The Ledger
Curated content foranalytical business leaders
Aligning FP&A and Accounting Teams for Success
August 2, 2020
“Accounting teams, which are responsible for controls, compliance and reporting — traditionally backwards-looking functions — tend to focus on the balance sheet, while financial planning and analysis (FP&A) teams, which are responsible for forward-looking budgeting and forecasts, tend to focus on the P&L. FP&A teams typically account for a transaction one way — as an investment, for example — while the accounting team accounts for it as an expense.”
Gartner: Build Cost Strategy Around Differentiating Factors, Not Competitive Trends
August 1, 2020
“Our research shows that CFOs are often blown off course by external targets that prioritize growth over profitability. Their targets, because they are externally focused, are routinely disrupted by changes to the macro picture. […] CFOs who model costs on differentiators are much more likely to stay on track with their long-term plans, avoid hasty cost-cutting in response to a change in the macro picture and realize value through principled and focused reinvestments built around their differentiators.”
Give Purpose to Your Data to Drive Value
July 25, 2020
This McKinsey Digital article highlights the eight elements leadership teams should leverage to exploit their data analytics practices and make more informed, and ultimately more profitable decisions. “Performance — not pristine data sets, interesting patterns, or killer algorithms — is ultimately the point. Advanced data analytics is a means to an end. It’s a discriminating tool to identify, and then implement, a value-driving answer.”
The Modern CFO is a Valued Business Partner
July 21, 2020
“In the last decade in particular, CFOs have faced a raft of changing regulations and enhanced governance requirements. They have had to get increasingly comfortable with new technology and automation, and they have needed to step into the limelight as prominent communicators and influencers. The modern CFO has fully embraced change to become a valued strategic partner, able to navigate complex organizations and lead an increasingly dispersed workforce.”
Read the entire article at Strategic Finance Magazine >
