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Irrespective of the size and nature of the transaction being undertaken, technology is impacting the whole of the deal cycle from the identification of the proposed transaction to the monitoring of whether the desired value is being delivered.  There are two significant aspects to the changes.

Firstly, changing business models are leading to the acquisition and adoption of technology becoming a fundamental driver for any transaction that an organisation may undertake.  Access to either data or technology itself can be a fundamental reason for a transaction; thereby challenging some of the traditional business drivers.  

Secondly, research suggests that many deals fail to achieve their value identified at the start of the lifecycle. CFOs, who are often one of the few senior stakeholders involved significantly throughout, need to appreciate how the use of data and analytics tools, in particular, can enable them to more closely evaluate the performance at each stage.

In this article, part of our overall series developed in collaboration with PwC and Jens Madrian, CFO Reactive Technologies, we look at the impact of technology on the deals process and identify four fundamental activities that the CFO should undertake.

About Jamie Lyon, lead author, ACCA

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