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 FP&A 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 banner
Inquisitive FP&A
September 22, 2017

By Karl Kern, Accountant / Lecturer / Writer

FP&A Tags
Financial Planning and Analysis
FP&A People
FP&A Team Building

One of the more important qualities of FP&A practitioners is curiosity. Curiosity, a strong desire to know or learn something, is affected by the types of questions asked. It is the types of questions that determine how much FP&A practitioners want to know or learn.

One type of question is “what.” The purpose of asking “what” is to acquire information. Acquiring information can be in the form of financial numbers like revenues, expenses, and cash flows. Acquiring information can be in the form of non-financial numbers like the amount of time companies receive or make payments. Acquiring information can be in the form of qualitative data like comments from customers, names of products, or types of services provided. Asking “what” helps FP&A practitioners know about the environments where they work but knowing is not enough. FP&A practitioners need to ask questions that help them learn about the environments where they work.

One type of question that helps FP&A practitioners learn about the environments where they work is “how.” The purpose of asking “how” is to acquire insight. An FP&A practitioner can acquire insight into the production of products sold. An FP&A practitioner can acquire insight into the promotion of products or services sold. An FP&A practitioner can acquire insight into the administration of products or services sold. Asking “how” helps FP&A practitioners learn about the actions within the environments where they work. Learning about these actions can improve the work within FP&A but another type of question can drive the learning process further.

The type of question that helps FP&A practitioners go further to learn about the environments where they work is “why.” The purpose of asking “why” is to acquire reason. An FP&A practitioner can acquire reason for selling products to one customer versus another. An FP&A practitioner can acquire reason for having consultants versus employees. An FP&A practitioner can acquire reason for raising money through equity versus debt. Asking “why” helps FP&A practitioners learn about the actions within the environments where they work through the intentions of others. Once intention is identified FP&A practitioners can focus on relationships between the rewards that are sought, e.g. revenues and cash receipts, and the effort being made to receive these rewards, e.g. purchasing merchandise and using social media.

Having a strong desire to know or learn something, curiosity, is perhaps the most basic quality of FP&A practitioners. Developing financial plans and assessing financial health are tasks best suited to those who are curious. What determines the quality of these tasks is how curious people are and that is determined by the types of questions asked.

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

Event Calendar

Pagination

  • Previous
  • July 2025
  • Next
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
 
 
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Modern Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A): Latest Trends and Developments
 
2025 FP&A Trends Survey: Benchmarks, Priorities, and Best Practices
 
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
 
 
All events for the year

Future Meetings

Face-to-Face Oslo FP&A Board
The Launch of the Oslo FP&A Board Modern Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A): Latest Trends and Developments

September 16, 2025

Register for FP&A Trends Webinar: Five Essential FP&A Team Roles that Power Strategy and Transformation
The FP&A Trends Webinar Five Roles Every High-Performing FP&A Team Needs

September 17, 2025

Register The Digital North American FP&A Circle: The Winning Formula for FP&A Storytelling
The Digital North American FP&A Circle FP&A Storytelling: Craft Stories That Influence and Impact

September 24, 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

Homepage – Acme Corp

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

info@fpa-trends.com​

Visit our LinkedIn page       Visit our Twitter profile       Watch our YouTube channel

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