The recent FP&A Trends webinar looked at the main challenges FP&A professionals are facing these days.

This article provides an overview of the topics and cases presented and discussed by the expert panellists at the webinar “Top Five FP&A Challenges and How to Address Them”, as well as the results of our polling questions. 

Many companies are getting back to the office (or never left), some have already decided to remain fully remote, yet others are trying out a hybrid mode. The only thing in common between them is no one is sure of the best set-up yet. 

Are we missing the opportunity to think broader and bolder? Could we use the learnings we gained so far with remote work to address a well-known problem: the lack of FP&A professionals in the job market?

Understanding new KPIs and drivers, their impact and how we can influence them has been a key priority for leading organisations. This, however, requires good understanding and implementation of Driver Based Planning, coupled with key business strategies.

According to the 2021 FP&A Trends Survey, only 12.5% of organisations spend 40% of their time on value-adding activities. Ironically, the feedback I am getting from my stakeholders is that our Business Partners have never needed us more than they need us today. Clearly, as an FP&A community, we all need to be taking action to empower, execute and become laser-focused on moving up the dial from 12.5% to ensure we can support and guide our Business Partners and show up as our best version.