For finance leaders, transformation is no longer a future-state conversation. It is happening alongside the close, reporting, forecasting, audits, controls and every other responsibility the finance function already owns.
CFOs are being asked to modernize systems, automate processes, improve access to data, introduce AI and provide more strategic insight to the business. The opportunity is significant, but so is the challenge of making that progress while keeping the core finance function running.
That is creating a growing gap between transformation plans and the capacity to execute them.
The transformation agenda keeps expanding
EY’s 2026 Global DNA of the CFO Survey found that finance leaders still spend 47% of their capacity on operational responsibilities, including reporting, regulation, internal controls and core finance processes. At the same time, only 12% of CFOs said their finance transformation efforts exceeded expectations over the previous two years, while 40% described progress as slow or limited.
The issue is not necessarily a lack of ambition.
Finance teams are taking on initiatives that can span ERP implementations, automation, data and analytics, process redesign, M&A integration, controls, forecasting and new technology adoption. Each can improve how finance operates, but each also requires time, focus and specialized expertise.
AI is adding another layer to that agenda. KPMG found that 93% of U.S. companies expect to be deploying or scaling AI within their finance functions over the next 18 months, with half already planning to develop or orchestrate multi-agent AI systems across finance workflows.
Yet adoption alone does not guarantee results. Gartner reported that while 84% of finance organizations have implemented or plan to implement AI, only 7% currently report a high or very high impact from it.
Together, these trends point to a broader challenge. Finance organizations are not short on transformation opportunities. The harder question is how to turn those opportunities into meaningful results.
Execution still depends on people
Technology may be driving much of the change, but successful transformation remains heavily dependent on the people responsible for implementing it.
A new ERP still requires planning, process design, data migration, testing and change management. Better reporting depends on people who understand both the data and the decisions it needs to support. An acquisition creates integration work long after the transaction closes. Automation and AI still require organizations to determine where the technology makes sense, redesign workflows and establish the right controls.
EY’s research reinforces that connection between people and outcomes. Among CFOs who described their finance teams as highly adaptable, 42% said transformation outcomes exceeded expectations, compared with only 16% among teams described as generally adaptable. Yet just 11% of CFOs surveyed characterized their teams as highly adaptable.
That matters because internal teams are often being asked to lead these initiatives without stepping away from their existing responsibilities. A controller helping oversee an ERP implementation still has a close to manage. A financial reporting team supporting an acquisition still has deadlines. A finance leader evaluating automation opportunities still has a business to support.
Over time, competing priorities can slow even well-planned initiatives.
Capacity is becoming part of the transformation strategy
As the scope of finance transformation grows, organizations also need to think differently about how they resource the work.
Not every initiative requires permanent headcount. Some create a concentrated need for expertise over a specific period of time. An ERP implementation may require experienced systems support for several months. An acquisition can create an immediate need for integration or technical accounting expertise. A controls or reporting project may require additional leadership and execution capacity until the work is complete.
In these situations, project and interim resources can complement the existing team by bringing in expertise where it is needed most, without requiring internal leaders to choose between transformation and their day-to-day responsibilities.
This approach may become increasingly important as the pace of change continues. EY found that 80% of CFOs expect AI-enabled business models to feature within their organizations to a significant or moderate extent over the next 12 months. At the same time, the firm’s research emphasizes that finance transformation depends as much on talent, adaptability and ways of working as it does on systems and data.
For finance leaders, that makes workforce planning part of the transformation conversation.
The question is no longer only which systems to modernize, processes to automate or capabilities to build. It is also whether the organization has the right expertise and enough capacity to execute those priorities successfully.
At Brilliant, our Management Resources team works with finance leaders on project-based and interim needs across finance transformation, ERP and financial systems, M&A integration, data and analytics, technical accounting, internal audit, financial planning and other complex initiatives. The goal is not simply to add resources, but to provide the expertise and support needed to move critical initiatives forward without disrupting day-to-day priorities.
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Sources: EY, 2026 Global DNA of the CFO Survey; KPMG, AI in Finance: The Decision Advantage, 2026; Gartner, The CFO’s Guide to Building a Finance AI Roadmap, 2026.