From checklists to automation: Why your close management is still manual

A close management system is only as good as the automation it enables. Get real-time visibility into your tasks.

Digital point or close management tools have replaced spreadsheets for many accounting professionals and finance teams, but the work beneath those tools is still largely manual. Critical close tasks, from SAP job execution to journal entry posting, still depend on you to run the process, confirm it’s done and update its status afterward, which is time-consuming.

Tracking is helpful, but it doesn’t equal progress. A faster, more scalable close requires intelligent automation that executes the work — not just organizes it.

That’s exactly what Finance Automation by Redwood is built to deliver. As the only financial close management software designed to orchestrate a full, touchless record-to-report (R2R) process, Finance Automation connects directly with ERP systems like SAP to automate execution, streamline dependencies and surface exceptions in real time. Explore the different ways your close management process is still manual and how Redwood Software built a tool to help you reach full automation in your financial processes, whether it’s by helping you catch discrepancies ahead of time, update account balances and balance sheets or manage other financial data.

Manual work still runs the process

Most checklist tools only centralize task management. They don’t launch SAP close jobs, start reconciliation processes or automate end-to-end journal entries. Those tasks still happen offline or inside disconnected accounting software and rely on you to return to the checklist you created in an Excel template to mark them as complete.

If your tasks go unconfirmed, successor tasks are delayed. This slows the close cycle, forces follow-ups and leaves your team with an incomplete view of progress. During high-stakes accounting periods like your entity’s close, this lack of insight leads to bottlenecks, delays in financial reporting processes and costly rework.

Finance Automation automates this handoff. Tasks are closed by the system once work is executed, not by someone trying to remember to check a box. That means your close checklist reflects truth, not approximation.

Where most tools fall short

Digital checklists and shared dashboards offer visibility, but not execution. The underlying manual effort remains and requires finance and accounting teams to manually launch close activities, manage data entry and update task statuses, usually in tools that aren’t connected to your ERP.

Without system-driven updates, your metrics, KPIs and dashboards are lagging indicators instead of real-time performance signals. That leaves CFOs, controllers and global stakeholders guessing about the true close status and unable to confidently have fast, informed decision-making.

Finance Automation integrates with SAP to automate the close at its core by removing these dependencies entirely and allowing your teams to operate in real time with full control and traceability.

What intelligent close management looks like

Modern close execution doesn’t require more checklists; it requires fewer manual steps. Finance Automation executes close activities directly within your SAP environment, then updates the task status automatically.

This includes:

• Automatically escalating exceptions and delays across workflows
• Creating, validating, approving and posting journal entries, including accruals, provisions and reclassifications
• Initiating and tracking account reconciliation workflows based on a top-down, risk-based approach
• Managing intercompany eliminations and automatically posting transactions in the core ERP with the correct trading partners
• Running SAP close programs (e.g., depreciation, currency revaluation and allocations)

This task automation is captured with a complete audit trail that gives you the controls you need without slowing down execution. Finance Automation doesn’t just track work — it performs it.

Built to scale with complexity

Global finance operations rely on consistent, reliable execution across regions, systems and teams. Finance Automation was built specifically to support the orchestration of close activity across multiple entities and ERPs, while maintaining compliance and control.

The platform automatically adjusts task calendars, handles multi-entity dependencies and routes exceptions based on business logic. Whether your team is centralizing its financial close processes or managing decentralized business units, Finance Automation ensures that your close remains consistent, scalable and auditable. You’ll also gain:

• A reduction in manual tasks and repetitive manual processes
• Enterprise-ready support, including AI-powered exception detection and 99.95% uptime
• ERP-native execution across SAP ECC and S/4HANA
• Streamlined workflows that eliminate unnecessary coordination
• Support for dynamic tasks across business units, sub-ledgers and general ledgers

Why finance teams choose Redwood

Unlike checklist tools that depend on you to move the process forward, Finance Automation automates the actions behind the scenes. It enables finance teams to:

• Complete close tasks with fewer handoffs and greater speed
• Ensure system-driven validation of critical milestones
• Improve financial performance by accelerating close and reporting cycles
• Optimize timelines across regions, departments and systems
• Provide confidence to executives and auditors with a full, traceable audit trail

And with transparent, scalable pricing — with no per-user or per-task fees — this close management solution grows with your business needs, not against them.

Stop tracking. Start automating.

If your close checklist still depends on manual inputs, disconnected tools or human coordination, it’s not built to scale.

Finance Automation transforms your checklist into an execution layer. SAP tasks run when ready. Journal entries are prepared and posted automatically. Reconciliations are initiated and completed based on actual source data. And your team members focus on analysis versus manual work.With this solution, your month-end close process becomes faster, more consistent and confidently audit-ready every time. Your modern finance organization needs more than visibility. It needs results. Schedule a demo to see how Finance Automation can help your team close smarter, reduce risk and lead with real-time performance instead of after-the-fact reporting.