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SMART Accounts Payable Goals Checklist

What's Inside?
  • 7 AP goal areas with SMART sub-criteria
  • Align every project with ROI-driven KPIs
  • Track execution progress with a live dashboard
Close your Books 5X Faster!

What Can I Do With This SMART Accounts Payable Goals Checklist?

This checklist helps CFOs and finance leaders bring structure, clarity, and strategy to their accounts payable (AP) goal-setting. Ditch vague targets and set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals that align with financial outcomes and automation readiness.

Who Can Benefit from This?

Chief Financial Officers (CFOs)
Controllers & Finance Operations Heads
Global Process Owners (AP/Finance)
VPs of Procurement and Payables
ERP & Digital Transformation Leads
Audit & Compliance Leaders

Helpful Resources To Streamline Financial Processes

How to Set SMART Accounts Payable Goals (with Examples)

Accounts payable goals are the objectives set by a company to streamline AP operations. Learn how to set smart goals for your AP department with examples.

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AP Vendor Evaluation Template

Ready-to-use scorecard that highlights both key and overlooked features, enabling you to effectively compare AP solutions and select the optimal fit for your business.

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Ultimate Buyer’s Guide for AP Automation

Spot hidden AP inefficiencies, choose tools with 90 %+ automation, and cut processing costs by up to 50%.

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Get 3X ROI from HighRadius Accounts Payable Automation

  • 15+ KPIs to benchmark DPO and align with policy adherence
  • 90% touchless invoice processing with AI
  • 40% elimination of hidden inefficiencies in legacy AP workflows

Experience AP automation built for CFOs, powered by Agentic AI.

How to Use This SMART Accounts Payable Goals Checklist

This checklist is designed to help CFOs, controllers, and AP leaders move from vague planning to structured execution. It breaks down seven core AP focus areas, like invoice efficiency, compliance, and automation, into SMART sub-criteria, guiding you to define goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Start by reviewing each goal area and assessing where your current initiatives stand. Use the checklist to validate alignment with business objectives, identify where definitions or metrics are missing, and assign ownership or follow-ups. The built-in Executive Dashboard lets you track progress, surface gaps, and keep teams accountable through every review cycle.

Whether you’re leading digital transformation, preparing for audit reviews, or refining quarterly targets, this checklist ensures every AP initiative is grounded in clarity and tied to outcomes. With HighRadius’ Agentic AI powering real-time visibility and automation, you can turn SMART goals into measurable success.

Top Benefits of This SMART Accounts Payable Goals Checklist

This checklist helps you cut through vendor noise and lead a structured, insight-driven evaluation of AP automation platforms, ensuring your final choice delivers ROI, scalability, and long-term process excellence.

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Evaluate Vendors Against Strategic Business Needs

Assess 25+ criteria tied to compliance, cost control, and scalability.

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Spot Red Flags Before You Commit

Avoid tools that overpromise and underdeliver on implementation, support, or integration.

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Bring Stakeholders Into the Selection Process

Use the checklist and dashboard to align finance, IT, and procurement from day one.

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Track Progress with Built-In Dashboard Clarity

Monitor checklist completion and decision-readiness across 5 key evaluation areas.

Value Creation

From Manual To Autonomous-Real Bottom-Line Impact in 6 Months

With HighRadius' Agentic AI-powered AP automation platform, invoice processing costs can be cut by 50%, productivity boosted by 40%, and compliance ensured.

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Why Choose HighRadius for AP Automation?

HighRadius Accounts Payable Automation is a cloud-native solution built for modern finance teams that need speed, accuracy, and control at scale. Powered by Agentic AI, the platform automates the complete invoice-to-pay process. It captures invoices directly from emails, applies GL codes, resolves exceptions, and posts transactions into your ERP with minimal manual effort. 

With up to 90% touchless processing, 95% data capture accuracy, and 100% policy adherence, AP teams can reduce processing time by half while improving compliance and visibility. Intelligent agents manage 3-way matching, non-PO coding, invoice approvals, and supplier queries, helping eliminate bottlenecks and rework. Real-time dashboards and predictive alerts track KPIs such as exception rates, discount capture, and processing costs, enabling faster, data-driven decision-making.

Integration with all major ERPs ensures smooth data flow and scalability across systems. Whether you’re managing global compliance or high invoice volumes, HighRadius helps transform AP from a manual function into a strategic, intelligent operation.

AP Automation That Pays Back in Profit, Not Just Time

HighRadius reduces AP costs by 2X and unlocks up to 50% more productivity, while giving you 100% policy adherence and KPI visibility. If you're ready to cut costs and gain working capital fast, we’re ready to show you how.

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