Last year produced an amazing number of qualitative and quantitative recommendations for the FP&A professional. Early in 2013, Ventana Research and Financial Executive Research Foundation (FERF) published the first of its kind: New Benchmarks in Long-Range Planning. The comprehensive study spawned both an Executive Summary from Ventana Research and a complementary set of actionable recommendations from FERF among several other items including a webcast and some media attention.
As the annual budgeting process is winding down for many, now is a good opportunity to compile some of the best research as a strong set of reference materials to help you conceptualize a way to improve your processes, benchmark your organization, or to simply learn more about the state of the industry.
What you will find below are the findings by Ventana Research and FERF that have received special accolades or were particularly popular in 2013.
- Big F, Little P, and No A: The Current State of FP&A is Good Financial Management, Little Planning and No Analysis
This white paper by FP&A automation expert, Madison Laird, reveals how Finance organizations can optimize planning and enable meaningful, ongoing analysis to help their organizations achieve goals. - The Best CFO’s Drive: 6 Impactful Ways You Can Mobilize Finance Before the Annual Budgeting Process
This article isolates six key drivers of long-range planning from the perspective of a veteran CFO, Rich Murphy. - Leadership and the Long-Range Planning Process: Problems Exposed. Solutions Revealed.
This micro video series (of five videos each less than five minutes long) breaks down the 15 most common pitfalls of long-range planning and points you to a complementary white paper on the same subject. - The Remarkable Reason Complacency for Spreadsheets May Reach Critical Mass
This is a blog article written by Kerry Raminiak on the international and political spectacle caused by a simple spreadsheet error and why it’s even more important for Finance leaders to heed its warning. - Steps to Improving a More Effective Long-Range Planning Process
Ventana Research published this report to crystalize their formal research on long-range planning into a tangible set of specific recommendations.
May 2014 be your opportunity to usher streamlined processes and more accurate, timely and reliable to adapt your long range plan throughout the year!
