The result is this paper that covers the elements crucial for any organisation approaching AI or ML for the first time including challenges, methods and key success factors.

Integrated FP&A involves harmonising the three levels of planning - Strategic, Financial and Operational levels. This is done both horizontally (cross-functional) and vertically (top-down and bottom-up), using integrated processes, people and platforms that connect all parts of the business. The case studies presented some real-world examples of implementing and applying integrated FP&A.

The longer these types of primitive FP&A analysts and accountants delay implementing ABC, then the greater the risks. The issue here is not mainly about product and standard service-line costing to understand their profit margins. The issue is about the emerging need to report and analyse distribution channels and customer profitability.

With so many digests behind us, we have collated contributions from a substantial number of finance professionals, on a considerable variety of relevant topics. That is why, for this issue, we have chosen to share articles that discuss FP&A from different points of view.

With the pace of change currently relentless, it isn’t always easy to keep up.

So in these unpredictable times, what skills set a successful FP&A professional apart?

And how can we prepare for the transformations on the horizon?

Watch this 10-minute presentation from Ash Sharma, the Finance Director at Walgreens Boots Alliance, to find out answers to questions and more.

As organisations confront a more dynamic world, the traditional budgeting process is increasingly criticised as obsolete. But what if your business is still not ready to abandon traditional budgeting completely? Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) can act as a stepping stone to a more modern budgeting process.

Because of Covid 19, businesses have faced unprecedented and potentially life-threatening challenges. This has highlighted the importance of using FP&A Predictive Analytics to stay ahead of the curve and take corrective action on time. At the FP&A Webinar, the panel of three high-profile speakers discussed the challenges, lessons and benefits of Managing Uncertainty with FP&A Predictive Analytics.

We all have these horror stories where we have all sacrificed our personal lives during this challenging ‘Budget’ season. I guess they say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I personally think that there are several ways to make your lives better during this period.

Traditional legacy and static methods are no longer sufficient for budgeting, planning, and forecasting. To help navigate this challenge, we must turn to Scenario Planning and Rolling Forecasts to guide us. 

The vast majority of companies still rely on traditional organisational designs characterised by hierarchical structures, and steering with budgets. But these designs are outdated, severely limiting a company's ability to act and respond in today’s fast-changing environments. 

How can organisations operate viably in this age of uncertainty?