Traditional forecasts and plans typically use single-point estimates and metrics with little or no discussion of risks & opportunities (R&O), and without showing correlations among multiple R&O that could have a major impact on performance. R&O adjusted forecasting and planning is an approach to forecasting that generates a range of possible outcomes and probabilities based on an analysis of multiple variables of R&O.

The world has changed in so many ways since the last Brexometer on 11th March.  There have been millions of Coronavirus cases and more than a hundred thousand deaths, with almost every human on the planet affected in their daily lives.  The impact on business has been nothing less than catastrophic. Whole sectors have come to a grinding halt, across all countries and economies.

The image of a silo is one that is sealed off from its surroundings. It is insular and protected. In the organisation, this has tended to manifest itself in functional silos. Meaning Finance, HR, IT, R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing etc. It can, of course, apply broader to also divisions within an organisation or even regions / markets. How does this relate to Finance?

This is the second article in a series of articles devoted to the wide variety of the benefits provided by the next generation budget, the operational budget (OB), and its associated operational income statement (OIS). This article will describe OB’s benefits over the current budgeting process and its results. It will be of particular interest to FP&A professionals focused on the current budgeting process and how to improve it.