Empowering Finance to Lead with Clarity, Agility and Impact

Integrated Business Planning (IBP) remains a critical enabler for business success and the role of finance is critical to deliver the best results.

This workshop covers the role of finance, but also how a strong process changes the way you budget, forecast and support decisions.

This is an essential session for finance leaders who are looking to understand their role and drive business growth and success.

“Without IBP, I would not have succeeded as a new CFO, but with IBP, things turned out exactly as I have planned.”

Why should an organisation invest in IBP?

In today’s volatile and complex business environment, companies face mounting challenges in aligning organisations beyond common plans, from strategy to execution. Traditional budgeting and forecasting cycles often make things worse, embedding inefficiencies and reactive behaviours that hinder agility and performance, while consuming critical resources for preparation and reporting that is non value-adding.

Financial integration – particularly within an Integrated Business Planning framework – is a critical enabler to overcome these barriers, empowering finance teams to shift from transactional reporting to value-added business partnering.

Ultimately, financial integration fosters a culture of accountability, transparency, and strategic alignment – transforming planning from a compliance exercise into a competitive advantage.

Use ‘EARLYBIRD-OCT’ for 20% off this workshop*

You should consider this workshop if:

• You want to understand the role of finance in Integrated Business Planning.
• You are looking to break free from the burden and frustration of traditional budgeting and forecasting.
  You need clarity on how IBP manages top-down target setting (ambition) and realistic planning in financial forecasting.
• You want insights on how to design and develop an assumption-driven rolling forecast.
  You are looking for ways to inspire your finance team to be more involved in the IBP process.

This workshop is your opportunity to delve further into the world of IBP and gain a developed view of the process, ensuring you are prepared for the future, whatever it may hold.

“Before IBP, nobody in finance took leave for the 8-week budget cycles, and weekend work was the norm. Now budgeting is a significant non-event, and our finance team have released 1-month of worktime back to the business. And we get our weekends back!”

Who should attend?

• Executives and finance business leaders who have been introduced to IBP and want to learn more about how it can work in sync with legacy financial processes.
• Controllers or finance leaders who are eager to drive one set of numbers and want to move into rolling forecasting.
• IBP process leaders in an organisation running IBP/S&OP today and want to understand best practices to integrate their finance partners.
• Key stakeholders in organisations who are running or implementing IBP today and require new angles for monetising their business decisions
• Decision-makers who are thinking about implementing IBP either as a process or a tool journey.

Workshop overview

In this workshop, you will engage directly with Oliver Wight – the originators and global thought leaders of Integrated Business Planning – to explore how the role of finance is crucial for business success.

We will bring the foundational IBP elements to life for finance, based on real-world financial application.

This session is tailored for organisations seeking to embed finance at the heart of their planning processes. Whether you are considering IBP implementation or are already on the journey, this workshop provides critical insights on how financial integration transforms IBP from a planning tool into a strategic enabler.

During the workshop your instructor will

• Introduce the synchronisation of legacy processes including strategic planning, financial forecasting, and month-end closing with Integrated Business Planning.
• Describe how rolling monthly planning adds value, focusing on change and closing gaps to meet strategic goals.
• Help you identify the financial need for the right planning horizon, level of detail, and supporting assumption and how that is addressed through IBP.
• Discuss the critical role of finance and what is necessary to advance your organisation.
• Share key enablers such as integrated reconciliation, financial integration, IBP facilitation, and opportunity management.
• Support implementation and change by addressing the process, roles, measures, and tools required to embed IBP into the organisation’s DNA – ensuring finance is not just a participant, but a driver of business transformation.

Workshop objectives and expected outcomes

• Gain clarity on the central role finance plays to ensure operational plans support long-term value creation.
• Understand why finance leads integrated reconciliation.
• Generate your key assumptions based on ownership and consensus.
• Understand how IBP and legacy corporate process can be synced.
• Start to focus gap-closing actions based on business priorities through strategy and cost implications.
• Feel empowered to reinforce ownership across your organisation.
• Learn from practical examples and references to guide your journey and challenges, whilst networking with other delegates.

*discount available until 60 days before the workshop date.