#FinanceMaster

We know that the plan is not going to happen. We know that the forecast is not going to be (and should not be) 100% accurate. We’re ready to adjust our course quickly and effectively in response to changing circumstances. In this episode of Softer Side of Fiance, Anders explores how an organisation should always have room for contingencies and how planning can help you stay ahead of the competition.

This week’s episode of Softer Side of Finance explores how every organisation should never plan without preparing multiple scenarios; how do you prepare multiple scenarios without losing focus and what happens when the real world delivers an unexpected kick in the balance sheet? Anders takes listeners through how to plan for high / low alternatives of a scenario, and what to do when reality diverges.

In this episode of The Softer Side of Finance, Anders discusses the process of re-forecasting an organization’s financials. Given that we operate in a world where the only constant is change, it is important to build out forecasting models that reflect this - find out the steps you can take to do exactly that.

In the most recent episode of The Softer Side of Finance, Anders explains how simplicity goes a long way when it comes to achieving one’s targets. The episode explores the core aspects a simple plan requires to be successful and how to reap the rewards of that simple plan.

This week, Anders highlights how planning and analysis is not an isolated function, but rather a skill that should be used to benefit the whole company. To create a successful business, every operational unit needs the help of Finance. He suggests some steps to create success for the whole business in this next episode of The Softer Side of Finance.

When we strive for the best in forecasting, should accuracy not be something to aim for? Especially if businesses rely on this to achieve its goals? This episode, Anders explains why accuracy actually lies in the execution of the planning process, not in the plan itself.

Budgeting processes are often guilty of trying to achieve too much. This week, Anders highlights the need for a multifaceted approach to budget planning, defines the particular three phases involved, and explains how they differ in their focus and technique, but all combine to create ultimate business success.

What happens after your business establishes a solid plan and your strategic milestones can be seen glittering on the horizon? What happens if unexpected obstacles arise that prevent you from progressing along the planned path? This week, Anders explains why the feedback process created as part of your earlier hypothesis-driven planning should not stop once a plan is made, and why the path to success is both continuous and iterative.

This week, Anders highlights why the documenting and regular reviewing of strategy-related assumptions is the most important part of business planning. He explains why a hypothesis-driven planning methodology, and related assumption tracking, creates a vital agility that enables organizations to quickly adapt to changes in the business environment, course-correct effectively, and take advantage of new opportunities.

As Anders begins his deep dive into each of the commandments that make up the 'Planning and Forecasting Manifesto', he looks at how businesses translate their ultimate goal (their mission and vision) into a successful strategy, and stresses the importance of creating a coherent and intrinsically linked plan in order to execute that strategy. Sound straight forward? Find out why FP&A professionals have found it harder to achieve than first thought, over the years.