We often hear organisations hail the move from traditional annual budgeting to rolling forecast as a great improvement. However what makes rolling forecast great? Is rolling forecast the answer to ease the pain of budgeting? This article explores what rolling forecast is, it’s pros and cons, some best practice times and if rolling forecast can ease the pain of budgeting.
April 7, 2020
The role of FP&A is becoming more important than ever. FP&A is seen as instrumental in helping organisation formulate strategy and drive performance. However, how does FP&A function go about building its brand?
March 3, 2020
When we talk about performance measurement, KPIs are a common tool. It can be a financial measure or an operational measure. However, in recent years, KPIs seem to have fallen out of favour because it fails as a useful indicator of business performance. Should we abandon KPI? This article looks at the importance of designing and defining appropriate KPIs in performance measurement.
January 28, 2020
Excel is still a popular tool when it comes to preparing financials or analysis. However, we often hear financial professionals complaining about how inadequate Excel can be. So why have we not “rid” ourselves of this seemingly “inadequate” tool. This article explores the pros and cons of using spreadsheets. There are a few best practice tips that may be helpful to the vast majority of spreadsheet users.
November 26, 2019
This article explores the attributes of Big Data and considers whether having more data is always good. First, let's get back to the basics. What is Big Data? Put simply, big data refers to a vast variety of data with which an organisation can engage. The aim is to use big data to improve business performance. This is applicable to profit and non-profit organizations, financial and operational measures.
September 24, 2019
In a recent ACCA survey about the future of the accountancy professional, digital is listed as one of the 7 quotients for success. ACCA defines digital as “the awareness and application of existing and emerging digital technologies, capabilities, practices, strategies and culture”. One of the more talked about area in technology is artificial intelligence. This article attempts to explore whether artificial intelligence can replace people in the FP&A arena.
Simone da Silva Collins
With 10+ years of industry experience in business partnering, Simone is currently Finance Business Partner in the UK for a financial services enterprise. She has been in both regional and corporate FP&A roles in telecoms, technology and insurance industries, supporting her partners in financial planning and analysis and business partnering. Together with other like-minded FP&A professionals around the world, Simone is engaged with Associated of Financial Professional (AFP) in job task analysis and item writing for the FP&A certification exams.
Simone is originally from Macau in SE Asia. She is a Fellow of ACCA, a certified FP&A and has an MBA from Manchester Business School.
Author's Articles
May 5, 2020
We often hear organisations hail the move from traditional annual budgeting to rolling forecast as a great improvement. However what makes rolling forecast great? Is rolling forecast the answer to ease the pain of budgeting? This article explores what rolling forecast is, it’s pros and cons, some best practice times and if rolling forecast can ease the pain of budgeting.
April 7, 2020
The role of FP&A is becoming more important than ever. FP&A is seen as instrumental in helping organisation formulate strategy and drive performance. However, how does FP&A function go about building its brand?
March 3, 2020
When we talk about performance measurement, KPIs are a common tool. It can be a financial measure or an operational measure. However, in recent years, KPIs seem to have fallen out of favour because it fails as a useful indicator of business performance. Should we abandon KPI? This article looks at the importance of designing and defining appropriate KPIs in performance measurement.
January 28, 2020
Excel is still a popular tool when it comes to preparing financials or analysis. However, we often hear financial professionals complaining about how inadequate Excel can be. So why have we not “rid” ourselves of this seemingly “inadequate” tool. This article explores the pros and cons of using spreadsheets. There are a few best practice tips that may be helpful to the vast majority of spreadsheet users.