Three Ways to Make the Tax Group More Agile

C-suites have been working diligently to make their organizations more agile in response to a volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous (VUCA) world. These efforts have nudged organizations well beyond the traditional domains of classic Agile methodologies originally deployed in software development. Today, “the most agile organizations are distinguishable by their mindset” according to highlights from the Agile Business Consortium’s Insights Report 2025

In 2025, enterprise agility (building an organization that’s better prepared to respond to sudden change as well as more adaptable and lighter on its feet) is a pervasive goal across industries and throughout companies. This raises an important question: What does agile tax compliance look like? 

At minimum, it would be reflective of the interdependence between compliance and reinvention (or transformation); support the organization’s speed-to-market objectives; and reinforce the need for connected, reliable tax data. Those happen to be the three compliance priorities that many boards and C-suites are emphasizing in their conversations with tax leaders, as my colleague Larry Mellon discusses in a post that considers the tax department’s role in helping organizations modernize their compliance activities.

“Tax leaders and their teams play a vital role in executing these priorities,” notes, Larry, who is a Senior Director – Global Tax in Vertex’s Chief Tax Office. “For instance, when a company enters a new region, establishing compliance in tandem with operations is essential. Leveraging tax technology stacks that support the full compliance cycle – from calculation to planning – helps ensure reliable, connected management of tax data.”

For tax leaders looking to level up their organization’s agility, here’s a helpful resource from PwC on closing the agile achievement gap. The recommendations include:

1. Listening to your customers: Putting the customer first is crucial. Tax’s version of a customer-centric orientation includes an understanding of the needs and priorities of key stakeholders, such as the CFO, CEO, CIO, and tax jurisdictions. It also involves a commitment to keeping informed of current and upcoming product lines, as well as potential business model changes.
2. Aligning your teams and your work to key business goals: The success of an agile transformation depends on creating high-performing teams that can quickly deliver results to  support the overall objectives and strategy of the business. Tax departments can leverage advanced technologies, such as RPA and AI, to create accelerated, connected compliance across multiple organizational functions while improving the accuracy and speed of delivery for the tax team’s “product.”
3. Emphasizing talent development: “Agile hinges on people being empowered and autonomous,” the PwC report notes. HR should play a prominent role in any agile transformation, working closely with the business and IT leaders to drive the change agenda. In a tax context, technology investments are an important factor in talent development. Tax technologies enable users to extend and enhance their skills. That’s an attractive job feature for employees, and a powerful tool to help businesses engage and retain skilled talent.

The need for enterprise agility has never been greater, and with these principles in mind, tax leaders can make a decisive contribution.