PEX Network’s weekly news bulletin rounds up the latest research, reports and publications in operational excellence (OPEX), digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, business process management (BPM), process mining and process intelligence and more.
This week includes:
- Cost is the biggest barrier to document automation in finance operations
- CFOs rank metrics, analytics & reporting as top priorities for 2025
- Researchers propose process twins to achieve process discovery through process mining
- AI Copilot code more functional, easier to read & has higher approval rates
Cost is the biggest barrier to document automation in finance operations
Cost is the most significant barrier to implementing document automation in finance operations, with 32 percent of leaders identifying it as a top challenge. That’s according to the Document Automation Trends 2025 report by Rossum, which found that, despite significant strides in document automation such as intelligent document processing (IDP), 58 percent of finance leaders still consider Excel their most often used tool for automating financial tasks. Based on survey data from over 470 finance executives across the US, UK and Germany, the report highlights complex tools, poor integration and lengthy onboarding times as additional hurdles finance teams face as they strive to modernize their processes.
The survey also revealed a concerning condition: 46 percent of finance leaders label themselves or their departments as “Luddites” reflecting a reluctance to embrace automation and innovation. With finance roles rapidly evolving beyond traditional bookkeeping, this mindset poses a significant barrier to progress. To unlock the full potential of automation, finance leaders must shift toward a proactive, innovation-driven approach, positioning themselves as strategic partners in driving business success, the report stated.
Watch Tariq Munir, APAC financial planning transformation lead at PepsiCo, discuss measuring the impact of AI and intelligent automation
CFOs rank metrics, analytics & reporting as top priorities for 2025
Separate research from Gartner found that chief financial officers (CFOs) and finance leaders rate metrics, analytics and reporting as their top focus area for 2025 (72 percent), reflecting an emphasis on delivering insight to improve business performance. The survey of 251 CFOs showed that finance transformation is far less of a priority for CFOs in 2025, with a focus on AI adoption in finance ranking fourth (49 percent). Beyond improving the use of data and analytics to drive growth, and adopting AI for various use cases in finance, CFOs and finance executives are also focusing on leadership (43 percent) and talent (40 percent), the research revealed.
“The survey showed the most CFOs since 2014 prioritizing enterprise growth,” said Dennis Gannon, vice-president of research in the Gartner Finance Practice. “The marked return of growth and cost pressures mean that many CFOs are planning to be ruthless in delegating finance transformation.” This shift in priorities reflects two trends, he added. “First, CFOs are now delegating day-to-day finance transformation activities to dedicated finance transformation leaders. Second, CFOs are increasingly recognizing that their time is best spent on the challenging, unanswered questions on finance’s evolution, which in 2025 will center more on the use of AI than on traditional finance automation and technology.”
Watch Dan Riley, co-founder and CEO of RADICL and founding member of Society for People Analytics (SPA), reflect on enhancing employee experience with analytics
Researchers propose process twins to achieve process discovery through process mining
Researchers proposed a framework that integrates “process twins” to achieve process discovery through process mining and that serves as a supplement to traditional digital twins. “Current digital twin models focus on real-time physical space mapping, which causes the fragmentation of process data in servers and limits lifecycle algorithm implementation,” they wrote. In contrast, process twins accurately reflect actual processes, addressing the lack of process information in construction management digital twins specifically, the researchers added.
“Process variants can be used to analyze abnormal changes in construction methods and identify potential construction risks in advance,” while process twins can be used to “visualize construction schedule risks, such as lead and lag times. “The significance of this paper lies in the construction of process twins to complement the existing digital twin framework, providing a solution to the lost process relationships in digital twins, enabling better process reproduction and facilitating prediction and optimization,” the authors stated.
Watch Tony Benedict, president of the Association of BPM Professionals International, outline breaking down silos in rocess management
AI Copilot code more functional, easier to read & has higher approval rates
A new study by GitHub researchers analyzed the impact of GitHub Copilot on code quality. It recruited 202 developers with at least five years of experience. Half were randomly assigned GitHub Copilot access and the other half were instructed not to use any AI tools. The participants were all asked to complete a coding task writing API endpoints for a web server. The team then evaluated the code with unit tests and with an expert review conducted by developers.
It found that code written with Copilot is more functional, with 56 percent greater likelihood of passing unit tests, and easier to read, with developers writing 13.6 percent more lines of code on average without a readability issue. The study also fiound that it also has higher approval rates, with developers 5 percent more likely to approve code submissions.
Watch Tyrone Smith Jr., program faculty member/adjunct associate professor at University of Southern California (USC) and founding member of SPA, discuss building trust in AI technology
READ MORE PEX RESEARCH & REPORTS NEWS