DFCG Webinar Replay: ‘Consolidation and Management’
Why do consolidation and performance management still produce two different versions of the numbers? Insights and feedback from the DFCG webinar with Beyond Plans.
In most organizations, consolidation and performance management coexist without a true point of convergence. This webinar, co-organized with the DFCG, brought together CFOs and finance experts around a simple question: how long can this model still hold?
Key points covered during the webinar
- Why gaps between consolidation and forecast do not always reflect actual performance.
- What the time spent on data reconciliation really represents.
- The organizational and management implications of a platform-based approach.
- The conditions required to implement a gradual transformation.
Two systems, one breaking point
Consolidation and performance management were designed to meet different needs. One secures a reliable, audited, compliant figure. The other structures budgeting, forecasting, and simulation. This setup is not an anomaly—it is the result of a gradual evolution shaped by regulatory constraints and business practices.
The breaking point emerges when these two worlds are expected to produce a unified view. The discrepancies do not stem from performance itself, but from differences in business rules, scopes, or timelines. And this is precisely where the model shows its limits.
“I spent a lot of time trying to explain the gaps to my management.”
— Aude Gourhand, CFO
Time spent on reconciliation mechanically reduces the time available for analysis. Decisions are made later, sometimes based on partial data. Responsiveness decreases, and trade-offs become less reliable—at a time when executive teams expect immediate and comparable insights.
Toward a platform approach
The challenge is no longer to produce an accurate number. It is to produce a number that is immediately actionable.
Finance teams are no longer trying to improve isolated processes. They aim to reduce the gap between data production and data usage—by aligning data models, ensuring continuity between actuals, budgets, and forecasts, and strengthening governance.
This is the approach Beyond Plans takes with its clients: not by adding another layer of tooling, but by converging systems that have long been designed separately. Solutions such as Anaplan act as a convergence point—provided that the data model, business rules, and team adoption are thoroughly addressed.
Do these challenges sound familiar?
Let’s discuss your context and explore how Beyond Plans can support you.
FAQ – Questions raised during the webinar
Why do finance teams still produce two versions of the numbers?
Because consolidation and performance management were built to address different needs, without a shared model to align data, business rules, and timelines.
Where do the gaps between consolidation and forecast actually come from?
They most often result from differences in scope, timing, or calculation rules—not from performance itself.
Why is reconciliation becoming a problem today?
Because the time spent aligning data reduces the time available for analysis, in a context where decisions must be made faster and with higher expectations.
What does a platform approach change in practice?
It aligns processes around a shared data model, reducing rework and improving the consistency of analysis.
Is this primarily a technology issue?
No. The main challenges are first and foremost related to data governance, team organization, and the definition of business rules.
Where should this type of transformation begin?
The most effective approaches start with a focused scope, allowing quick value demonstration before gradually scaling the model.