10 Accounts Payable KPIs You Should Be Measuring
If you can’t track it, you can’t change it
The same way pilots monitor flight instruments or coaches track statistics, business leaders must rely on metrics to guide their decisions and measure their success — especially when it concerns accounts payable (AP). That’s where key performance indicators (KPIs) come in. The AP department, once viewed as a peripheral back-office function, is now one of the central drivers of business profitability. In an era of supplier shortages, demand fluctuations, increased operating costs and liquidity pinches, the influence AP has on the overall health of an organization is only continuing to grow — and as AP’s importance expands, so too has the spotlight on its people and processes. KPIs are a simple and effective way to optimize every step of the AP process for maximum efficiency and productivity. The problem is that AP decision-makers don’t always know if they’re tracking the right KPIs and often lack the tools to do so effectively. Considering data, metrics and analytics are the number one priority for CFOs in 2025 and that more than 75% of CFOs state they’re now responsible for enterprise-wide data and analytics,1 KPIs are becoming even more essential as we look to the future
