Fund managers receive information from multiple sources—spreadsheets, PDF summaries, corporate decks, and unstructured emails from analysts or portfolio companies.

Receiving information from disparate sources often results in delays and inconsistencies, limiting the ability to make prompt, well-informed decisions.

Efficient operational workflows are therefore critical, especially given PwC’s forecast that by 2027, 16% of asset and wealth management firms will have exited the market, twice the historical rate, primarily because they failed to modernize processes, technology, and reporting.

Strong operations equip you with the information you need to act with speed and confidence. This blog post discusses how you can achieve data readiness, shifting every reporting cycle from gathering facts to focusing on analysis. Let’s get started.

Establishing a Robust Operational Framework: Best Practices with RAISE

1. Standardizing Reporting Methodologies to Enhance Accuracy

Begin by defining a focused set of KPIs that reflect operational performance and investment health. Only metrics that influence capital deployment, validation, and risk assessment should make it to the pack.

In addition, define each metric to eliminate assumptions. That clarity will help you trust the roll-up view, run comparative analysis, and detect early deviations from the plan. An example KPI framework is shown below: 

KPIDefinitionFrequencyOwnerFormat
EBITDAOperating profit before interest, tax, depreciation, amortizationQuarterlyCFOExcel/Portal Upload
Revenue Growth %Year-on-year revenue growthMonthlyFinance / Portfolio AnalystExcel/Portal Upload
Liquidity PositionCash and equivalents at period endMonthlyTreasury / CFOExcel/Portal Upload
HeadcountTotal full-time employeesQuarterlyHR / CFOExcel/Portal Upload
Customer Concentration% of revenue from top 5 customersQuarterlyOperations / FinancePortal Upload

Next, treat reporting cycles like operational sprints with fixed deadlines and visible accountability. When all portfolio companies report data in the same structure, you can run timely internal performance reviews, covenant checks, and follow-on analyses.

The final goal of standardization is to make analysis automatic. Once your reporting pack and cadence are consistent, fund-level dashboards can update directly from those inputs.

RAISE in Action: RAISE PMS makes this step easier to sustain. For instance, through a dynamic dashboard, it delivers a 360° view of portfolio performance, enabling you to track key metrics, analyze risk exposure, and ensure accurate validations in real time.

It automates the creation and distribution of quarterly report packs, ensuring the same KPI definitions are applied across all portfolio entities. Which means you don’t need to reconcile ten different versions of EBITDA or leverage.

In addition, with the RAISE Excel Plugin, you can import portfolio data directly from Microsoft Excel into the management system for further analysis. This eliminates manual file transfers.

2. Automating Fund Workflows to Reduce Operational Bottlenecks

Operational friction typically occurs in three areas:

  • ・Investor updates: Preparing recurring investor updates, partner reports, and internal dashboards means reformatting data that exists in accounting or portfolio systems
  • ・Transaction workflows: Activities such as management fee calculations, fund expense accruals, and inter-entity transfers depend on email-based approvals or manual entries
  • ・Validation and NAV preparation: Teams repeatedly reconcile fund-level ledgers, portfolio valuations, and cash positions between spreadsheets and accounting software

To successfully codify each of these processes into a single, automated workflow, you need first to map where your team loses time.

Friction may occur during fee approvals, document sign-offs, or valuation monitoring. Or does your team spend more time tracking valuation support files or monitoring covenant thresholds and compliance checks?

After identifying operational bottlenecks, you can use workflow automation tools to:

  • ・Integrate fund accounting and portfolio data so reconciliations occur in real time
  • ・Create standardized approval sequences tied to roles and hierarchy
  • ・Generate audit trails automatically for compliance and LP reporting
  • ・Trigger alerts, task reminders, and progress updates without manual follow-up

Example Workflow: Manual vs. Automated NAV cycle

StepManual WorkflowAutomated Workflow
Data collectionPortfolio CFOs send Excel files via emailData flows directly from the reporting system
ValidationOps team reviews for errorsAutomated validation rules check entries
ConsolidationData merged in spreadsheetsData aggregated instantly in the system
ApprovalSequential sign-offs by emailParallel approvals within workflow
ReviewFund manager compiles a reportDashboard updates dynamically in real time
RAISE in Action: RAISE FAS consolidates the core of your workflows and builds coordination into the system itself.
For instance, once a capital activity or valuation is posted, the platform  automatically generates allocations, ledger updates, and investor notices, enabling you to focus on interpretation rather than data handling.


RAISE FAS monitors key milestones across roles and dependencies for you. Tasks are time-stamped, sequenced, and surfaced so you can intervene before an escalation occurs. As each task is completed, the system updates the fund cycle checklist in real time.
Even recurring milestones like valuation sign-offs, audit deliverables, and board meetings are tracked in the platform, keeping the cycle on schedule without constant follow-ups.

3. Embedding Compliance into Core Operational Processes

Compliance today is a core operational requirement. It’s not something you tack on after files are already sent, capital has already moved, and reports are already submitted. Separating compliance from operational workflows increases risk of delays, incomplete records, and inconsistent validation trails.

A stronger approach is, therefore, to embed compliance at the same depth as fund reporting, investor reclassifications, and distribution waterfalls.

For example, once a new investor is onboarded, prompt for FATCA and CRS self-certifications, verify sanction status, and log validation outcomes directly within the workflow.

This keeps every approval, data point, and audit trail within its operational context, eliminating the need for reconciliation at a later date. As a result, the fund maintains a complete digital record that’s instantly accessible during audits or regulatory reviews.

RAISE in Action: RAISE CRA simplifies international compliance by automatically incorporating FATCA and CRS information into client tax profiles. This feature facilitates accurate tax reporting while adhering to global regulatory standards.

It automates data extraction from uploaded documents, minimizing manual input errors. It pre-populates essential fields for KYC and AML checks, allowing you to generate fast, accurate reports for relevant stakeholders.


Additionally, RAISE CRA segments investors based on their risk profiles, behaviors, and investment patterns. This structure strengthens risk controls across diverse alternative investments and keeps you aligned with evolving regulatory standards.

Also Read: RegTech in Action – How RAISE CRA is Redefining Compliance

4. Holistic Portfolio Risk Monitoring for Proactive Decision-Making

Funds require real-time visibility into financial, operational, and market risks as they evolve within each portfolio entity. And static reports can’t capture the pace or variability that real-time risk monitoring demands.

Therefore, begin by agreeing on a concise set of risk indicators across all portfolio companies based on several parameters, including:

  • ・Financial (leverage, liquidity, revenue volatility)
  • ・Operational (headcount changes, cost concentration)
  • ・Market (sector dependency, FX sensitivity, geographic exposure)

Once data from portfolio entities feeds into the same monitoring layer, you can instantly visualize relationships across metrics — for example, how liquidity changes track against leverage, or how multiple holdings react to currency movements.

Dynamic exposure heatmaps or dependency charts can then highlight areas that require immediate attention.

Identifying concentrated exposures allows proactive risk mitigation and strategic portfolio adjustments or region, for instance, allows you to adjust follow-on plans, rebalance exposure, and initiate early portfolio reviews before risk compounds.

RAISE in Action: The RAISE Data Exchange Platform is the secure integration layer connecting portfolio data sources(company uploads, fund systems, accounting data) to analytical modules within RAISE PMS.

It uses encryption, controlled APIs, and automated refresh intervals to ensure you always have a live, unified view of exposure.

RAISE also supports role-based data access. Meaning portfolio companies can upload operational metrics directly, while fund teams retain control over what’s shared with investors.

Move From Information to Impact With RAISE

When operations run smoothly, information stops being a burden and starts driving outcomes. RAISE brings that capability to fund operations by connecting reporting, fund accounting, compliance, and portfolio monitoring into a system that’s always current and decision-ready.

That’s what operational excellence truly means for fund managers today: a process that doesn’t end with data collection, but begins the moment analysis starts.

Book a demo with RAISE today, and see how RAISE connects accounting, compliance, investor engagement, and operational workflows to drive efficiency and deliver timely, accurate insights.

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