The 19th London FP&A Board was debating about Zero Based Budgeting (“ZBB”). One of the key questions was if companies see a new Era for ZBB. The meeting was well attended and was a great success.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are metrics that represent how various drivers of the business are performing. These drivers are often both financial and operational in nature. And while there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to choosing the "right" metrics for your business it is critical that the data used be consistent and accurate.

FP&A establishes the foundation for thinking and learning about how processes affect outcomes.  These actions can be guided by broad and narrow framing.  In order for FP&A to add value toward these actions, it must take an active role in establishing a framework through the chart of accounts. 

There is evidence that FP&A interest is growing fast. Each and every day, CFOs feel the pressure building on the finance function to contribute more to business success. Within the CFO’s organization, the responsibility for tracking, assessing and reporting corporate performance normally falls to the Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) group.

Well-designed incentive compensation plans – especially sales commission plans – are an incredibly powerful way to motivate great performance. But designing a great plan is both an art and a science.

The fourth meeting of the Frankfurt FP&A Board meeting will take place on Wednesday, 9th May 2018. The Board will interactively discuss Why Driver-Based Planning (DBP) Matters for Modern FP&A. 

As most forecasting methods require data, a forecaster analyzes the availability of data from both external and internal sources. The availability of external data is improving rapidly. With the explosion of Internet websites, potential sources of valuable data are becoming limitless. With unstructured data, the need for data mining tools has become a necessity for exploring potential sources of data for consumer analyses and predictive modelling purposes.

FP&A does not work in the finance silo of providing backward looking analysis of what has happened. They arm themselves and their operational and departmental leaders with the “why” of the performances and develop insights on trends. In the leading state of the FP&A Business Partnering Maturity model, FP&A is a credible partner that the business leaders can rely on when developing a sound strategy.