FP&A
Where Did the Budget Go?
No One Knows
Actuals never match forecast. Department heads blame each other. The CFO wants answers you don't have.
The Variance Blame Game
Every month, the same meeting. 'We're over budget.' 'Not our department.' 'Must be an allocation issue.'
18%
Avg. forecast variance
$4.2M
Unexplained YTD variance
6
Depts pointing fingers
3 wks
Monthly close cycle
Where the Budget Went (Variance Waterfall)
Budget
+Sales
-COGS
-Mktg
-R&D
+G&A
Actual
$10M
+$1.2M
-$1.8M
-$1.4M
-$0.9M
+$0.6M
$7.7M
The Variance Analysis Reality
Where You Look for Answers:
- 20 different budget spreadsheets
- Department head Slack messages
- Last year's 'explanations'
- Allocation methodology docs
- ERP reports that don't match
- Email chains from Q2
- The controller's memory
What the CFO Actually Wants:
- Single source of truth
- Drill-down by cost center
- Month-over-month trending
- Forecast vs actual waterfall
- Leading indicators by dept
- Actionable variance drivers
- One-click board presentation
SlideStrike Speaks FP&A
45+ financial planning metrics, automatically visualized.
Budget Variance
Plan vs actual
Forecast Accuracy
Rolling 12-month
OpEx Ratio
Operating efficiency
Cash Runway
Months remaining
Revenue Mix
By product/region
Headcount Cost
FTE trending
Margin Analysis
Gross to net
Scenario Model
Best/worst case
Questions from FP&A Leaders
What Heads of FP&A ask
ESCAPE THE VARIANCE MAZE
Budget Clarity in 60 Seconds
Know exactly where the budget went. No more blame games. No more surprises.
Connects to NetSuite, SAP, Workday
Automated variance waterfall
Drill-down by cost center
Board-ready in one click