Companies nowadays are looking at using specialised FP&A solutions to help improve the accuracy and efficiency of the forecasting process. Depending on the maturity of the FP&A function, we can roughly divide companies into three levels of maturity in terms of their use of specialised FP&A solutions.

Every month the Managing Director or Country Manager has to report the business results to the CEO or internal board. Depending on the corporate structure, there are different narrative reports, each with a different focus. This defines the role of Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) and the information that needs to be collected for future growth. Two opposite cases will make the same point.

In this article, we will move to the bottom line of P&L considering how finance can guide management in resource allocation and drive business profitability.

Rolling Forecast is an essential tool for financial planning and analysis (FP&A), with the potential to radically transform corporates’ traditional budgeting process.
 

Using P&L as a map for the journey (see image 1 below), the first three articles explored three initial steps focusing on the pre-P&L analysis and price management. In this article, we will move via net sales to marginality and look at how finance can take initiative and lead the effort to increase both sales and business profitability.

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.