Marc Wouters

2024

Digitalization is reshaping industries worldwide, enhancing connectivity and intensifying global competition. In controlling, this transformation appears as digital controlling, using automation and digital tools to increase accuracy and speed up complex data analyses. This paper explores the application of business intelligence (BI) tools, specifically Power BI, in the context of monitoring R&D costs at an international premium automotive company. We address the gaps identified in the literature regarding the practical implementation of BI reporting tools and the challenges in digital controlling. Our study contributes to the understanding of BI tools' benefits by demonstrating their capacity to facilitate real-time insights, enhance productivity through standardization and automation, and improve intuitiveness through user training and standardized layouts. Additionally, we explore the challenges encountered, particularly in data accessibility, technology performance, and the need for controlling expertise. Our findings underscore the importance of addressing these challenges to achieve effective digital controlling and provide a framework for future research in this evolving field.