Skip to main content
Home
The Online Resource for Modern FP&A Professionals
Please register to receive the latest FP&A news, updates and tips Login

Main menu

  • Home
  • FP&A Insights
    • FP&A Trends Digest
    • FP&A Trends Research
    • FP&A Trends Insight Paper
    • FP&A Trends Survey
    • Short Videos
    • Our Contributors
  • FP&A Events
    • International FP&A Board
    • FP&A Trends Webinars
    • Digital FP&A Circles
  • AI/ML Committee
    • Introduction
    • Members
    • Resources
    • Meetings
  • FP&A Tools
    • FP&A Trends Maturity Model
  • About Us
    • Company Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Editorial Guidelines
    • Our Ambassadors
    • Our Sponsors & Partners
    • Contact Us
image
Dynamic FP&A: The Role of Planning
June 8, 2016

By Michael Coveney, Analytics Thought Leader and Author

FP&A Tags
Financial Planning and Analysis
Planning and Budgeting
Driver Based Planning

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 – we would know what products and services to back, what level of stock and staffing to have, and when and where to market our capabilities for maximum effect.

But the world is not like that. When we use the word ‘unpredictable’ or ‘volatile’, what we are really saying is that the mechanisms we use for predicting the future are inaccurate. Things happen that we either didn’t foresee, or that impacted differently from what we expected. Most of these ‘things’ are typically external and beyond our control. For example, a competitor changing their price, a company introducing a disruptive technology, the impact of natural events such as the weather, a change in government policy, a significant change in the local economy, or a combination of any of these. However, senior executives are expected to navigate their organizations through all of these challenges. They are charged with ensuring that limited resources are allocated to the right products and services for maximum return. That the organization is moving towards long-term strategic goals and to provide a reasoned explanation as to when, where and how it expects to get there.

Planning is the only way an organization can do this. But in today’s business environment it requires sophisticated tools and techniques if this practice is to achieve realistic results.


Increasingly Complex Business Environment

A better word to use in the place of ‘unpredictable’ is the word complex. Businesses today operate in increasingly complex markets. Over the past 30 years we have seen two major shifts in the business environment – most of which are the result of technology:
 
The speed of Business: The pace of change in the business world is dramatically increasing. Through the use of technology, competitors can enter a market from anywhere and communicate their value almost instantly. As a result, this can trigger a market response that can be measured in days, which in turn can increase demand for raw materials with a resultant impact on price and availability. And as the abilities of the technology itself changes, products can often have life cycles that are rarely measured in years.
 
The complexity of business: The on-line, 24/7 world, has resulted in products and services that are becoming more focused on individual needs. Some luxury good manufacturers such as cars and PC’s, build products to order, rather than have them in stock. We’ve also seen the introduction of intermediaries, particularly in the supply of insurance and utilities, where the company selling the product/service may be sourcing these from a variety of producers. And then there is the impact of economic and political stability, as well as the increasing influence of social networks sites that no company can now ignore.
As a result of these two, the planning horizon that organizations can comfortable predict with accuracy has been reducing. In the past the practice of annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting and monthly reporting were adequate. Incidentally, most of the management practices used today were developed in the 1920’s when the business world was a very different place! Today, most organizations are looking to implement continuous planning, where changing events and market activity drives content. To help executives cope with speed and complexity, there has been a proliferation of tools and management techniques. They try to get those managing the organization to focus on what’s important and have included methodologies such as Six Sigma, Balanced Scorecard, Performance Prism and more recently the Beyond Budgeting movement.
 
In response, software application vendors have continually produced new and better planning and analysis products, although it’s interesting to note that spreadsheets still dominate. But many of today’s specialised tools are simply not good enough to cope with the needs of real world planning and in supporting modern methodologies that show how strategy is to be implemented, measured and monitored.
The full text is available for registered users. Please register to view the rest of the article.
  • Log In
  • or
  • Register
+

Subscribe to
FP&A Trends Digest

We will regularly update you on the latest trends and developments in FP&A. Take the opportunity to have articles written by finance thought leaders delivered directly to your inbox; watch compelling webinars; connect with like-minded professionals; and become a part of our global community.

Create new account

image

Event Calendar

Pagination

  • Previous
  • May 2025
  • Next
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
 
 
 
 
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Transforming FP&A Together: Human & AI Synergy
 
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Moving from FP&A to Extended Planning and Analysis (xP&A)
 
Five Critical Roles for Building a World-Class FP&A Team
 
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
FP&A Business Partnering and AI: A New Era
 
All events for the year

Future Meetings

The Face-to-Face Amsterdam FP&A Board
The Face-to-Face Amsterdam FP&A Board Transforming FP&A Together: Human & AI Synergy

May 15, 2025

The Face-to-Face Milan FP&A Board
The Face-to-Face Milan FP&A Board Moving from FP&A to Extended Planning and Analysis (xP&A)

May 20, 2025

The Face-to-Face Frankfurt FP&A Board
The Face-to-Face Frankfurt FP&A Board Five Critical Roles for Building a World-Class FP&A Team

May 22, 2025

BPAI
The FP&A Trends Webinar FP&A Business Partnering and AI: A New Era

May 28, 2025

The Face-to-Face London FP&A Board: Data Management & Analytics: Unlocking FP&A Value
The Face-to-Face London FP&A Board Mastering Data in FP&A: Smarter Analytics, Better Decisions

June 5, 2025

FP&A Trends Webinar The Evolving Role of FP&A: From Number Cruncher to Strategic Advisor
The FP&A Trends Webinar Making FP&A Teams Fit for the Future

June 11, 2025

The Face-to-Face New York FP&A Board
The Face-to-Face New York FP&A Board From Insight to Impact: FP&A Business Partnering in Action

June 17, 2025

The Face-to-Face Sydney FP&A Board
The Face-to-Face Sydney FP&A Board Modern Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A): Latest Trends and Developments

June 26, 2025

The Face-to-Face Singapore FP&A Board: Modern Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A): Latest Trends and Developments
The Face-to-Face Singapore FP&A Board Modern Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A): Latest Trends and Developments

July 8, 2025

AI/ML FP&A
AI/ML FP&A
Data and Analytics
Data & Analytics
FP&A Case Studies
FP&A Case Studies
FP&A Research
FP&A Research
General
General
Integrated FP&A
Integrated FP&A
People and Culture
People and Culture
Process
Process
Technology
Technology

Please register to receive the latest FP&A news, updates and tips.

info@fpa-trends.com​

              

Foot menu

  • FP&A Insights
  • FP&A Board
  • FP&A Videos

Footer countries

  • Amsterdam
  • Austin
  • Boston
  • Brisbane
  • Brussels
  • Chicago
  • Copenhagen
  • Dubai
  • Frankfurt
  • Geneva
  • Helsinki
  • Hong Kong
  • Houston
  • Kuala Lumpur
  • London Board
  • London (Circle)
  • Melbourne
  • Miami
  • Milan
  • Munich
  • New York
  • Paris
  • Perth
  • Riyadh
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Shanghai
  • Singapore
  • Stockholm
  • Sydney
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Washington D.C.
  • Zurich

Copyright © 2025 fpa-trends.com. All rights reserved.

0