For FP&A, effective communication centres on 'storytelling' — the art of conveying numerical analysis as a cohesive narrative instead of a set of disjointed figures. It is hard to overstate the importance of storytelling. How FP&A professional presents their data determines how they are viewed
The New Normal means that planning is no longer an extrapolation of the past. Similarly, business drivers that worked last year may no longer be relevant for the future. The reality is that organizations face multiple possible futures. Each one can be triggered by a crisis or an unforeseen event that will require the company to adjust or even change course.
So how should FP&A adapt to this New Normal?
There has never been greater uncertainty and a faster pace of change than over the past months.
And yet, at a time that requires speed and agility, and in a function that needs these qualities more than others, we cleave to our traditional management accounting methods and adhere to our longstanding processes.
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.
With the pace of change currently relentless, it isn’t always easy to keep up.
By Grant Tait, Author, former Finance Director
A plan, for an incompetent manager, is just an administrative task that needs to be completed to satisfy the boss and headquarters. Nothing else. There is no attempt to think about objectives, goals, roadmaps or any of the classic planning principles. For a boss this behaviour should be easy to detect, but if they are unaware of their inherent incompetence, then the incompetent managers will remain undetected.