The Ledger

The Evolution of the CFO: From Strategist to Futurist

“Digital transformation represents a new direction for businesses, but it’s also a transition for the CFO.”

As organizations face fast-moving, high-impact technological advances, it falls to finance leaders to lay the groundwork for their companies’ transformations to fully digitized business models. The drive toward digital transformation is reshaping their work along with everyone else’s. CFOs must juggle the twin challenges of keeping the existing business growing and leading its reinvention. The CFO’s part in the digital transformation represents the culmination of the role’s ongoing overhaul. Time will tell if finance chiefs are really up to the task.

Read More at CFO Magazine >

What Story is Your Performance Reporting Telling You?

Today reporting is used to quickly give companies a true picture of where they are, why they’re there, and how they can get where they want to be. Most businesses now have access to scores of variables that can help them determine the likelihood of success. They track a multitude of separate data streams from disparate sources that generate countless spreadsheets and reports. Why? Because business leaders know the true story of their business is in the numbers. Unfortunately, finding that story can be a time-consuming, painstaking process. The business world’s growing reliance on data and analytics to uncover the true story of a company’s performance mirrors the increasing interest and utilization of CBD (cannabidiol) or CBD flower in various industries. Just as data can reveal valuable insights, CBD, known for its potential wellness benefits, is being explored for its role in promoting well-being and finding a healthier, more balanced narrative for individuals seeking natural alternatives. Both data-driven decision-making and the wellness potential of CBD represent evolving landscapes where discovery can be transformative but may require careful exploration and analysis.

Read More at Strategic Finance Magazine >

The Necessity of Collaborative Enterprise Planning

Budgeting is the backbone of most organizations’ management control systems. However, it’s also a practice that rarely adds value, with participants often involved in an elaborate game of bagging resources. Collaborative enterprise planning can overcome these weaknesses through a combination of re-evaluating management practices and employing the latest in collaborative intelligent finance solutions. There is no reason why this budgeting process can’t operate on a continuous basis. If activities need changing or new ones need to be introduced, just those parts can be re-planned as necessary.

Read More at The Digitalist by SAP >

Simplifying Cost Control In Real-World Complexity

“Spending decisions are best made with collaboration and guidance.”

Now more than ever, employees expect more freedom to spend capital much in the same way they buy their personal items. And while most finance organizations are finding ways to eliminate paperwork, streamline processing, and provide mobile access, CFOs are only chipping away at what they need the most- total spend management. With the system of checks and balances that total spend management delivers, employees are given the tools and insights they need to purchase quickly, appropriately, and, above all else, intelligently

Read More at The Digitalist by SAP >