High Performing Commercial Finance Team

John Devlin MBA FCCA https://au.linkedin.com/in/JohnDevlinSydney

Building a High Performing Commercial Finance Team .

John Devlin, MBA, FCCA https://au.linkedin.com/in/JohnDevlinSydney

- 2 - John Devlin MBA FCCA https://au.linkedin.com/in/JohnDevlinSydney

4 aspects to Business intelligence

Knowing what we

know Stored and reported on

Knowing what we

don’t know Would like to store

Not knowing what

we know Stored and not reported on

Not knowing what

we don’t know What was that?!!?


Where is your focus?

Knowing what we

know System efficiencies

Knowing what we

don’t know System development

Not knowing what

we know System discovery

Not knowing what

we don’t know Get off your bum!


Understanding

Evaluating Developing

Investment required

to improve situation

Improved

Situation

What is current

situation

A consistent approach across your areas of focus


Potential timelines for success S

yste

m E

ffic

iencie

s

System Development

Year 1 H1 Yr 2 Yr 2 Post Yr 2

New Segment

Reporting

New

System

New Process

implementation

Company

wide

New

Capability

Consistency

Application

New Delivery

Mobile

New

Functionality

Consistent

foundation


A word on BIG Data

Structured External

Data

Unstructured External Data

“The Internet of Things”

Unstructured

Internal Data

Sources of Data

Big

Data

Structure

Application

Volume

Complexity

Structured

Internal Data

Sources of Data


Big

Data

Smart Data is the Goal, not BIG Data

Structured External

Data

Unstructured External Data

“The Internet of Things”

Structure

Application

Unstructured

Internal Data

Structured

Internal Data

Sources of Data

Volume

Complexity


As an high performing Commercial

Finance team you focus on

• Focus on

• Capturing structured data to meet business needs


What does all your data mean?

11000011010100000

186a0

303240


High Strategic

relevance &

aggregation

High diagnostic

power and

frequency of

measurement

Overall Strategic Objectives

Market Strategic Objectives

Operations Strategic Objectives

Financial Strategic Objectives

Quality Flexibility Speed Cost Dependability

Marketing Calls Client Visits

Orders Volumes

Value Jobs Filled

Productivity Client Revenue

Pipelines

Revenue GM

EBITDA

Source: Slack, Chambers & Johnson; Operations Management; Prentice Hall Pg 584

Different stakeholders have different

needs

Longer

Terrm/Outputs

Shorter

Term/Inputs


11000011010100000

186a0

303240

1,000,000

Reference determines meaning


• Focus on


• Translating data into meaningful information




Why

How

Understanding business needs is key

Reports

KPI’s

Partnership

What

Delivery

Systems Consistency

When Frequency


• Focus on



• Presenting information in a clear manner




…and thereby

• Focus on


Improve reporting capabilities


Provide insightful analysis

• Presenting information in a clear manner

Improve the user experience


You have to answer 3 Questions

WHO

WHAT

HOW


You need a clear view of purpose

Vision

WHO

WHAT

HOW


1 Premise

Your organisation


Wisdom

Options Data

Your journey constantly evolves…

Collection &

Management

Application New

Needs


You are Embedded in the business

Opportunities Positioning

Core capabilities and competencies

Solution

Business Strategy

Evaluation Planning

Objective

Execution

Business Management

Generating

Strategy

Measuring

Operations

Decision

Support

Historic

Analytics


…footprint in all major decisions..



Solution

Business Strategy

Evaluation Planning

Objective

Execution

Business Management

Why

How

Where

What


…and a 360o view of the business.



Solution

Business Strategy

Evaluation Planning

Objective

Execution

Business Management

External

Internal

Outputs

Inputs


Data is the key

Wisdom

Knowledge

Information

DATA

Capture

Store

Transform


…and how it is managed…

IT

Commercial/

Finance

Quality

Application Wisdom

Knowledge

Information

DATA

Capture

Store

Transform


…to meet the goals of your clients

Capture

Business Partnership

Business Processes

Team

Dynamics Stakeholder

Management

What are

Business

needs

How can you

meet needs

How do you

transform

How do you

deliver

Wisdom

Knowledge

Information

DATA

Capture

Store

Transform


You…

…help decision makers make better

decisions

…this is not your strategy, this is a tag line


You better execute through

Trade Off’s


You make better decisions through

Analysis


You need a structure to help you

achieve your vision

Vision Framework

WHO WHAT

HOW


What is Excellence?

…We are what we repeatedly do.

Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit Aristotle


STEPping your way to success


A STEP framework will guide our

journey

• Robust

• Integrated

• Structured

• Easy to use – Complexity in build

Systems

Tasks

Environment

People

• Understandable

• Unique

• Purposeful

• Honest

• Open

• Respectful

• Ambitious

• Professional

• Enjoyable


• Integrated • Ease of flow of Data between systems

Systems

• Robust • Multiple use for multiple users

•Structured • Understand the purpose of data produced

• Easy to Use • Complexity in in their build, not their application


Tasks

•Unique • Touch data as early as we can

• Once

•Understandable • Know why we do what we do

•Purposeful • Each task has a purpose

• Understand the use of that purpose

• Legacy V Lethargy


Environment

• Balanced • Development v Proficiency

• Work/Private

• Open • Feedback Welcomed

• Change Embraced

• Diversity

• Appreciated • Recognition

• Rewarded


Who will be the difference


People

• Ambitious • Meet the drivers of individuals

• Work/Private

• Professional • Proficient

• Respected

• A little outside the box • Inquisitive

• Innovative


Your framework will increase your

capabilities and competencies…

Integrated & Focused

Value Add

Collaborative

Partners


Business Partners

Management of Data

Application of Data

Systems Tasks People

Open

Environment

Honest Respectful

..becoming trusted business partners…


…and deliver on your business goals


Strategy Development

Vision Framework Plan

WHO WHAT HOW


FOCUS u

Coordination, alignment and

excellence through…

FOCUS w

FOCUS v


Your plan determines the success of

your strategy


Quality

Speed

Dependability Flexibility

Cost

Plan should be viewed through 5

perspectives


Analysis will uncover areas where

decisions are required…

Quality Speed Dependability Flexibility Cost

Systems l l l l l

Tasks l l l l l

Environment l l l l l

People l l l l l


…and Trade offs will determine your

Strategy


Each STEP Trade offs

Issue 1 We will… We won’t… Our initiative

Issue 2

Issue 3

..our strategy will address those

areas which are critical to our

business


Over to you…

• Initiative 1

• Sub Point

• Initiative 2

• Sub Point


Building a High Performing Commercial Finance Team .

John Devlin, MBA, FCCA https://au.linkedin.com/in/JohnDevlinSydney

Data & Analytics

High Performing Commercial Finance Team