Microsoft’s mission is to empower all people and organisations to achieve more. But the company has also been striving to achieve more itself, and xP&A has been instrumental in this pursuit.

It wasn’t long ago that conversations in the FP&A community centred around driver-based planning.

Now, those at the forefront of the field have gone one step further. Extended Planning and Analysis (xP&A) marks a new era of planning, with major companies utilising it to impressive results.

In times of uncertainty, the failings of systems and measures are brought sharply into focus. Managing profitability often requires a complete re-think of how an organisation plans and the supporting systems that can help sustain profits in both the short and long term. That’s the subject of this paper.

xP&A is more than an attempt to ‘fix’ the planning process. It is a complete transformation of the FP&A function to continually challenge the status quo, to educate, shape and influence management decisions on how the organization achieves its goals.

In this paper, we will explore these different areas to explain what they are, how they have benefited other organisations and the steps an organisation can take in making the transition.

In the current highly uncertain business environment, an xP&A business partner needs to be equipped with defined skills and competencies that bridge technical acumen, technology, and influence.