• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Revelwood Logo

Revelwood

Your SUPER-powered WP Engine Site

  • Who We Are
    • About Us
      • Our Company
      • Our Team
      • Partners
    • Careers
      • Join Our Team
  • What We Do
    • Solutions
      • Workday Adaptive Planning
      • IBM Planning Analytics
      • BlackLine
    • Services
      • Implementation Services
      • Customer Care
        • Help Desk
        • System Administration as a Service
      • Training
        • Workday Adaptive Planning Training
        • IBM Planning Analytics / TM1 Training
    • Products
      • DataMaestro
      • LightSpeed
      • IBM Planning Analytics Utilities
  • How We Help
    • Use Cases
    • Client Success Stories
  • How We Think
    • Knowledge Center
    • Events
    • News
  • Contact Us

Accounting and Accounts Receivable

Modern Accounting: Four Steps to Streamlining Journal Entry Processes

 

CFOs are investing in automating accounting

May 30, 2024

By Revelwood

This is an excerpt of a blog post from our partner, BlackLine.

In the pursuit of modernizing accounting processes, one critical area often overlooked is the time-consuming task of manual journal entries. Despite significant advancements in other aspects of the financial close, journal entries remain a labor-intensive process filled with potential errors and fraud risks.

The Challenges of Manual Journal Entries

Why do manual journal entries continue to present challenges for finance and accounting (F&A) teams? The answer lies in the sheer volume of manual processing work involved and the ever-evolving regulatory landscape. Manual journal entries not only prolong reporting cycles but also increase complexity, leaving organizations vulnerable to errors and compliance issues.

Furthermore, in today’s fast-paced business environment, finance teams are under increasing pressure to provide financial information faster to drive business decisions.

However, according to a recent survey by BlackLine, over half of finance professionals are not entirely confident they can identify financial errors before reporting results. This lack of confidence underscores the need for improved timeliness and accuracy in financial data and journal entries.

Embracing Modern Journal Entry Management

Modernizing journal entry processes presents a significant opportunity for organizations to transform the foundation of their financial reporting processes. By automating repetitive tasks and leveraging intelligent controls, finance teams can reduce the risk of errors in the general ledger and free up valuable time for strategic analysis and decision-making.

According to EY, top-performing companies with modernized journal entry processes have significantly fewer manual entries and lower personnel costs. The potential for automation is staggering, with over 70% of journal entries ripe for automation.

By embracing automation, organizations can not only save time and labor but also significantly reduce fraud risk.

Four Ways to Embark on Your Journal Automation Journey

1.        Targeted Automation:

Identify specific repetitive tasks within the journal entry process and automate them using standard business rules and logic. Start by examining areas such as system-to-system processing, allocations, cash settlements, and intercompany transactions.

2.        Intelligent Controls:

Implement segregation of duties and approval routing to eliminate fraud risks and ensure compliance. Embedding control attributes within standard journal templates can enable a more compliant process, while SaaS-based financial close management tools provide a structured preparation, review, and approval process with a robust audit trail.

3.        Centralized Information:

Store all documentation and policies within centralized templates for easy access and auditability. Role-centric auditor permissions provide visibility into reviewed items, enabling a self-service model for obtaining supporting documentation and testing controls.

4.        Continuous Accounting:

Shift from a traditional record-to-report approach to continuous accounting, allowing for more balanced processing throughout the period. This approach frees up finance and accounting professionals to focus on high-value tasks, such as open item analysis and balance sheet reviews, rather than being bogged down by manual data entry.

This blog post was originally published on the BlackLine blog.

Read more about Accounting & Accounts Receivable:

Is the Accounting Cycle a Trade-off Between a Fast Close and Accuracy?

Financial Close and Consolidation Solutions Report

Driving Effective Change Management in Digital Finance Transformation

Author

  • Revelwood

    View all posts
    • Categories

      • Accounting and Accounts Receivable
      • Awards & Recognition
      • Data Analytics in Finance
      • Financial Close & Consolidation
      • FP&A Done Right
      • IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks
      • News & Events
      • Success Stories
      • Tech Bulletins
      • Workday Adaptive Planning Insights
      • Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks

    Popular Posts

    Authors

    Adam Riskin
    Adam Riskin
    Brian Colucci
    Brian Colucci
    Brian Combs
    Brian Combs
    Cameron Burke
    Cameron Burke
    Dave Miersch
    Dave Miersch
    Ivan Cepero
    Ivan Cepero
    John Pra Sisto
    John Pra Sisto
    Jonathan Dunn
    Jonathan Dunn
    Ken Wolf
    Ken Wolf
    Lee Lazarow
    Lee Lazarow
    Lisa Minneci
    Lisa Minneci
    Luke Griffie
    Luke Griffie
    Marc Assenza
    Marc Assenza
    Mary Luchs
    Mary Luchs
    Michael Mari
    Michael Mari
    Michelle Song
    Michelle Song
    Revelwood
    Revelwood
    Robert Nordhagen
    Robert Nordhagen
    Simon Foley
    Simon Foley
    Thomas McDade
    Thomas McDade

    Sign up for our newsletter

    Connect

Footer

Revelwood Overview

Revelwood helps finance organizations close, consolidate, plan, monitor and analyze business performance. As experts in solutions for the Office of Finance, we partner with best-in-breed software companies by applying best practices guidance and our pre-configured applications to help businesses achieve their full potential.

EXPERTISE

  • Workday Adaptive Planning
  • IBM Planning Analytics
  • BlackLine

ABOUT

  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • How We Help
  • How We Think
  • Privacy

CONNECT

World Headquarters

Florham Park, NJ | 201 984 3030

European Headquarters

London & Edinburgh | +44 (0)131 240 3866

Latin America Office

Miami, FL | 201 987 4198

Email
info@revelwood.com

Copyright © 2025 · Revelwood Inc. All rights reserved. Revelwood® and the Revelwood logo are registered marks of Revelwood Inc.