Linking data maturity to financial performance: How trusted data unlocks measurable ROI and AI readiness for finance leaders

The demands on finance leaders have never been greater. Tasked with delivering faster, more accurate insights and proving the ROI of every initiative, many still struggle with fragmented systems, manual reconciliations and inconsistent governance. In short, poor data quality is slowing reporting, eroding trust and impeding transformations.

It’s why data maturity has become a core driver of financial performance. CFOs who invest in strong data foundations see measurable returns through faster close cycles, reduced audit findings and readiness for AI-driven forecasting and reporting.

The 5Y Data Foundations Package gives finance leaders a measurable, four-week diagnostic that connects data quality to performance outcomes. It provides a quantified, board-ready view of how data maturity drives ROI, efficiency and control without disruption or data leaving your environment.

The challenge: You can’t automate what you don’t trust

Finance teams operate across an increasingly complex landscape of ERP systems, FP&A tools, ESG platforms and external data feeds. Most spend more time validating and reconciling data than analysing it.

According to industry research:

• 70% of finance teams experience three or more days’ delay in close cycles due to poor data quality.
• 40% of transformation delays are caused by inconsistent or incomplete data.
• Only 12% of CIOs say their AI pilots meet compliance and governance standards.

This lack of trust in data slows operations and limits innovation. CFOs can’t automate reconciliations, accelerate forecasting or ensure compliance when they deal in fragmented and ungoverned data.

The results are all too familiar: slow reporting, high manual effort and limited visibility.

But the solution is clear: a single, governed data foundation that connects financial, operational and ESG information in a trusted, auditable and AI-ready manner.

That’s what the 5Y Data Foundations Package delivers.

Data Foundations: A four-week diagnostic for AI-ready data transformations

Data Foundations for Finance is a four-week, in-tenant diagnostic designed specifically for Finance and FP&A leaders that provides a quantified, evidence-based roadmap to trusted, AI-ready data.
All analysis is completed securely within your environment, ensuring full data sovereignty and compliance.

What’s included?

• A financial data scorecard that assesses ERP and finance system data for completeness and accuracy.
• Governance and control assessment that evaluates PDPL/GDPR compliance and audit readiness.
• Maturity and process mapping that benchmarks close, consolidation and reporting processes against best practice.
• ROI & value modelling that quantifies inefficiencies and models savings from improved governance.
• Board-ready reports that deliver modular insights and a clear, prioritised roadmap for action.

By the end of four weeks, you’ll have a clear transformation roadmap to better, more governed, AI-ready finance data.

The ROI of trusted data

Across multiple industries, the financial impact of trusted data is proven and measurable.

One finance organisation unified data across multiple business units, halving manual effort and achieving real-time visibility of performance. Another global enterprise achieved 95% reconciliation to source records, cutting reporting time from three weeks to just four days.

As you can see, improving trust does more than improving data accuracy. It delivers financial ROI, control, and competitive advantage.

Beyond compliance: Enabling AI and automation

AI and automation promise to transform finance with better, faster and more accurate insights. But without strong data foundations, AI initiatives fail.

For example, McKinsey finds that poor data quality and governance are the leading causes of AI model drift, bias and compliance risk. In finance, that means unreliable forecasts, incorrect journal entries and inconsistent audit trails.

To be AI-ready, finance teams must ensure:

• Data accuracy and completeness – reliable, reconciled inputs for algorithms.
• Governance and lineage – traceable and auditable datasets.
• Integration and consistency – seamless data flow across Finance, FP&A and Compliance.

The 5Y Maturity Framework assesses each of these dimensions to produce a clear AI Readiness Index, showing CFOs where to invest first for maximum value and lowest risk.

The 5Y methodology in action

The structured, time-boxed process ensures measurable insight with minimal disruption:

• Week 0 – Mobilisation: Define scope and align stakeholders.
• Week 1 – Discovery and profiling: Assess data sources, quality, and reconciliation coverage.
• Week 2 – Governance and maturity assessment: Evaluate controls and compliance posture.
• Week 3 – ROI modelling: Quantify improvement potential and efficiency gains.
• Week 4 – Framework design and playback: Deliver board-ready report and executive roadmap.

By the end of the four weeks, CFOs have a quantified baseline and a clear, evidence-backed business case for improvement.

Finance Data Maturity Self-Check

Is your finance function ready to scale trust and insight? Find out with this short self-assessment:

• Can you produce a unified view of financial data across ERP, FP&A and reporting systems?
• Are reconciliations automated and traceable to source?
• Are controls and governance frameworks documented and enforced?
• Do you have defined data ownership and stewardship roles?
• Is your finance data ready to support AI, automation and predictive analytics?

If you answered 'no' to more than one question, your data maturity may be limiting both efficiency and strategic ROI.

Building confidence and value

Finance leaders increasingly recognise that data is a financial asset, one that can be measured, governed and optimised.

To maximise the return on that asset, CFOs should focus on three imperatives:

1. Sovereignty: Keep control of data within your environment for compliance and security.
2. Continuity: Ensure frameworks and KPIs endure across systems and transformations.
3. Speed-to-value: Deliver actionable insights rapidly through targeted diagnostics.

Using a systematic, evidence-based method such as the 5Y’s Foundations Diagnostic allows CFOs to measure the value generated and the risks mitigated, offering a clear foundation for making decisions about data investments.

Conclusion: From trust to transformation

Finance leaders who treat data as a strategic enabler, not a technical problem, unlock measurable ROI and lasting confidence in their numbers.

As one CFO put it after completing a data maturity assessment: “For the first time, we can trust our numbers. Every board discussion is faster, more confident and focused on what matters.”

In an era where uncertainty defines markets, trust has become the most valuable form of capital. For finance leaders, that trust begins with data.