Outsourcing controlling or in-house controlling department

Nowadays, companies with more than one-dimensional units are perceived as elaborate organisms requiring synchronous work of diverse elements to develop properly. However, should each of these elements be organized exclusively as well? When is it worth considering delegating responsibility outside the enterprise? In today’s article, we will focus on the issue of outsourcing concerning controlling different types of business, taking a closer look at ways to increase the efficiency of one’s operations in an increasingly demanding market.

Outsourcing controlling

Controlling is closely connected with business management in general. Forming the basic system of the company’s functioning, it is responsible for planning, setting individual objectives, carrying out related tasks, controlling, motivating, controlling or coordinating, often even seemingly unconnected business activities.

Undertaking well-considered controlling activities in a company undoubtedly has a positive impact on its development or organization of daily work. However, it should be remembered that this is a highly complex process, which cannot be reduced to mere reporting or momentary provision of the most necessary information at a given moment. The most essential aspect becomes the focus on deepening the organizational decentralization of a given company, which will ultimately support the optimization of a multidimensional information system responsible for controlling initially defined assumptions.

The outsourcing of controlling itself is based on cooperation with an external company or experts specializing in this field to streamline key controlling activities. Taking such steps is intended to significantly reduce controlling costs and guarantee the saving of time that would traditionally have to be spent on implementing activities in this area.

As a result, with the assistance of such outsourcing, the company has a chance to make maximum and effective use of controlling services, which also plays an extremely important role in the context of planning the company’s development and forecasting its economic situation. Controlling, properly adjusted to the company’s profile, additionally facilitates quick resolution of emergencies, increasing the comfort of people performing their duties in various positions.

Developing rational periodic budgets, and financial or investment plans are other conveniences associated with outsourcing potential. Also, in case of any irregularities, advanced controlling structures allow owners to effectively solve problems, minimizing the risk of incurring significant losses.

Is a controlling department necessary?

For many entrepreneurs, the outsourcing of such a key and strategically important service as controlling raises anxiety. Fearful of losing real control over the business, they are skeptical of the idea of handing over to external entities the knowledge of core processes, trade secrets, finances or general operations. Are companies justified in avoiding external controlling, and is it always best to develop an in-house controlling department?

Analyzing the topic of organizing the work of controlling in companies, some entrepreneurs are confronted with the myth that controlling cannot be separated from an external organization. This kind of distorted vision is usually motivated by misconceptions about the loss of management control, the leakage of confidential information, or the fact that controlling is too tailored to a given enterprise to be possible externally.

Therefore, when verifying the legitimacy of an internal controlling department, companies should be aware that outsourcing this area does not mean separating decision-making processes. Outsourcing focuses on supporting core tasks, relying on external IT infrastructure, which at the same time does not exclude the implementation of controlling internally in the SaaS model.

Even with the help of external assistance, all decisions are still made within the entity based on the data provided to it. Specialized consulting companies perform services on a classified basis, which allows even sensitive financial data to be kept under tight control. Thus, by moving away from the organization of their controlling department, companies have no reason to fear leaks of any information.

Outsourcing controlling vs. in-house controlling department – summary

For many entrepreneurs, especially those responsible for running dynamically growing small and medium-sized companies, it is increasingly becoming a tempting alternative to opt for external consultants in the planning process. Taking such steps leads to the exclusion of people in core business areas from implementing planning or control

procedures, which streamlines the entire organization’s work, allowing employees to focus on key tasks.

As a result, companies implementing controlling outsourcing can see a noticeable reduction in the need for resources combined with a minimization of the costs themselves. Not having to source specialists helps scale the business, increasing revenues faster than the associated costs.

Companies no longer have to worry about organizing often problematic recruitment processes. Instead of hiring new employees, it is better to hire already properly trained external specialists, which at the same time significantly reduces the risk of hiring an incompetent person. In this way, entrepreneurs additionally save time, which no longer needs to be spent on administering human resources or directly managing and controlling extensive processes.

Another advantage of external control is that there is no need to develop IT infrastructure, such as servers, software or network equipment. An external company focusing on strictly controlling services applies modern software, which allows it to carry out activities in this area following the latest legal requirements. Extensive IT facilities streamline the flow of information, supporting the decision-making process itself, including in the face of crises.

However, the approach to outsourcing controlling looks a little different for relatively large companies, which use data from accounting more in the context of timely payment of receivables than regular analysis of their budgets or overall financial situation. Separating the controlling unit enables them to strengthen cost discipline, as well as to precisely link tasks, resources and responsibilities, stabilizing the results of the entire unit.

Organizations mostly do not care about cyclical reports, which would enable them to track trends in changes in their business, optimize operations or better control liquidity. At the same time, often motivated by stereotypical beliefs, lack of trust in external controllers becomes the ultimate motivating factor for entrepreneurs to keep running their controlling department.

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