About Session
For over two decades, finance close software has excelled at managing the close — tracking tasks, sending reminders, maintaining audit trails — while leaving the actual work entirely to human preparers. This session introduces the concept of the “Execution Layer”: the 70–80% of close cycle time spent pulling ERP data, building accrual schedules, reconciling accounts, and posting intercompany entries. Participants will explore why this layer has historically been impossible to automate, how AI agents now make execution feasible, and what a finance organization looks like when preparers become reviewers. Real-world outcomes, including a 40% close cycle reduction, ground the discussion in practice.
Learning Ojectives:
- Identify the structural gap between workflow management tools (BlackLine, FloQast, Trintech) and the execution layer — and explain why 70–80% of close time remains untouched by existing software.
- Describe how AI agent architecture differs from AI-as-a-feature bolt-ons, and what capabilities are required for an agent to execute finance close tasks with audit-ready accuracy.
- Evaluate the organizational impact of shifting finance staff from preparation to review, including how continuous close becomes achievable and the close transforms from a cost center into an intelligence layer.
