- 5 Ways to Step Up Your Analytics Game
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- As just about any finance professional knows, there’s a huge need for FP&A teams to become more strategic partners to the business. When we surveyed more than 300 CFOs on how FP&A can play a broader role in guiding corporate planning and performance, 75% said they wanted their teams to have a significant and strong impact on their organization—but only 46% believed they could have that kind of impact in the near future. What was the disconnect? The chief reason cited was a lack of time for strategic planning.
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Take Assessment Watch Video- Why Every Business Should Build Weekly Cash Flow Forecasts
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- When most finance professionals hear the term “13 week cash forecast,” they view it as a burden—one more task to appease an overbearing lender. Most finance professionals do not get nearly as excited about building it as they do about building a projection model for an acquisition or investment. It doesn’t help that companies generally tend not to focus on their liquidity needs until they are forced to do so. Therefore, people often only prioritize the weekly cash forecasts in distressed situations, when it is too late to take corrective actions. And even still, the analysis is often hastily executed and inaccurate.
- Are CFOs from Mars, and CMOs from Venus? Part I - CFOs and CMOs both Benefit by Developing a Partnership
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- How credible and accountable is your marketing team? Many companies struggle with a significant credibility gap between the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and their marketing counterparts. And it’s usually the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) or VP of Marketing who is seen as the initiator of questionable commitments or requestor for budget with indefensible return-on-investment (ROI) assumptions. Marketing spends money, lots of it. But what is this spending actually buying the company? And who is accountable for the results and being proactive in presenting them?
Governance & Controls – structure and controls.
Transaction Recording – systems, transaction processing and closing the books.
Reporting - efficient, timely and accurate information for decision making and meeting compliance requirements.
Accounting
Business Planning - provide the financial roadmap for the company with supporting analytics.
Financial Forecasting - integrate the company’s current performance relative to budget with the real-time business environment.
Investment Analysis - the framework to analyze new opportunities as they present themselves.
Finance
Cash Management - the discipline to ensure cash is available to operate the business normally.
Funding - Planning for and raising funds to meet the needs of the business.
Risk Management – Identification and mitigation of key business risks.
Treasury
Self-Awareness - Internal.
Team Building - External.
Strategy & Culture – Motivate people to follow you.
Leadership
Four Pillars of Executive Expertise
CFO.University is built around the Four Pillars of CFO Success. These Pillars are supported with Core Competencies. Our framework allows you to master your role as a senior financial officer. The Four Pillars are made up of:
Accounting – Governance & Controls, Transaction Recording and Reporting
Finance – Business Planning, Financial Forecasting and Investment Analysis
Treasury – Cash Management, Funding (Capital Raising) and Risk Management
Leadership – Self Awareness, Team Building and Strategy & Culture
