Content

From the automobile to Apollo 11 and other innovations, the world’s discoveries and achievements were set in motion through a sequence of actions. What are these elements of progress? In the highly-acclaimed book, Achieving business agility through active planning, readers explore how breakthrough innovations came to be through active planning.

The book then reveals that finance teams can apply these same principles to experience new possibilities.

Adaptive Insights, the business planning software, released the book to empower finance professionals with forward-looking ideas. Within its pages, are planning best practices. You’ll also find insights from CEOs, CFOs, thought leaders, and FP&A executives, as they share how active planning creates amazing opportunities.

In today’s dynamic world, finance teams must plan for what’s next. A roadmap for creating an optimized finance function, the book shares how-to guides, stories, quotes, and illuminating facts and figures. 

The Power of Active Planning

When finance strategizes using data, it plans effectively for the future. Active planning is collaborative, continuous, and comprehensive. Teams companywide analyze financial and operational information to identify connections that inform strategic decisions. 

Importantly, active planning requires technologies with specific attributes. A fast and powerful cloud-based platform that encourages companywide collaboration through an integrated suite of solutions helps teams plan with ease.

Active planning opens new possibilities for creating value. The FP&A function attains peak performance, fueling the organization with data-driven decisions. Teams are delighted by the following results: 

• Significant revenue growth
• Faster planning cycles
• Effective use of spreadsheets
• Flexible and quick scenario analysis 
• Stronger cross-departmental collaboration
• The ability to foresee opportunities and mitigate challenges
• Compelling and integrated reporting that gives a holistic business view

Finance Leads the Way

As readers dive into the book, they find out why this proven discipline, where planning, execution, measurement, and adjustment come together, is important for making informed decisions.

Additionally, the book emphasizes that finance needs to lead the transformation. Because it impacts many operational activities, it’s a fitting catalyst for active planning. The central role of finance makes it ideally suited to bring increased efficiency. 

“Our executive leadership team has spent more time collaborating, brainstorming, and adding value to our budget and planning process. Prior to that, finance was spending more time entering data, and not reviewing and analyzing the data. The executive team and the board now really rely upon the finance team for important data and direction to make important decisions.” -Kevin Murphy (Senior Vice President of Finance, Hospitality Staffing Solutions)

The book also shares a key message: The best planning involves the people closest to the business. They have visibility into the business that brings perspective to the process. 

With each chapter, readers learn how to activate active planning systems, processes, and teams in a way that accelerates growth and profitability.

Collaborative Planning

Collaboration fuels the planning journey. Teams throughout the organization are engaged to advance the enterprise. Finance, the CEO and board, operations, and HR share information that contributes to a complete business analysis.

That’s why an integrated business planning platform is essential. It has prebuilt capabilities designed for teamwork and cross-functional participation. The organization’s key business drivers work in harmony to achieve strategic objectives.

Learn why the following functions are an integral part of planning:

• Financial operations 
• HR planning
• Project planning

In the book, readers find out how these integrated solutions orchestrate participants in a smooth workflow coordination. They'll also understand why it’s crucial for departments to form close partnerships that align activities and goals. 

The Future of Financial Technology

The book looks to the future of financial technology and how to prepare. You’ll know how these developments will support real-time decision-making.

AI, for example, will make scenario planning more impactful. The finance professional will be able to conduct fast, flexible what-if analysis that makes it easy to guide their organization in the right direction. 

These developments will shape how finance teams plan:

• AI
• Machine learning
• Increased automation

The book also provides eight predictions, so finance can be ready. As teams bring active planning to their organizations, they can make the most of these technological advances.

“Agility is a Powerful Differentiator.”

Agility makes all the difference in achieving long-term growth. Finance teams that differentiate by being agile, will be well-positioned to thrive.

Want to bring active planning to your organization? This is the guide for your journey.