If the last year has taught us anything, traditional financial planning and analysis approaches did not work (or at least proved suboptimal) when navigating through uncharted landscapes. The pandemic forced FP&A practitioners to reassess and adapt our approach to planning, forecasting, and bringing to the forefront the importance of scenario planning. 

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 crisis brought a huge challenge for any business but it also brought a unique opportunity. FP&A professionals continue to play an essential part in navigating through the uncertainties.

In this digest, you will learn the biggest advantages that the FP&A team have in a post-pandemic business world, why business acumen is a must-have for all finance professionals, and how to optimise your decision-making process.

The power of Finance Business Partnering enables Finance to step outside of their traditional Performance Management roles (setting budgets and reviewing actuals) in order to contribute to real value creation initiatives.  

Simply put, spending more time working together is mutually beneficial for both Finance and the business.  
But what is the best way to structure that relationship?  Should Finance operate as an advisor, a consultant or perhaps even an investor?

The FP&A Trends Webinar: Transforming FP&A with AI: Maturity, Impact, and Future Roles

Click here to view details and register

Annual Operating Planning is an important activity in many organisations.  Some refer to it as budget season and every organisation has its own nomenclature such as AOP, OB, LRBP, etc. This article covers best practices for a successful planning season, explains what best-in-class organisations do to create a solid annual operating plan and answers three burning questions.

Analysis is only as good as the decisions that result from it. In the uncertain business environment, organisations that provide people with the intelligence to make better decisions will outperform their competitors.

The key to modern FP&A teams is through empowered organisational governance, underlying a rich collaborative exchange of words, data and information.  This article explores how technology changed the way FP&A teams’ organisations in order to meet a more challenging landscape.

The webinar on 6 October at 11:00 AM PDT will focus on a leading case study of Applied Materials on how it succeeded in agile planning. 

Our business environment is changing dramatically. Smart devices, smart offices, autonomous vehicles are boosting and creating avalanches of data every day. Big data will benefit a business. It enables business with greater insights and new opportunities, but only if you are able to manage it well.

The webinar will take place on 12 October at 3:00 PM BST to discuss How Digital FP&A Can Change Decision-Making Culture.