Why a Framework?
Every PE or VC-backed company's finance function is different. Different systems, different people, different histories of how things ended up the way they are. But after 25 years, I've noticed something: the path from "not good enough" to "exit-ready" follows a surprisingly predictable pattern.
Not because I love frameworks for their own sake, but because having one means I can move faster, your team knows what's coming, and your PE sponsor can see the trajectory from day one.
The Exit-Ready Finance Framework isn't rigid. It adapts to where you are, what's urgent, and what your timeline looks like. But the sequence matters, and getting it right is the difference between transformation that sticks and change that unravels the moment I leave.
Phase 01: Diagnose
Duration: Weeks 1-3
Before I can fix anything, I need to see everything. And I mean actually see it, not read about it in a handover document or hear the sanitised version in a board presentation.
I sit inside your finance function and observe how work actually happens. Not how people say it happens. Not how the process manual says it should happen. How it actually happens, day to day, when nobody's watching. That's where the real picture emerges.
The assessment covers six dimensions: process maturity, data quality, systems landscape, controls and compliance, people and capability, and strategic alignment. It's thorough, it's evidence-based, and it doesn't pull punches.
Key Deliverables
- Finance Function Scorecard across all six dimensions
- Gap analysis with specific findings and impact assessment
- AI Readiness assessment (optional add-on)
- Prioritised transformation roadmap
- Executive readout for the PE sponsor/board
What Actually Happens
- You get a clear picture of where things stand. No surprises later
- Quick wins get identified and the first improvements go live immediately
- The roadmap gets agreed with everyone who matters
- Your team starts to see that this change is real, not just another initiative
- The business case for transformation gets quantified in language PE sponsors understand
Phase 02: Build
Duration: Weeks 4-10
This is the heavy-lifting phase. With the diagnostic done and the roadmap agreed, we build the foundations that everything else depends on. It's not glamorous work, but it's the work that matters most.
I've learned the hard way that you can't skip this phase. Companies that rush to optimise without building proper foundations end up optimising chaos — which just gives you faster chaos.
Key Deliverables
- Chart of accounts redesign (or validation if yours is solid)
- Close process architecture and standard operating procedures
- Controls framework: approval matrices, segregation of duties, reconciliation schedules
- Reporting templates: board pack, management accounts, KPI dashboards
- Team operating model: structure, roles, responsibilities, development plans
What Actually Happens
- First new-process month-end close gets completed, and it's already faster
- Board pack template agreed and first version delivered
- Controls framework goes live (and people actually follow it, because it's designed for a mid-market company, not a bank)
- Your team has clarity on their roles and what's expected
- Quick wins keep compounding. Momentum matters more than most people realise
Phase 03: Accelerate
Duration: Weeks 11-16
The foundations are in place. Now we make things fast. This phase is all about speed, efficiency, and reliability, particularly around the month-end close, which is the heartbeat of any finance function.
If the close works, reporting works. If reporting works, the board has confidence. If the board has confidence, the PE sponsor stops asking difficult questions. Everything flows from the close.
Key Deliverables
- Month-end close optimisation: pre-close task shifting, parallel workflows, hard deadlines
- Close cockpit for real-time tracking and visibility
- Automation layer: identifying and implementing the automation that actually makes sense
- Reporting refinement based on the first few cycles of real feedback
- KPI framework calibration: making sure the metrics drive the right behaviours
What Actually Happens
- Sub-5-day close achieved (or a clear trajectory that everyone believes in)
- Board pack lands within 10 business days, consistently, without heroics
- Manual journal entries drop by 30-40%
- Finance team overtime drops significantly. The team gets their weekends back
- PE sponsor confidence in financial reporting gets established
Phase 04: Future-Proof
Duration: Weeks 14-20
With operations running smoothly, we turn to the question everyone's asking: what about AI? What about the technology stack? What about making sure this isn't just good today but stays good?
Most finance functions aren't ready for AI, and buying tools won't make them ready. But a finance function that's been through Phases 1-3? That's a different story. Clean data, standardised processes, proper controls. That's the foundation AI actually needs.
Key Deliverables
- Technology stack evaluation and roadmap
- AI enablement assessment: data readiness, use case viability, governance requirements
- EU AI Act governance framework
- Team upskilling programme: new skills for a transformed function
- Data foundation work: ensuring financial data is structured, clean, and properly AI-ready
What Actually Happens
- Clear technology roadmap that aligns with business strategy (not vendor wishlists)
- AI readiness assessment with realistic timelines (not the 6-month fantasy most vendors sell)
- Governance framework in place for responsible AI adoption
- Team confident and capable in the new operating model
- Data quality improved to support advanced analytics, including AI
Phase 05: Exit-Ready
Duration: Weeks 18-24
The final phase prepares your finance function to withstand the scrutiny of exit. If you've been through the earlier phases, this is less about building and more about packaging, testing, and polishing.
I've been on both sides of due diligence. I know what buyer teams look for, what makes them nervous, and what makes them confident. This phase makes sure your finance function tells a value-creation story that's clear, compelling, and bulletproof.
Key Deliverables
- Vendor due diligence preparation: financial data room, audit trail, historical analysis
- Data room finance section: organised, complete, defensible
- Management presentation: the board-ready financial story for buyer meetings
- Exit narrative: how your finance function demonstrates value creation under DD scrutiny
- Transition readiness: documentation and handover plan for permanent CFO
What Actually Happens
- Finance function supports the exit process without missing a beat
- Data room is complete and buyer-ready before the process starts
- Financial narrative is clear, compelling, and holds up under questioning
- Team can operate independently post-transition
- Permanent CFO (if recruited) is set up for success, not left to figure things out
You Don't Have to Start at Phase 01
Not every engagement runs through all five phases. The framework is modular, designed with multiple entry points depending on your situation:
Full Transformation
Start at Phase 01, work through all five. This is for companies that need a comprehensive finance function overhaul. Typically 4-6 months. It's the most thorough option and, in my experience, where the most value gets created.
Diagnostic + Build
Phases 01 and 02 only. For companies that want clarity and foundations but have internal capability to continue the journey. The diagnostic gives you the plan; Phase 02 gives you the infrastructure.
Close Sprint
A focused engagement targeting Phases 02 and 03, specifically close cycle optimisation. For companies where the close is the burning platform and everything else can wait. Typically 6-8 weeks.
AI Readiness Standalone
A focused version of Phase 04's AI assessment, delivered independently. For companies that want to understand their AI readiness before committing to anything broader. Typically 2-3 weeks. And yes, I'll tell you if you're not ready. That's the whole point.
Exit Prep
Phases 04 and 05, for companies that have a reasonable finance function but need to prepare specifically for exit. Due diligence readiness, data room preparation, and the financial narrative. Typically 2-3 months.
Three Promises
These underpin every engagement, regardless of which phases we work through:
Build the Machine, Train Your People, Then Leave
I don't build things that only work when I'm in the room. Every process comes with documentation, training, and a team that truly owns it. My job is to make myself redundant.
Quick Wins from Week 2
You won't wait months to see progress. The diagnostic always surfaces improvements we can act on immediately. Your PE sponsor sees results from month one, and your team sees that this time the change is real. Momentum matters.
Speak PE, Not Accounting
I communicate in the language PE sponsors think in: value creation, risk mitigation, exit readiness, return on investment. The finance function exists to serve the business strategy, and I never lose sight of that.