Because of acquisitions, we've let non-standard processes creep in to accounts payable processing. If you're not willing to maintain a standard, you will never get the productivity that the Internet makes possible. It got GE's team thinking about the benefits of making more financial information available online for many users to see. From the financial side, all your info has to tie together. There's no debate about numbers reconciling.
People spend less time running around collecting information and more time analyzing information.
Cisco's got it down to a day. But that isn't just because of technology. You have to think about the value of the activities you're performing. If you can't map the process and get rid of the inefficiencies, you don't want to put it online. Two years ago, there were senior executives who'd say they weren't worried about making money but about building customer loyalty and gaining share.