-sending of templates.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where a dedicated FP&A tool is not in place, we build a forecast resubmission workflow on the Lowgile platform. Each owner's prior submission is pre-populated in their input form and they update only changed lines. Revised inputs consolidate automatically, and variance against the prior forecast is highlighted in the consolidated view.
1
Variance analysis consumes days of Finance capacity before any insight is produced
Monthly variance analysis requires a Finance analyst to extract actuals from the ERP, locate the current budget version, and build a comparison in Excel - typically consuming two or more working days before analysis begins. The time spent on data assembly leaves little capacity for the interpretation and management dialogue that creates value.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We introduce a variance analysis framework, establishing standard comparison templates that connect directly to ERP actuals and the current budget version, materiality thresholds that focus commentary on what matters, and a defined review cadence with business unit owners so analysis time shifts from data assembly to interpretation.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
A BI tool such as Power BI, connected to the ERP and budget data, provides automated variance dashboards with threshold-based alerts without custom development. Where the organisation already has a BI tool and reliable data feeds, this eliminates the manual assembly step.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where variance reporting requires multi-source data consolidation, custom drill-down logic, or integration with the close workflow or management reporting pack, we build an automated variance dashboard on the Lowgile platform.
1
Email-based budget collection creates version confusion and consolidation delays
Finance distributes Excel templates to responsible managers at the start of the budget cycle. Multiple versions circulate simultaneously, owners submit at different times, and consolidation requires Finance to manually assemble and reconcile submissions from across the organisation. The process takes weeks and is repeated in nearly identical form every year.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a budget submission process, establishing standard templates issued in a single controlled version, clear submission deadlines for responsible managers, and a defined sequence for consolidation and review that replaces the current ad hoc assembly of multiple versions.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated FP&A tools provide structured budget input collection, version management, and consolidation as standard products. For organisations where the budget process is a recurring operational pain point, a purpose-built FP&A tool is the right solution.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations where a dedicated FP&A tool is not warranted by size or complexity, we build a structured budget input workflow on the Lowgile platform. Finance sends input requests to cost center owners via task inbox, owners submit via validated digital forms, and inputs consolidate automatically into a live dashboard with full version history - replacing email and spreadsheet coordination entirely.
No items found.
IT - processes
IT Strategy & Portfolio Management
8 challenges
Business Relationship Management
8 challenges
Enterprise Architecture & Integration
7 challenges
ERP & Core Systems Management
6 challenges
Application Development & Delivery
7 challenges
IT Operations & Service Management
8 challenges
Data & Analytics
7 challenges
Cybersecurity & Compliance
7 challenges
IT Vendor & Contract Management
7 challenges
IT Resource Management
7 challenges
IT Strategy & Portfolio Management
8 challenges identified
1
IT investment business cases lack financial rigour and benefit tracking
Business cases for IT investments are produced inconsistently. Benefits are not tracked after implementation and there is no feedback loop between investment decisions and realised outcomes. The absence of post-implementation evidence makes it impossible to improve investment decision quality over time.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a business case standard - establishing required financial analysis, benefit quantification methodology, risk assessment, and the post-implementation review process.
💻 Lowgile Platform
We build an IT investment approval and tracking workflow on the Lowgile platform. Each initiative requires a structured business case before approval - including NPV, payback period, risk assessment, and a post-implementation review plan. Benefit milestones trigger review tasks at defined intervals, and Finance and IT leadership see the pipeline alongside realised versus projected benefit data in a single dashboard.
Strategy Definition & Roadmap
Application Creation
1
IT regulatory and compliance obligations are tracked informally, with gaps surfacing in audits
IT-related compliance obligations - data residency requirements, sector-specific regulations, audit evidence requirements, certification renewals - are tracked through individual awareness rather than a structured process. Obligations are missed when the responsible person changes or is unavailable.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We map all IT compliance obligations, assign ownership, and define the evidence standard required to demonstrate compliance for each obligation type.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated GRC platforms provide structured compliance obligation management, evidence tracking, and review workflows as standard products. For organisations with significant compliance programmes, a purpose-built GRC platform is the right approach.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations that need a pragmatic compliance tracker without the overhead of a full GRC platform, we build a compliance obligation tracker on the Lowgile platform with automated reminders, evidence upload requirements, and a dashboard of upcoming and overdue obligations.
Technology Landscape Design & Selection
Application Creation
1
The IT project portfolio has no single source of truth, making status reporting unreliable
Project status is tracked across spreadsheets, project tools, and management presentations maintained by individual project managers and never fully synchronised. Leadership has no reliable consolidated view of total IT spend, resource commitment, delivery status, or strategic alignment across active initiatives.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a portfolio governance model with consistent status reporting requirements, escalation criteria, and a review cadence that gives leadership actionable information.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated project portfolio management tools provide consolidated portfolio dashboards, resource tracking, and status reporting as standard products. Where a PPM tool is already in place, establishing consistent data entry discipline is typically the right starting point before considering a separate dashboard layer.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations that need a lightweight portfolio dashboard integrated with demand intake and business case approval workflows without the overhead of a full PPM tool, we build an IT portfolio dashboard on the Lowgile platform.
Technology Landscape Design & Selection
Application Creation
1
IT demand is managed informally, making capacity planning and prioritisation impossible
Requests for IT resources arrive through email, direct conversations, and escalations to individual team members. There is no structured intake process, no consolidated view of the full demand pipeline, and no basis for comparing competing requests against available capacity. High-visibility requests are prioritised over high-value ones.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We design an IT demand management process - defining intake categories, required information for each request type, a scoring model for prioritisation, and a governance cadence for reviewing and confirming the pipeline.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Project and portfolio management tools such as Jira or Azure DevOps provide structured demand intake, backlog management, and capacity planning as standard features. Where one of these is already in place, activating its demand management capabilities is the right starting point.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations that need demand management integrated with portfolio tracking, resource dashboards, and business case workflows in a single environment, we build an IT demand intake and pipeline management workflow on the Lowgile platform.
Technology Landscape Design & Selection
Application Creation
1
IT investment decisions lack structured alignment to business priorities
IT budgets are determined annually based on prior-year spend with incremental adjustments, rather than a structured assessment of business value and strategic fit. There is no consistent framework for distinguishing between maintenance spend, improvement initiatives, and strategic investments. IT resources are allocated by default rather than by design, and leadership lacks a defensible basis for investment decisions.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We build an IT investment framework - a clear categorisation of spend across run, improve, and transform, a consistent set of criteria for prioritising initiatives against business value, and a structured review cadence that keeps the portfolio current throughout the year.
Strategy Definition & Roadmap
Operating Model Design
No items found.
Business Relationship Management
8 challenges identified
1
Adoption of IT-delivered solutions is low, reducing the return on technology investments
IT delivers solutions that are technically complete but poorly adopted. Training is delivered once at go-live and not reinforced. User feedback after implementation is not collected systematically. The return on investment is a fraction of what was projected because the tool is used by a minority of the intended users.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We design a change and adoption framework for IT-delivered solutions - covering stakeholder engagement during development, training design, adoption measurement, and a post-go-live reinforcement process. We establish accountability for adoption as a shared responsibility between IT and the business unit.
1
IT service catalogue is undefined, creating misaligned expectations between IT and the business
Business units do not have a clear picture of what IT provides, what they can request, what the expected turnaround is, and what falls outside IT's scope. The absence of a shared definition creates recurring frustration on both sides.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define the IT service catalogue - listing services, scope boundaries, standard request types, expected delivery times, and escalation paths.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
IT service catalogue and request management are standard features of ITSM platforms such as ServiceNow or Jira Service Management. Where one of these is already in place, building out the service catalogue within the existing tool is the right approach.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations without an ITSM tool, or where a lightweight request portal integrated with existing IT workflows is preferred over a full ITSM platform, we build a service request portal on the Lowgile platform with configured workflows, SLA timers, and request status visibility for business users.
1
Innovation and prototyping capacity does not exist within IT
IT capacity is fully consumed by maintenance and project delivery. There is no structured process for IT to engage proactively with business units on emerging technology opportunities, evaluate new tools before they are adopted as shadow IT, or run small-scale experiments before committing to a full investment.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We design an innovation and prototyping function within IT - defining the mandate, the protected capacity required, the process for identifying and prioritising experiments, and the criteria for scaling from prototype to production.
1
Business requirements are poorly captured, leading to solutions that do not match actual needs
When business units engage IT for new capabilities, the requirements gathering process is informal. By the time a solution is delivered, the requirements have evolved, key constraints were never surfaced, and the solution requires immediate rework. The cost of poor requirements is paid repeatedly but is never attributed to the requirements process itself.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a structured requirements process - covering intake, stakeholder mapping, requirements documentation standards, sign-off, and change control. We ensure it is applied consistently rather than depending on individual style.
1
IT is perceived as a bottleneck rather than a business enabler
Business units consistently describe IT as slow to respond, difficult to engage, and focused on technical constraints rather than business outcomes. The relationship is transactional rather than collaborative. This perception drives shadow IT adoption, reduces IT's influence on strategic decisions, and makes it harder to attract and retain IT talent.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We design a Business Relationship Management function - defining the role of IT business partners, their mandate, the cadence of business engagement, and the metrics that reflect IT's contribution to business outcomes rather than only operational performance.
No items found.
Enterprise Architecture & Integration
8 challenges identified
1
Cloud adoption is opportunistic with no strategy, governance, or cost control
Cloud services have been adopted on an initiative-by-initiative basis without a defined strategy. There is no framework for deciding which workloads belong in cloud versus on-premise, no governance over cloud spend, and no architectural standards that new cloud deployments must meet.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We conduct a cloud readiness and strategy assessment covering current workloads, security and compliance requirements, cost analysis of current cloud spend, and a migration and consolidation roadmap. We define a cloud governance model with spend controls, architectural standards, and decision criteria for future workload placement.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Cloud management and cost governance tools such as Azure Cost Management or AWS Control Tower provide spend visibility, policy enforcement, and architectural guardrails as standard products. Microsoft and AWS both offer these capabilities natively within their platforms.
1
AI adoption is happening without governance, creating security and data risk
Individual teams are adopting AI tools without architecture oversight or security review. Data is being shared with AI models without an assessment of what is appropriate. Capabilities are being built in parallel by different teams without coordination. The organisation accumulates security exposure and data governance risk that is not visible to IT or management.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We design an AI governance model - defining approved tools and patterns, data classification rules that determine what can be shared with AI models, a review process for new AI initiatives, and accountability for the governance function.
💻 Lowgile Platform
We build governed AI and automation workflows on the Lowgile platform where AI models interact with business data through controlled interfaces. The platform acts as the intermediary - providing AI with only the data it needs for each specific task, logging every interaction, and ensuring that no model has direct access to production systems or unstructured data.
1
Legacy system dependencies prevent the organisation from adopting modern processes
Core business processes depend on systems that were implemented years or decades ago and cannot be extended to support current requirements - no modern API, no real-time data exchange, limited configurability, and a shrinking pool of specialists who understand them.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We conduct a legacy system assessment to identify the highest-constraint dependencies, evaluate migration options - full replacement, gradual modernisation, or integration wrapper - and define a roadmap that balances risk, cost, and business impact.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where a wrapper approach is the right path - keeping the legacy system running while extending its capabilities - we build a modern application layer on the Lowgile platform on top of the legacy core. Business users interact with a current interface that supports modern process requirements. New capabilities are added on the platform layer without touching the underlying system, extending its useful life while a migration is planned.
1
Point-to-point integrations create fragility - a single system change breaks multiple connections
Integrations between systems have been built individually over time without architecture oversight. When a source system is updated, upgraded, or replaced, every downstream integration must be rebuilt or reconfigured. The full impact of a planned change is typically not known until failures cascade after the change is made.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We design an integration architecture that moves from point-to-point connections to a managed integration layer - reducing direct system dependencies and making the landscape more resilient to individual system changes.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Integration platform tools such as Azure Integration Services provide managed integration layers, monitoring, and API governance as standard products. For organisations with significant integration complexity across many systems, a dedicated integration platform is the right solution.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations where a full integration platform is not warranted by scale or complexity, we build and operate integrations on the Lowgile platform using open standards - REST, OData, SOAP, GraphQL. The platform acts as the integration layer so changes to a source system require only one update rather than multiple point-to-point fixes.
1
No current map of the application landscape exists, making every new project start from scratch
Systems have been added incrementally over years and no complete, current picture exists of which applications are in use, what business processes they support, how they are integrated, and which are redundant. Every new project begins with a discovery phase that duplicates prior effort. Architecture decisions are made without visibility of existing dependencies.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We conduct a structured application landscape assessment - producing a documented inventory of systems, integration dependencies, data flows, and redundancies. We define a maintenance process so the inventory remains current as the landscape evolves.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated enterprise architecture tools provide application portfolio management, landscape visualisation, and integration mapping as standard products. For organisations that need to maintain an ongoing architecture inventory, a purpose-built EA tool is the right long-term solution.
No items found.
ERP & Core Systems Management
8 challenges identified
1
Interfaces between the ERP and surrounding systems are undocumented and brittle
The ERP exchanges data with payroll, banking, CRM, and reporting tools through interfaces that were built at different times and are not comprehensively documented. When the ERP or a connected system is updated, interface failures are discovered reactively. There is no complete picture of what interfaces exist or the business impact of a failure.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We conduct an interface inventory - documenting every data exchange involving the ERP, its frequency, business criticality, and current monitoring status. We define an interface change management process that ensures impact is assessed before changes are made to either side of a connection.
💻 Lowgile Platform
We rebuild and operate critical ERP interfaces on the Lowgile platform using open standards. Each interface is documented, monitored, and version-controlled within the platform. Failure alerts are generated automatically and routed to the responsible owner. When either side of a connection changes, only the relevant integration configuration needs to be updated.
1
ERP knowledge is concentrated in one or two individuals, creating delivery and operational risk
Detailed knowledge of the ERP configuration, customisations, and integration landscape is held by a small number of individuals. When these people are unavailable, change requests cannot be assessed, incidents cannot be resolved, and planned projects stall.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We conduct a knowledge dependency assessment covering the ERP and connected systems. We design a knowledge transfer and documentation programme with pairing arrangements, documentation templates, and cross-training priorities.
1
The organisation has no structured ERP roadmap, making investment decisions reactive
ERP investment decisions are made reactively in response to immediate pain points or vendor-imposed deadlines rather than according to a planned roadmap. There is no structured process for evaluating what the ERP should do in the medium term relative to the organisation's business direction.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We develop an ERP roadmap - assessing current capability gaps against business requirements, evaluating build versus configure versus replace options, and producing a prioritised roadmap with investment estimates and sequencing logic.
1
ERP access rights are not maintained, creating compliance and audit risk
User access to the ERP is provisioned when employees join and is rarely reviewed thereafter. Employees who change roles retain access to functions they no longer need. Segregation of duties violations - where the same user can initiate and approve a transaction - are present but not systematically identified. These findings recur in every external audit.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define an ERP access governance policy - role design principles, segregation of duties rules, access review frequency, and the process for managing joiners, movers, and leavers.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated identity governance tools provide access lifecycle management, role management, and periodic access certification as standard products. For organisations with significant access governance requirements across many systems, a purpose-built identity governance tool is the right approach.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations where a dedicated identity governance tool is not warranted, we build an ERP access lifecycle workflow on the Lowgile platform covering joiners, movers, and leavers. Role changes and departures trigger structured tasks automatically, and periodic access certification sends confirmation requests to function owners for all active accounts.
1
ERP master data is inconsistent, undermining the reliability of all downstream reporting
Customer, vendor, product, and cost center master data has accumulated errors, duplicates, and inconsistencies over time. Every downstream report inherits these inconsistencies, and Finance spends significant effort each period reconciling data that should be reliable at source.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define master data governance standards - ownership per entity type, data quality rules, duplicate identification criteria, and a maintenance process that keeps master data current as the organisation changes.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Most ERP systems include master data management and data quality features. Where these exist, configuring validation rules and deduplication logic within the ERP itself is the right starting point. Dedicated MDM tools are appropriate where master data spans multiple systems at scale.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where master data governance requires a structured change approval workflow - so that no change is written to the ERP without reviewed and documented authorisation - we build an MDM workflow on the Lowgile platform. Changes are approved before they are applied, and every modification is logged with submitter, approver, and prior value.
1
ERP customisations have accumulated to the point where upgrades are prohibitively complex
The ERP was implemented with a standard configuration that has been extended and customised over time. Each customisation makes the next one more complex and makes version upgrades progressively more difficult and expensive to apply. The organisation runs on an increasingly outdated version without a clear path to modernisation.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We conduct an ERP customisation assessment - cataloguing existing modifications, evaluating which are genuinely required versus legacy workarounds, and defining a rationalisation roadmap. We design a decision framework for evaluating future customisation requests against the standard configuration.
No items found.
Application Development & Delivery
7 challenges identified
1
Build-versus-buy decisions are made without a consistent framework
When a new capability is needed, the choice between building a custom solution, buying a standard product, or configuring an existing platform is made based on individual judgment or vendor relationships rather than a structured analysis. The result is inconsistent decisions - sometimes building what could have been bought cheaply, sometimes buying standard software that requires extensive customisation.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a build-versus-buy decision framework - covering total cost of ownership, fit against requirements, integration complexity, strategic flexibility, and vendor risk. We apply the framework to active decisions and use it as the standard for future evaluations.
1
Application releases are deployed to production without change controls, causing recurring incidents
Changes to production applications are deployed informally - sometimes directly by developers, without a structured approval process, change documentation, or a tested rollback plan. When a release causes an incident, the path back to a stable state is improvised.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We design and implement a change management process covering release approval, deployment documentation, post-release monitoring period, and rollback procedure. We define environment separation requirements and the minimum controls required at each stage gate.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
ITSM platforms such as ServiceNow or Jira Service Management include change management modules with approval workflows, change calendars, and release tracking as standard features. Where one of these is already in place, activating its change management module is the right approach.
1
Shadow IT proliferates because the formal IT development process is too slow
Business units build their own applications and automations because IT cannot respond to their needs quickly enough. Shadow IT creates security risk, compliance exposure, integration fragility, and duplicated capabilities that IT inherits when something breaks. The root cause is a mismatch between business agility and IT delivery speed.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We design an IT governance model that makes it faster and easier to build through IT than around it. We define a fast-track intake process for business-unit requests, clear boundaries on what can be self-served, approved tools for citizen development, and a remediation process for existing shadow IT.
💻 Lowgile Platform
We use the Lowgile platform to close the speed gap that drives shadow IT adoption. Working prototypes are built and validated with business users in days to weeks, giving the business a responsive alternative to building outside IT. Existing shadow IT solutions can be progressively migrated onto the platform where appropriate, bringing them under governance without requiring a full rebuild.
1
Technical debt has accumulated to the point where new development is slowing down
Years of quick fixes, workarounds, and deferred refactoring have accumulated into a technical debt burden that makes every new development more expensive and slower. Developers spend significant time understanding and working around existing code before adding new functionality. Estimates are unreliable because the complexity of the existing codebase introduces unpredictable obstacles.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We conduct a technical debt assessment - identifying the highest-impact areas, quantifying the cost of maintaining the current state versus addressing the debt, and designing a remediation roadmap that can be executed alongside ongoing development.
1
Development cycles are too long - by delivery, requirements have already changed
New application development takes months from business requirements to a working prototype using traditional approaches. By the time a solution is delivered, the business context has shifted, requirements have evolved, and the solution requires immediate rework.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We assess whether the current development approach - tooling, process, team structure - is appropriate for the types of applications being built.
💻 Lowgile Platform
We build applications on the Lowgile low-code platform where working prototypes can be configured in days to weeks rather than months. Real users validate the prototype against actual requirements before significant investment is committed. Changes to interface, data structures, and logic take effect within seconds - so the organisation builds on what works rather than discarding completed effort when requirements evolve.
No items found.
IT Operations & Service Management
7 challenges identified
1
System monitoring is reactive - problems are discovered after they have affected operations
IT infrastructure and application monitoring relies on staff checking consoles manually or waiting for users to report problems. Degradation, capacity constraints, and early-stage failures are discovered after they have already caused operational disruption.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define monitoring requirements for critical systems - metrics, thresholds, alerting rules, and escalation paths. We assess the current tooling landscape and define requirements for proactive monitoring capability.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Monitoring tools such as Azure Monitor provide proactive infrastructure and application monitoring with automated alerting as standard products. For organisations running on Microsoft Azure, native monitoring capabilities are available without additional tooling.
1
Employee onboarding and offboarding is uncoordinated, creating delays and security gaps
Provisioning a new employee requires manual coordination between HR, IT, and Facilities. Steps happen at different times and are not tracked to completion. Offboarding is even less structured: system access for departing employees is sometimes not revoked for weeks after their last day.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We map the full onboarding and offboarding process across HR, IT, and Facilities - defining the complete task list, ownership for each step, and the sequencing required to have a new employee fully operational on day one.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
HRIS platforms such as Workday include structured onboarding workflows as standard features. Where an HRIS is already in place, activating its onboarding module and linking it to IT provisioning processes is the right approach.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where onboarding and offboarding need to coordinate tasks across HR, IT, and Facilities in a single tracked workflow - including equipment ordering, account creation, and access provisioning with ownership and deadlines per step - we build a joined-up workflow on the Lowgile platform.
1
IT service levels are undefined, making performance measurement and accountability impossible
There are no formally agreed service level commitments between IT and the business units it serves. Business units have no reliable basis for planning around IT availability and response times. IT has no agreed standard against which to measure its own performance or identify where to focus improvement effort.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We design a service level framework - defining service categories, response and resolution targets by priority, measurement methodology, and a regular review cadence. We establish the reporting structure that gives both IT and business unit leaders visibility of service performance.
1
User access rights accumulate over time, creating security and audit risk
Employees who change roles or leave retain system access they no longer need. Access reviews are conducted infrequently and manually. External auditors and security assessments consistently flag this as a control deficiency, but the underlying process does not change.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define an access lifecycle governance policy - role templates by function, review frequency, and the process for managing access changes when an employee joins, changes role, or leaves.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated identity governance tools provide access lifecycle management and periodic access certification as standard products. For organisations with access governance requirements across many systems, a purpose-built identity governance tool is the right approach.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations where a dedicated identity governance tool is not warranted, we build an access lifecycle workflow on the Lowgile platform covering all connected systems. Joiners receive access based on role templates, role changes trigger adjustment workflows, and leavers trigger access revocation tasks on their final working day.
1
IT incidents are reported informally with no prioritisation, SLA, or management visibility
IT issues are reported by calling or emailing individual team members directly. There is no central incident queue, no priority classification, no SLA commitment, and no visibility for IT management of what is outstanding or how long issues have been open.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define an incident management process - categories, priority levels, SLA commitments by priority, escalation rules, and a problem management step for recurring issues.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
ITSM platforms such as ServiceNow or Jira Service Management provide incident management, SLA tracking, priority classification, and escalation as standard products. For most organisations, a purpose-built ITSM platform is the right tool for incident management.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations that need incident management integrated with access lifecycle workflows, change management, and onboarding in a single environment - or where a full ITSM platform is not warranted - we build a service desk workflow on the Lowgile platform.
No items found.
Data & Analytics
7 challenges identified
1
The organisation lacks the data foundation needed to use AI effectively
Leadership has ambitions to use AI to improve forecasting, automate document processing, or surface insights from operational data. In practice, the data needed is inconsistently structured, poorly governed, and stored across systems in formats that AI tools cannot reliably consume. AI initiatives stall at the proof-of-concept stage because the underlying data foundation is not ready.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We assess the data readiness for specific AI use cases - identifying the data sources required, the quality gaps that need to be addressed, and the governance changes needed to make AI use safe and reliable.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
The data foundation required for reliable AI use is typically built on existing tools: ERP, data warehouse, and data quality tooling. Getting these right is the prerequisite before any AI platform is selected, and is not in itself a custom development problem.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where the gaps in the data foundation - integration connectors, quality checks, governance workflows - cannot be addressed through existing tools alone, we build the missing layer on the Lowgile platform to make operational data accessible, clean, and governed before AI models consume it.
1
GDPR and data protection obligations are managed through a static register
The data protection register was created at the time of initial GDPR compliance and has not been systematically updated since. Process and system changes that affect personal data handling are not reflected. Data subject rights requests are handled ad hoc with no structured process and no audit trail.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We review the current data protection register against actual processes and systems, identify gaps, and define a change management process that triggers register updates whenever a relevant process or system change is made.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated data privacy management tools provide GDPR register management, data subject rights request handling, and consent management as standard products. For organisations with complex data protection programmes, a purpose-built privacy tool is the right approach.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations that need data subject rights request handling integrated with operational systems and automated evidence tracking without a full privacy platform, we build a structured request workflow on the Lowgile platform with deadline tracking, documented outcomes, and automated register update triggers.
1
Analytical capabilities are uneven - different teams report the same metric differently
Finance, Sales, Operations, and other functions each build their own reports using their own data extracts and their own definitions of shared metrics. There is no shared semantic layer, no governed metric library, and no process for certifying that a report reflects agreed definitions. Leadership receives conflicting numbers from different parts of the organisation.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a data and analytics operating model - common metric definitions, a governance process for certifying reports, a shared semantic layer that all analytical tools draw from, and a roadmap for building consistent analytical capability across functions.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
BI platforms such as Power BI support certified datasets, shared semantic layers, and governed report catalogues as standard features. Establishing a governed BI practice on an existing platform - with common metric definitions and a certification process for shared reports - is typically the right approach.
1
Data quality issues are discovered in reports rather than prevented at source
Data errors - incorrect values, missing fields, duplicates, inconsistent formats - are identified when they surface in reports or audit findings rather than being caught when data is entered or imported. By the time an error is discovered, it has often propagated across multiple systems and reports.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define data quality standards and validation rules for critical data entities - identifying the most impactful quality dimensions for each and assigning ownership for monitoring and remediation.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated data quality tools provide automated data profiling, validation, and quality monitoring as standard products. For organisations running a structured data quality programme, a purpose-built data quality tool is the right approach.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations that need data quality checks integrated directly into operational intake workflows - catching errors at the point of entry rather than downstream in a separate quality layer - we build automated validation steps on the Lowgile platform that flag non-conforming data immediately and route it to the data owner for correction.
1
Reporting and dashboards are built on stale data extracts rather than live information
Analytical reports and dashboards are refreshed from periodic data extracts - daily, weekly, or monthly - rather than connecting to live operational data. Business decisions are made on information that is hours, days, or weeks old. When conditions change rapidly, the reporting layer cannot reflect the current state.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We design the data integration architecture that enables near-real-time data flows from operational systems to the analytical layer.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
BI platforms such as Power BI support direct live connections to most ERP and operational systems, eliminating the need for periodic extracts. Where the organisation already has a BI tool and the required data sources support live connections, reconfiguring the data model is the right starting point.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where live data flows require custom integration connectors, transformation logic, or synchronisation across multiple systems that the BI tool cannot connect to directly, we build the data pipeline layer on the Lowgile platform to feed the analytical layer with current data.
1
There is no single source of truth for key business data, making reporting unreliable
Customer, product, financial, and operational data is scattered across ERP modules, departmental spreadsheets, and point solutions. Different teams report different numbers for the same metric. Reconciling these differences consumes Finance and IT effort each period and undermines confidence in the data that management uses to make decisions.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We conduct a data landscape assessment to identify critical data entities, current systems of record, ownership gaps, and quality issues. We define a data governance model with clear ownership per entity, quality standards, and a maintenance process.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated master data management tools provide entity management, governance workflows, and multi-system synchronisation as standard products. For organisations with high master data complexity across many systems, a purpose-built MDM tool is the right long-term solution.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations where the scale does not justify a full MDM platform, we build master data governance and change management workflows on the Lowgile platform that enforce approval before any change is written to connected systems and maintain a consistent audit trail across all entity types.
No items found.
Cybersecurity & Compliance
7 challenges identified
1
Data backup and recovery have never been tested against defined recovery requirements
Backup procedures are documented and assumed to be running correctly. Recovery time and recovery point objectives exist but the organisation has never tested whether it could actually recover critical systems within those parameters following a real disruption.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define recovery time and recovery point objectives for critical systems, assess current backup and recovery capabilities against those requirements, identify gaps, and conduct a structured recovery test. Testing is scheduled as a recurring obligation rather than a one-time exercise.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Backup and recovery tools such as cloud-native backup services provide automated backup, recovery testing capabilities, and RPO/RTO reporting as standard products. Most major cloud platforms include backup and recovery capabilities natively.
1
Third-party security risk is not assessed systematically
Vendors and service providers with access to critical systems or sensitive data are onboarded and managed without a structured security risk assessment process. Initial security reviews - where they happen at all - are not repeated after contract signature.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We design a third-party risk management process - defining vendor tiers by risk level, assessment requirements by tier, review frequency, and escalation criteria for high-risk findings.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated vendor risk management tools provide third-party risk assessment workflows, questionnaire libraries, and continuous monitoring as standard products.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations that need vendor risk assessment integrated directly into the procurement onboarding workflow - so that due diligence is completed as a mandatory step before a vendor is activated - we build a supplier risk management workflow on the Lowgile platform.
1
Sector-specific regulatory requirements are not fully reflected in IT controls
Financial services organisations face DORA. Life sciences organisations face GxP and 21 CFR Part 11. Manufacturing organisations with critical infrastructure face NIS2. Most mid-size organisations are aware of the requirements but have not completed a structured gap assessment and remediation plan.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We conduct a regulatory gap assessment specific to your sector and jurisdiction - mapping current IT controls against applicable requirements and producing a prioritised remediation plan with ownership and target dates.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated GRC platforms support sector-specific compliance frameworks - DORA, NIS2, ISO 27001, GxP - with pre-built control libraries and evidence management as standard features.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations that need compliance controls embedded directly into the workflows where they are executed - rather than tracked separately in a GRC tool - we build compliance tracking and evidence workflows on the Lowgile platform that document control execution automatically at the point of the transaction.
1
Ransomware preparedness is inadequate for the current threat environment
Ransomware is the most common and most damaging cyber threat facing mid-size organisations. Most have implemented basic preventive controls but have not tested whether they could detect an attack early, contain it before it spreads, recover within an acceptable timeframe, and communicate effectively throughout.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We assess current ransomware preparedness across prevention, detection, response, and recovery. We design and test a ransomware response playbook - covering technical containment, decision authority, communication protocols, and recovery procedures. We run a tabletop exercise to validate the plan and identify gaps before an incident makes them visible.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Endpoint detection and response tools such as Microsoft Defender provide ransomware detection, containment, and response automation as standard products. Immutable backup solutions and network segmentation tooling are also standard market offerings that address the technical preparedness dimension.
1
The organisation's security risk posture is unknown until an incident or audit surfaces a gap
There is no structured security risk register and no repeatable process for identifying, assessing, and tracking mitigations for cybersecurity risks. Security decisions are made reactively in response to incidents or audit findings. Leadership cannot answer basic questions about the organisation's most significant security risks or the adequacy of current controls.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We conduct a structured cybersecurity risk assessment against a recognised framework - ISO 27001, NIST, or the equivalent applicable to your sector. We build a risk register with ownership and mitigation tracking, and design a review cadence and escalation path that keeps the security posture visible to senior management.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated GRC platforms provide security risk register management, control tracking, and maturity assessment as standard products. The risk register and review cadence are as much a process and governance challenge as a technology one - the platform enables the process but does not replace it.
No items found.
IT Vendor & Contract Management
7 challenges identified
1
Vendor onboarding lacks due diligence, creating compliance and security exposure
New IT vendors are onboarded based on commercial terms alone, without a structured assessment of financial stability, information security posture, data protection compliance, and contractual protections. The gap is most significant for vendors who will access sensitive data or critical systems.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We design a vendor onboarding process with risk-tiered due diligence requirements - the depth of assessment is proportionate to the level of access and data sensitivity involved.
💻 Lowgile Platform
We build a vendor onboarding workflow on the Lowgile platform with a structured due diligence checklist, mandatory approval steps, and documentation requirements scaled by risk tier. High-risk findings are escalated automatically to IT management and Legal before onboarding is confirmed. Completed due diligence is stored on the vendor record and available for audit.
1
IT cost management lacks the granularity needed to allocate spend to business units
Total IT spend is tracked at a budget level but cannot be attributed reliably to specific business units, services, or applications. Business units have no visibility of the cost of the IT services they consume and therefore no incentive to manage demand.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We design an IT cost transparency model - a service catalogue with defined cost units, an allocation methodology that is defensible and simple enough to maintain, and reporting that shows each business unit what it consumes and what it costs.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
IT cost transparency can often be achieved with existing financial reporting tools - a structured cost model in the ERP or a Power BI dashboard built on existing financial data and a defined allocation methodology. This is typically the right starting point before considering custom tooling.
1
Software licence compliance is unmanaged, creating cost and legal risk simultaneously
The organisation does not have a complete, current picture of software licences owned versus licences deployed and in active use. Over-licensing creates unnecessary recurring cost. Under-licensing creates compliance risk - software audit findings from vendors can result in significant back-payment obligations.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We conduct a software asset management assessment - mapping current licence entitlements, actual deployments, and active usage. We define a licence management process with a structured register, periodic reconciliation, and a procurement process that validates licence requirements before purchase.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated software asset management tools provide licence inventory, deployment tracking, and compliance reporting as standard products. These are purpose-built for this problem and are the right tool.
1
Vendor performance is not measured, weakening the organisation's negotiating position
There is no structured process for tracking vendor performance against contracted service levels. SLA breaches are not recorded and the organisation has no evidence base to support renegotiation or - where warranted - contract termination. Renewal conversations are based on anecdote and relationship rather than documented performance history.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a vendor performance framework - selecting metrics by vendor category, establishing measurement frequency, and designing a review and escalation process for persistent underperformance.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Vendor performance tracking can often be managed within existing procurement or ERP systems, or via a structured scorecard built in a BI tool connected to service delivery data. For organisations with manageable vendor counts, this is a practical starting point.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where vendor performance tracking needs to be integrated with contract management, SLA breach escalation, and renewal workflows in a single environment, we build a vendor performance tracking workflow on the Lowgile platform.
1
IT vendor contracts lack central visibility, with renewal obligations missed regularly
IT vendor contracts are stored across personal drives, email archives, and shared folders. Renewal dates and notice periods are tracked informally and obligations are missed when the responsible person is unavailable. The organisation regularly finds itself auto-renewed into contracts it intended to renegotiate or exit.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We define a vendor contract governance model - metadata standards, ownership rules, renewal alert thresholds, and a process for bringing existing contracts into the repository.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Dedicated contract management tools provide structured repositories, renewal alerts, and obligation tracking as standard products. For organisations with significant IT vendor contract volumes, a purpose-built contract management tool is typically faster to implement than a custom solution.
💻 Lowgile Platform
For organisations that need vendor contract management integrated with performance tracking and onboarding workflows in a single environment, we build a vendor contract repository on the Lowgile platform with automated renewal alerts and a contract dashboard showing obligations expiring in the next 90 days.
No items found.
IT Resource Management
7 challenges identified
1
IT training and capability development is ad hoc, with no connection to strategic skill requirements
Training for IT staff is self-directed or driven by individual manager discretion rather than a structured assessment of what capabilities the organisation needs to develop. Critical capability gaps persist because there is no systematic process for identifying them early and addressing them before they become delivery constraints.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We design an IT capability development programme - mapping required skills against the forward-looking IT roadmap, identifying gaps, and defining a structured learning path for each role.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
Learning management systems provide structured training catalogues, completion tracking, and skills gap analysis as standard products. For organisations that need a formal learning infrastructure, a purpose-built LMS is the right approach.
1
External IT resources are engaged without structured governance, creating cost and dependency risk
Contractors, consultants, and managed service providers are engaged to fill IT capability gaps but are managed informally - no structured performance expectations, no knowledge transfer requirements, and no exit planning. External resources accumulate institutional knowledge that is never transferred internally.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We design an external resource governance model - covering engagement standards, performance expectations, knowledge transfer requirements built into every engagement, and exit criteria that ensure the organisation retains capability when external resources leave.
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IT talent attraction and retention is undermined by an unclear employee value proposition
IT roles are difficult to fill and retention is below target. The employee value proposition for IT staff - interesting work, career development, modern tools, a culture of learning - is not defined and is not actively managed. Departures accelerate when key individuals see no path for growth.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We assess the current IT employee value proposition against the expectations of the talent the organisation needs to attract and retain. We design a targeted retention strategy - covering role design, career pathing, development investment, and management quality.
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Unstructured IT workforce planning creates skill gaps and delivery risk
IT capacity is planned informally - headcount decisions are made reactively when gaps become critical rather than in anticipation of upcoming demand. There is no structured view of which skills exist internally, which are covered by external resources, and where dependencies on individual specialists create delivery risk. When key people leave or are unavailable, projects stall and operational continuity is at risk.
🏢 Organizational & Process Design
We build a skills inventory and a capacity planning process - mapping current capabilities against the project pipeline, identifying critical single points of failure, and defining a workforce strategy that covers hiring, training, and selective use of external resources. We also design a structured knowledge transfer process to reduce reliance on individual specialists.
🔧 Tool Evaluation
HRIS platforms such as Workday include skills inventory and workforce planning modules. Project management tools such as Jira or Azure DevOps provide resource allocation views. Where these are already in place, activating their planning capabilities is the right starting point.
💻 Lowgile Platform
Where resource planning needs to be integrated with the project portfolio, demand intake pipeline, and skills inventory in a single dashboard - so that resourcing conflicts are visible weeks in advance rather than discovered when a deadline is missed - we build a resource and capacity dashboard on the Lowgile platform.
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