Dynamic times call for flexible, automated and integrated applications for planning and forecasting, which are vital to a company’s success. Strategic and operational planning are indispensable instruments in leadership and management in successful companies and form the basis on which a company can make the best possible decisions. Integrated business planning supports not only the planning process itself, it also makes it possible to maintain a continuous exchange between the various stakeholders in and outside the company. All this is by now an established fact and is already high up on the agenda of many a CFO. The implementation, though, seems to be lacking. Aligning strategic and operational planning in an integrated planning process, a future-oriented data and BI strategy and modernising the underlying BI architecture all require a target vision everyone can rally around and which can be broken down into smaller sub-targets.
We at PIKON have created a maturity model that describes this target state and defines the steps to getting there.
For us, the target state of a digitisation and modernisation in the finance department is definately a data-driven company. It is, however, clear in this regard that the consistent use of data for a secure and reliable corporate management on the basis of data-driven, partially automated decisions can only be one aspect of a data-driven company.
What really makes a company a data-driven company?
The main feature of a data-driven company is that the employees make decisions based on data and information. Such companies use various tools and technologies to collect data from different sources, to save and store this data, to manage and analyse it. The tools used offer user-friendly visualisations, automated process steps and support analysis of data by AI functionalities. The insights obtained in this way are then used to optimise processes, understand customer needs, develop new products or to minimise risks. So, a data-driven company makes increased use of decisions reached on the basis of data in combination with employee experience – a basic prerequisite for corporate planning security.
If you want to make the change and become a data-driven company, you will need to firmly anchor the following points into your company’s organisation:
- Data-orientation – data is treated as a central resource in the company
- Data-driven decisions – decisions are made on the basis of information and analyses
- Data culture – data as the basis for decision-making and for the promotion of innovation. An open error and learning culture also plays an important role.
- Data literacy – employees should have knowledge of data analysis and its interpretation, and they should be supported in obtaining and improving such knowledge and skills.
- Data security – security and data protection guidelines help maintain a secure handling of data offering the requisite level of confidentiality.
What are the benefits of a maturity model for corporate planning?
We view a clear strategy for FP&A processes (financial planning & analysis) to be indispensable for a company to start its journey towards becoming a data-driven company. The PIKON maturity model can serve as a planning indicator for further need for action in your company.
Following our PIKON 3-point consultancy approach, our model considers the 3 factors people, technology and business processes. This is reflected in the following categories:
Leadership & Business Partnering (people): How can I lead my team such that they become open to changes? How can I create a good foundation for cooperation in the planning process? How can I cement the competencies of my team across departmental and hierarchical boundaries?
Data Culture and Data Literacy (business and technology): How can I set up the controlling department as a multi-disciplinary department and establish it as a bridge between finance and IT?
Data & BI Strategy (technology): How can I ensure transparency and a high data quality across the company?
Analyses & Planning Process (business): How can I ensure integration across the company as well as transparency in the planning process?
Data Management & Analytics (technology): How can I promote the automation of data flows and the independence of IT?
BI Architecture & BI Technology (technology): How can I establish target group-specific analytics and planning tools such that they are intuitive for the users and create independence from the IT department?
The maturity model for PIKON corporate planning integrates these partial aspects to one target vision. To reach your target state, being a data-driven company, you need to be on a good footing in all these areas. We have defined all the steps required to get there (see figure):
The description of the levels “data aware”, “data savvy” and “data driven” enables you to classify your company within the respective category in the model. In addition, our model defines steps on your way to the target state. These can be used to easily create your own roadmap specific for your company. The precise description of the target state makes it more tangible and easier to communicate within the company, and as such it is easier for everyone to rally around it.
The model offers an initial orientation on the journey towards becoming a data-driven company. Of course, we also offer workshops for a more in-depth engagement with the topic and the elaboration of a specific roadmap. Contact us to find out more!