Despite the current circumstances of the COVID-19 epidemic, many FP&A teams have been able to adapt to the challenges and even become more effective during the crisis. Remote working or part-time working has led to more collaboration and is paving the way for new opportunities for both people and organisations. This article will describe the current FP&A challenges and the ways how FP&A teams can address them.

Irrespective of the industry you work in, I am sure all of you would have noticed a huge change in the way your business operates in the last decade. You may have seen competition from previously unforeseen competitors, your CIOs talking about new digital ways of doing business and the utter lack of ready talent in your teams to manage this new challenge.

There is no doubt that 2020 has been one of the most disruptive years for all of us in many aspects of our professional and personal lives. In this article, I would like to discuss the new challenges in FP&A and how we need to face the new circumstances in the short and long term.

2020 has been the most difficult year in modern history. As Einstein said, “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”  This survey we believe offers hope, insight, and a much-needed reality check on where FP&A is today.  It also forecasts what needs to happen for FP&A teams to develop their best practices from theory into reality.

As was famously proclaimed by Pericles, the powerful politician of ancient Greece: "The key is not to predict the future but to be prepared for it". Agile FP&A can help organisations to move through uncertainty and come up with a plan of action.

FP&A and finance need to have a set of scenarios to support the decision-making process. This is especially important in the fast-changing and evolving environment.