Digital Transformation Consulting

Accenture's Procurement Plus team faced significant challenges in standardizing and simplifying their procure-to-pay (P2P) processes across a global landscape. Despite operating a single global instance of SAP S/4HANA and SAP Ariba, they encountered workflow variances across regions, categories, and spend levels, which complicated their ability to identify and address inefficiencies. The subjective nature of discussions around these variances made it difficult to drive meaningful change, prompting the need for a more data-driven approach.

To tackle these issues, Accenture implemented Celonis, a leading process mining and execution management solution. This tool provided the team with powerful visibility into their procurement processes, revealing that there were 14,000 different ways a requisition could be processed across 50 countries. This insight highlighted the potential for significant standardization improvements. For instance, the team focused on a specific country where the requisition approval cycle time averaged 60 hours. By utilizing Celonis' visual flows, they identified process variations and engaged in fact-based discussions that led to actionable changes, ultimately reducing the cycle time by 75% to just 15 hours.

Over two years, the Procurement Plus team expanded their use of Celonis to include advanced features such as the Execution Management System (EMS), which integrates process mining, data analytics, and automation. This approach allowed them to digitize previously offline processes and improve operational efficiency. Notable achievements included a 95% reduction in actionable transactions for buying agents, a 90% reduction in full-time equivalent (FTE) requirements, and a 10% decrease in cycle time. Additionally, the implementation of smart notifications and execution applications led to a 23% increase in invoices approved by their due date within pilot countries.

The overall transformation yielded quantifiable benefits, including $35 million in annualized working capital benefits from improved visibility into pending invoices, a 30% reduction in invoice approval time, and a 50% improvement in request-to-order time. By integrating Celonis into their operations, Accenture's Procurement Plus team not only enhanced compliance and standardization but also positioned themselves for ongoing efficiency gains across their procurement processes.