Criticism is defined as “the expression of disapproval of something based on perceived mistakes.” FP&A is a learning process that creates insight into what organizations are doing and where they are going. Processes are not perfect; mistakes are likely to occur. As a result, FP&A practitioners need to recognize that their work is subject to criticism.
By Randall Bolten, longtime Silicon Valley CFO, author of "Painting with Numbers: Presenting Financials and Other Numbers So People Will Understand You” and adjunct professor at U.C. Berkeley Extension.
At a dinner party last night, one of the guests posed a question: Imagine a roomful of people chosen at random. How many people need to be in the room for there to be at least a 50% probability that at least two of the people have the same birthday?
This blog post looks at the ways of how FP&A can help entrepreneurs to accomplish their goals. The action that entrepreneurs take is described through financial reports. Financial reports establish a communication process that reveals what entrepreneurs want to do and how they will do it.
Most people will agree that planning is a vital activity for every corporate body. It is often carried out according to a management calendar. Long-range and resource planning tends to take place on an annual basis, forecasting tends to be quarterly, while reporting is monthly driven.
Believe it or not, organizations do not collapse if they don’t have a plan or a budget! If a business is already established then two things will impact future results, irrespective of what is planned - organic growth and external influences.
We live in an unpredictable world where the future is uncertain. If it was then we would all make a fortune by making strategic ‘bets’ on certain outcomes. But the world is not like that.