The CFO's Buyer’s Guide to the Agentic Enterprise (PDF)

Written By Leah Diprose

A practical evaluation framework for CFOs choosing AI-ready finance platforms. Covers vendor comparison criteria, governance and auditability standards, and the ROI evidence needed to build a business case the board will approve.

The path to yes. All the news about AI is putting finance leaders under pressure to close faster, forecast more accurately, reduce manual work, and strengthen confidence in the numbers, all while managing risk and building a case the broader buying committee can support.

The question is not whether AI belongs in finance, but which platform can deliver measurable business value across FP&A, accounting, audit and procurement on a foundation the organization can trust. This guide is built to equip the office of the CFO evaluate vendors against those outcomes and move from shortlist to decision with greater speed and confidence.

Six sections, each designed to answer a specific question your stakeholders will ask before they approve:

  1. How do we evaluate vendors without wasting months? A structured framework for comparing what actually differentiates financial outcomes.

  2. What's the ROI—and can we prove it? Quantifiable evidence of capacity unlocked, cost avoided, and revenue protected.

  3. What financial and operational risks does this introduce—or eliminate? A clear-eyed assessment of data integrity, governance, and architectural risk.

  4. How does this serve the broader enterprise—not just finance? Strategic alignment across the CFO, CHRO, CIO, and board.

  5. Can we trust AI with our financial data? Transparency, auditability, and the governance model that earns confidence.

  6. Can we move fast without breaking what works? Technical feasibility, integration architecture, and friction reduction.

Download the full PDF

Download the full guide here (PDF)

About Data Hive Consulting

At Data Hive Consulting we advise on, implements, and supports Corporate and Enterprise Performance Management (CPM/EPM) platforms, including Workday Adaptive Planning & OneStream, for organisations across Australia and beyond. With 25+ years of real corporate finance and FP&A experience behind every implementation, the team closes the gap between disconnected spreadsheets and a single, driver-based planning environment. Our team has completed over 100+ EPM solution deliveries, across 10+ industries.

Interested in what a platform-based, data-connected, governed driver-based planning model would look like for your business? Already have a platform which you would like reviewed, improved, or extended?

Get in touch to talk the art of the possible for your reporting, planning, insights, and more with EPM.

Leah Diprose