FP&A Software to Align Finance and Your Business

A recent study from Gartner found that only 3% of organisations have strategic, operational and financial planning processes that are fully aligned and integrated, demonstrating that there is a significant gap between ambition and reality. 

To build a financial planning process that drives confident decision making, organisations must understand both the strategic role of finance and the systems that support it. In this article you will learn: 

• Where to start when it comes to planning? 

• What are the benefits of better financial analysis and reporting? 

• How important is the right FP&A software? 

• How to translate accurate financial planning across your organisation? 

• How investing in planning looks in reality: A case study example from Global Maritime. 

Where to start when it comes to planning? 

Finance is the natural starting point for any data-driven performance management journey. Finance teams are increasingly tasked with business-wide initiatives designed to help organisations operate with improved output but smaller budgets. Due to the nature of business itself, every piece of activity from sales and marketing to operations and HR comes back to spending and budgets - what’s coming in and going out. Meaning financial data is generally the most structured and consistent foundation available. 

Starting in the finance function not only brings clarity but also defines a shared business language for tracking performance across the organisation. When financial data, metrics, and assumptions are clearly defined, they create a common framework that other departments can align to, making KPIs and OKRs easier to set, track, and trust. Without this alignment, data-driven performance management quickly breaks down as teams work with conflicting numbers, systems, and interpretations. Finance provides the consistency and clarity needed to connect insight across the business and turn data into action at scale. 

Once finance establishes the foundation, organisations can unlock meaningful improvements in analysis, reporting, and cross-functional planning. 

What are the benefits of better financial analysis and reporting?  

Accurate financial analysis and reporting is where finance teams begin to realise the real value of their data. Moving beyond fragmented spreadsheets and manual processes allows organisations to establish a single source of truth, where everyone is working from the same, trusted numbers. With real-time reporting, data can be consolidated from multiple sources across the business, think ERPs such as NetSuite, CRM systems like Salesforce or marketing platforms like HubSpot, giving finance leaders immediate visibility into performance across the business. This clarity enables teams to identify trends earlier, track KPIs with confidence, and proactively spot risks and opportunities, all while significantly reducing the errors that come with manual reporting. When financial reporting is timely, consistent, and connected, finance can shift its focus from reconciling data across departments to delivering insight that drives better decision-making.  

How important is the right FP&A software? 

Traditionally budgeting relied on estimations made at the beginning of the year, predicting what might happen based on past trends and expected outcomes. These static budgets leave organisations vulnerable in environments that are shaped by constant change and multiple variables. Planning is rarely linear or one-dimensional, it is often scenario-specific and spans multiple facets of the business, with cash flow management being one of the most complex yet critical elements to get right.  

With the right BI and FP&A platform in place, budgeting and forecasting becomes as accurate as they can be. Finance teams can move beyond fixed annual cycles to rolling forecasts, supported by integrated scenario planning that allows leaders to test different assumptions and immediately see their impact on cash flow, profitability, and performance. When planning is connected to core systems such as NetSuite, it breaks the traditional barrier between finance and other business operations. When different departments have their own inputs and visibility across one centralised platform, it creates a collaborative, ‘lived-in’ budgeting process that can evolve alongside the business. This enables the confident, evidence-based decision-making referred to above, rather than reliance on guesswork.

How to translate accurate financial planning across your organisation? 

Mastering financial reporting and planning creates a strong foundation for the next stage of organisational growth. When finance teams fully trust their data and can produce accurate, flexible budgets and forecasts, they set the standard for how performance should be measured and managed across the business. This confidence allows finance to lead by example, demonstrating what is possible when decisions are driven by consistent data rather than prior performance or intuition. Clear and accurate planning becomes the bridge to a truly data-led culture, where teams share a common language and aligned systems. With these fundamentals in place, organisations are better equipped to extend planning beyond finance and embed data-driven performance management across the organisation. Ultimately your organisation goes from FP&A, which is finance-centric, to xP&A (extended planning and analysis) where all business functions align around enterprise-wide planning. 

Below is an example of how these principles work successfully in practice.

How investing in planning looks in reality

A case study example from Global Maritime

In their quest to transform financial reporting and planning, Global Maritime, a complex, international offshore and engineering consultancy, turned to Staria for input after outgrowing their existing tools. With operations spanning multiple countries and a multi-currency environment, the company had already consolidated 35–40 disparate systems into Oracle NetSuite to create unified data.   

However, they found NetSuite’s native Planning and Budgeting solution lacked the flexibility and responsiveness needed for efficient reporting, forecasting and scenario planning. After evaluating alternatives, Global Maritime selected Naviloq by Staria for its ability to integrate deeply with NetSuite data and support complex requirements without compromise. Implementation was rapid, with the system fully deployed and users in training within 4–6 weeks. 

The impact has been significant: finance and operational teams now have easy, on-demand access to live NetSuite data across functions, enabling deeper insights and more accurate planning. Naviloq also makes it simple to build and customise reports without technical expertise, bringing greater clarity, usability and collaboration to financial processes. This shift has effectively placed a ‘digital finance controller’ in every location and function, strengthening decision-making across the business. 

What you need to look for in your next FP&A tool 

Move from historical reporting to accurate reporting. With trusted analysis and agile planning, finance teams have the confidence to take a more strategic role in guiding the business through challenges. When financial data is consistent, connected, and aligned to how the organisation operates, leaders are better equipped to respond to change, manage risk, and allocate resources effectively.   

Your next FP&A tool should:  

• Be easily integrated with your core systems (e.g ERP, CRMs, or marketing tools) 

• Have a built-in data warehouse

• Enable driver-based planning 

This clarity sets the standard for what comes next. By establishing a single source of truth and a shared performance language through finance, organisations create the foundations to extend planning and performance management across the business.  

However, achieving this requires not just tools and technology, but the right approach and partnership. Working with a partner like Staria ensures these capabilities are embedded to support long‑term, data‑driven decision-making from day one. 

FP&A as part of the wider journey to data-driven performance management 

This article focused on stage 3 of our journey to data-driven performance management guide. Once core platforms are in place and a roadmap defined, the focus shifts to gaining control and clarity over financial data. Establishing accurate reporting, trusted analysis, and agile planning processes that leaders and the wider business can rely on creates a single source of truth and shared business language that enables better decisions, while laying the foundation for broader, organisation-wide planning.