Today's finance organizations face a complex challenge: evolving FP&A into a mature, agile, and strategic function in a relatively short time horizon. As companies invest in people, streamline processes, modernize data management, and adopt new technologies, a critical question emerges: are these efforts connected and aligned, or are they happening in silos? Can organizations achieve FP&A excellence if people, processes, data, and technology develop independently rather than as part of an integrated ecosystem?
This article summarises how leading companies tackle the interconnected demands of modern FP&A and shares the key insights and takeaways from The Digital North American FP&A Circle: Optimizing the FP&A Ecosystem: Streamlining Processes for Agility and Impact.
Streamlining Processes: Improving Agility through Breaking Silos
Orli Shvartzman, Director, Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis at Balt - a global neurovascular medical device company with 910 employees across 15 locations - presented a compelling session on the importance of breaking down silos in FP&A to enhance organizational agility. She emphasized that silos, whether in data, processes, technology, or organizational structures, significantly hinder visibility, efficiency, and alignment across business functions.
At Bolt, Orli leads initiatives to identify and dismantle these silos, especially at the corporate level where fragmentation is most disruptive. She highlighted common challenges such as inconsistent datasets across ERP systems, misaligned approval processes, and technological incompatibilities that obstruct data consistency.
To address these issues, Bolt collaborates closely with IT to implement modern data infrastructure, including master data management practices and analytical guides. These efforts are supported by onboarding training and strong reconciliation processes. In tackling organizational silos, Orli showcased tools like real-time headcount visualizations and emphasized close collaboration between FP&A and departments like HR, operations, and sales.
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Her insights underscored that breaking down silos is not merely a technical challenge but a strategic imperative that supports better decision-making and sustainable cost management. FP&A can drive a more agile, transparent, and data-informed organization by fostering integration.
Poll Insight: How Standardized are your FP&A workflows?
The poll on FP&A workflow standardization revealed that most respondents operate in still-maturing environments regarding process consistency. The most common response, selected by 42%, was "ad hoc with some structure," indicating that while some frameworks exist, many workflows remain informal. Close behind, 36% reported their workflows as "mostly standardized," reflecting progress toward consistency. Meanwhile, 17% acknowledged having "no standardization yet," and only a small minority, just 6%, indicated their workflows are "fully standardized and documented." These results highlight a significant opportunity for improvement in establishing and formalizing FP&A processes across organizations.
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Empowering People: Investing in Team Members to Achieve High FP&A Maturity
Fernanda Noronha, Director of Finance, Process Optimization at Grainger, delivered a focused presentation on talent development within FP&A. Currently leading process optimization and data analytics at Granger, a $17B distributor with 26,000 employees, Fernanda emphasized that FP&A success hinges on equipping teams with the right roles, tools, and development strategies.
She outlined three key investment areas: hard skills, continuous improvement, and soft skills. Granger has prioritized data analytics training across finance, using SQL and BI tools widely. Structured problem-solving frameworks like A3 support a strong culture of process improvement. Additionally, storytelling training, including structured techniques such as STOK, ensures effective communication of financial insights.
Fernanda also highlighted two talent development initiatives: a Finance Development Program for university graduates that includes rotational assignments, mentorship, and training and cross-functional career mobility that enriches finance with broader business perspectives. Granger's CFO, who was formerly in sales and pricing, exemplifies this strategy.
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Fernanda affirmed that empowering people with the right tools and frameworks is central to achieving FP&A maturity. Currently, Granger operates at level four maturity and is beginning to integrate generative AI to elevate strategic capabilities.
Poll Insight: How would you Characterize your Finance Team's Structure and Resource?
The poll results revealed a significant challenge facing many finance teams: nearly half of the respondents (46%) indicated they lack budget and support for an optimum team structure, highlighting a widespread resource constraint. The remaining responses were fairly evenly distributed, with 20% reporting they consider hiring new team members, and 17% each indicating either a need for team restructuring or that they already have an optimum team structure and resources. These results suggest that while some teams are adequately staffed and structured, the majority are either actively seeking improvements or facing financial and organizational barriers to achieving their ideal setup.
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Leveraging Technology: Practical AI Use Cases for Finance Teams
Dominic Nguyen, FP&A Technology Advisor at Wolters Kluwer CCH Tagetik, shared insights on the evolving role of technology in transforming finance functions. With a background as a financial analyst, Dominic highlighted how the industry has shifted from manual, Excel-based processes to intelligent platforms powered by AI and machine learning. His presentation focused on three key areas: current trends, common challenges, and how technology is helping organizations address them.
He outlined major industry trends such as rapid market changes, rising regulatory demands, and increasing data volumes. Finance is also evolving from a support function to a strategic advisor role, emphasizing the need for long-term planning and real-time insights. However, Dominic noted that many teams still spend too much time manipulating data rather than analyzing it.
He illustrated how modern platforms streamline data ingestion, enhance forecasting accuracy, and support extended departmental planning. Real-world examples from Japanese automotive and Italian manufacturing firms demonstrated how automation and predictive planning significantly improved efficiency and accuracy.
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Dominic emphasized the importance of a centralized data layer, integrated workflows, and AI-driven insights for achieving a mature, agile finance function. Intelligent platforms empower finance teams to shift from reactive reporting to proactive, value-adding analysis.
Poll Insight: How Advanced Is Your FP&A Tech Stack?
The poll results on the maturity of FP&A technology stacks revealed that most respondents are still in the early to mid stages of digital transformation. "Mostly legacy systems" led with 35% of the votes, closely followed by "modern but with some gaps" at 32%, indicating that while some modernization efforts are underway, many organizations continue to rely on outdated tools. Additionally, 26% of participants reported "just starting to modernize," highlighting a growing awareness of the need for technological advancement. Only a small fraction, 6%, indicated they have a "cutting-edge and cloud-based" tech stack, underscoring that few finance teams have fully transitioned to advanced, integrated solutions.
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Conclusion
The insights shared across the webinar underscore a central theme: FP&A excellence cannot be achieved through isolated efforts. People, processes, data, and technology are deeply interconnected, and meaningful progress happens only when these elements are aligned and working together. Orli Shvartzman's focus on dismantling silos illustrated how disconnected systems and workflows disrupt agility and decision-making, while Fernanda Noronha demonstrated that investing in people is essential to building a capable and resilient finance function. Similarly, Dominic Nguyen emphasized that without the right technology infrastructure to centralize data and enable intelligent planning, even the best processes and talent are limited in their impact.
Together, these perspectives make a compelling case for viewing the FP&A function as an integrated system. Achieving FP&A maturity is not about optimizing individual components in isolation but building a cohesive ecosystem.
To watch the full webinar recording, please check out this link.
The Digital North American FP&A Circle was sponsored by Wolters Kluwer.