Lean in Finance – How does METRO GSC improve processes and eliminate waste?
25 June 2026There are processes that have been running “forever.” You click through the same reports, correct the same errors, copy data between systems, and suddenly half of your day disappears on tasks that create no real value. Sounds familiar?
In the world of finance and Shared Service Centers (SSCs), the pace is increasing month by month. Data must be accurate, processes must run faster, and the business expects ever-greater efficiency. That is why, at METRO GSC, Lean is not just a trendy buzzword from a PowerPoint presentation. It is a way of working that genuinely helps us simplify everyday operations.
Because Lean in finance is not about “doing more.” It is about doing things smarter.
Lean in Practice – where does time disappear?
Lean is a management philosophy focused on delivering value while eliminating waste and activities that do not create value.
In practice? Fewer unnecessary steps, less manual error correction, and less time wasted on processes that can be simplified.
At METRO GSC, we improve financial processes through continuous improvement, standardization, and greater process transparency. This enables us to shorten process lead times, make better use of resources, increase team efficiency, improve data quality, and reduce the number of errors.
The first step in eliminating waste is identifying activities that do not add value. We achieve this through Value Stream Mapping, which allows us to clearly identify where losses occur, where unnecessary activities exist, and how they can be eliminated.
Equally important, simplifying work has a direct impact on the comfort and satisfaction of everyday team activities. When a process runs smoothly, everyone simply works better.
How do we eliminate process waste?
At METRO GSC, we use various Lean methods and tools that help improve processes and reduce lead times.
One of these methods is the Gemba Walk. Leaders and managers observe processes where the daily work actually takes place, talk with teams, and work together to identify improvement opportunities.
Process standardization and Visual Management also play a significant role. By transparently monitoring KPIs, it becomes easier to control process status, invoice SLAs, and month-end closing schedules.
In our daily work, we also use the 5 WHY method, the PDCA cycle, A3 reports, and the Ishikawa Diagram. Because every problem within a process can become the starting point for meaningful improvement.
Lean and Technology – A partnership that truly works
We combine Lean with process automation and digitalization. At METRO GSC, we use RPA (Robotic Process Automation) to automate repetitive and manual tasks, reduce errors, and accelerate process execution.
We are also increasingly leveraging AI solutions to support data analysis and the daily work of finance teams.
What matters most, however, is that we do not automate chaos. First, we simplify the process and eliminate unnecessary activities; only then do we implement technology. And that is when the real magic happens.
SMILE and a culture of small improvements
At METRO GSC, Lean is also a culture of continuous improvement. Through the SMILE program, based on the Kaizen philosophy, we regularly implement small improvements that have a tangible impact on everyday work.
Sometimes a single improvement shortens a process by just a few minutes. It may not sound like much. But when the same process is performed hundreds of times each month, the difference becomes truly significant.
Over the last four years, we have completed more than 400 improvement projects and implemented nearly 2,000 small SMILE improvements.
This demonstrates that Lean is not a one-time project. It is a way of thinking that becomes an integral part of everyday work.
Which processes have been optimized?
The largest number of improvement projects has been implemented within the Accounts Receivable (AR) area, including invoice and credit note posting processes, manual and automatic payments, card-based payments, and customer account reconciliation.
Lean also strongly supports the General Accounting (GA) area, where we have optimized processes related to fixed assets (Create/Change Asset Master Data, Perform Asset Transfer, Perform Procedures for Fixed Assets, IFRS 16, Perform Capitalization, Perform Depreciation), inventory management, Treasury operations, month-end closing, and Intercompany reconciliations.
Because optimization in finance is not a collection of corporate slogans or a one-time initiative. It is the daily effort to work faster, smarter, and simply better—for the business, teams, and customers.
