25-03-2026
Hungary
Accounting
digital transformation, digital accounting, accounts payable processing, touchless real-time finance, automation solutions, reporting solutions, strategic oversight, cloud-based accounting, robotic process automation (RPA)
Author: Attila Sólyom, Digital Transformation Director, Process Solutions
Tighten the discipline: Turning automation into measurable outcomes
CEOs report spending 60% of their time on issues within the next 12 months, and near-term growth optimism is at a low point—only 31% expect revenue growth over the next year. Meanwhile, regulatory uncertainty is now the top perceived risk (51%). And despite the hype, AI still struggles to translate into measurable outcomes: 77% of companies report no cost reduction and no revenue increase from AI so far.
Our takeaway isn’t “slow down.” It’s “tighten the discipline.” Under short-term pressure, automation can easily become faster chaos: if inputs are inconsistent and controls are unclear, you simply accelerate the production of noise – classic garbage in, garbage out. The winning pattern is different: build process discipline first, then use automation (and AI, where it fits) to scale what already works – repeatably, and with outcomes you can measure.
At Process Solutions, we sit close to the operational reality of accounting and payroll: the work that must be correct, on time, and auditable. Our Digital Transformation Services focus on making that reality faster and more transparent – by strengthening process discipline first, then using automation to scale what already works.
When we publish about digitalisation, we stay grounded in what actually determines outcomes: process discipline. For us, process discipline means an established, measurable process that people generally adhere to – regardless of personal preferences, habits, or “how we’ve always done it.” Without that, automation simply accelerates inconsistency.
That’s why our transformation perspective consistently returns to three themes:
- Touchless and real-time accounting
Touchless means no manual data entry and exception-driven handling; real-time means status, controls, and approvals are visible end-to-end immediately after the fact, not at month-end. This is where automation starts to feel like an operating model improvement, not just a tool implementation.
Process Solutions’s Touchless Accounts Payable Automation
- The human side of transformation
To borrow a phrase that captures the reality behind many failed programmes: culture eats strategy for breakfast. You can have the right roadmap and the right tools, but if day-to-day behaviours don’t change, the process will snap back under pressure.
Challenges of digital transformation from human perspective – human behaviour-shaping factors
(And a light but important note: finance and payroll workflows carry sensitive data – so discipline also includes sensible guardrails like clear roles, approvals, and an auditable trail, so speed never comes at the expense of control.)
The practical takeaway: discipline first, then touchless speed
If there’s one lesson process owners can take from the PwC findings, it’s this: when attention is pulled into the next 12 months, transformation only works if it becomes operationally simple – not another layer of projects.
In AP invoice processing (and similarly in payroll data processing), the sequence matters:
- Start with process discipline
A process is only “ready” when it’s established, measurable, and broadly followed – regardless of personal habits or preferences. One practical example: no manual GL coding without a rule. If coding depends on individual judgement every time, you don’t have a process – you have a set of personal workarounds, and automation will simply scale confusion. - Define touchless and real-time as outcomes
Touchless = no manual data entry and exception-driven handling.
Real-time = end-to-end status, controls, and approvals are visible immediately after the fact.
This reframes the goal from “implement a tool” to “reduce human touches and shorten cycle time.” - Use approvals as the first ‘flow’ battlefield (AP reality check)
In many AP teams, the cycle-time killer isn’t posting – it’s chasing approvals and even finding the right person who can approve. Touchless design changes that: approvers are identified by workflow rules and pre-configured settings (and in some cases, even assisted by AI), so the process owner no longer relies on email archaeology and personal networks to keep invoices moving. The most important “real-time” benefit is simple: status and responsibility are visible, so you immediately know who is blocking flow and how long it has been stuck – making escalation precise instead of noisy. - Make adoption the critical path
Culture eats strategy for breakfast. A common failure mode is that people circumvent the process, using the tool as an administrative wrapper while the real work happens in side channels (emails, chats, informal approvals). If the process isn’t the path of least resistance on a bad day, it won’t be followed. - Prove value with one metric: cycle time
Cycle time is a strong north-star because it connects to throughput, predictability, workload peaks, and control – without requiring a complex ROI story upfront.
This is how transformation survives short-term pressure: fewer rules, clearer ownership, faster exception handling, and measurable flow.
Turning “transformation” into repeatable outcomes
The PwC picture doesn’t suggest transformation is optional. It suggests it’s difficult to do well when leadership attention is stretched and uncertainty is high.
For process owners, the advantage is that meaningful progress doesn’t start with a large programme. It starts with a few fundamentals that make improvement repeatable:
- What is our current cycle time, and what actually causes the delays?
- What is truly standard, and what still depends on tribal knowledge?
- Which cases should be exceptions – with a defined route, owner, and decision rule?
- What would it take for the team to follow the process even under pressure?
The same logic applies beyond AP. In payroll data processing, for example, late data changes are a fact of life – so the differentiator isn’t pretending they won’t happen. It’s having enough flexibility, controls, and automation in place to include changes without destabilising the pay run.
When those questions have clear answers, automation and AI stop being experiments and start producing something rare: repeatable outcomes – a process that moves faster because it is designed to hold together.
Source:
(1). PwC Hungary’s 2026 CEO Survey (March 3, 2026)
Reach out and let’s discuss the latest advancements we offer, or browse our previous articles to find out more about our focus and commitment to digitalization!
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Our Digi-Blog posts about digital transformation:
9 – Five vectors of digital transformation in accounting a strategic move for modern businesses
8 – The Only Constant: Embracing Change in a Shifting World
7 – Securing Executive Buy-in for Digital Transformation
6 – Digital transformation simplified – delivering quick results in the innovation maze
5 – Challenges of digital transformation from human perspective – Human behaviour-shaping factors
4 – Digital transformation – Human aspect challenges and key target groups of change management
3 – Change management and its cultural aspects in the digitalisation of accounting
2 – 5 Key goals for digital transformation in professional business services
1 – Digitalization – The engine of economic growth in the 21st century