EPM 101: FP&A & Planning Fundamentals

Short, practical guides on FP&A, EPM, and planning concepts — built for CFOs, Controllers, and FP&A teams evaluating modern tools.

FP&A Essentials

Core concepts and workflows.

Financial Planning & Analysis Basics

Understanding the fundamentals of FP&A and its role in business strategy.

Budgeting vs. Forecasting

Key differences between budgets and forecasts, and when to use each.

Driver-Based Planning

How to build models that connect business drivers to financial outcomes.

Scenario Planning

Techniques for modeling multiple scenarios and stress testing your plans.

Management Reporting

Best practices for building effective management dashboards and reports.

EPM Fundamentals

Enterprise performance management concepts.

What is EPM?

Understanding the discipline, systems and frameworks that help organizations plan, measure and manage business performance.

Consolidation 101

Understanding the complex process of combining multiple entities into unified financial statements.

Account Reconciliation

Understanding the critical process that verifies general ledger balances and supports trust in financial reporting.

Financial Close

Understanding the recurring process that finalizes financial results and why balance matters more than speed alone.

Planning & Budgeting

Understanding how organizations translate strategy into financial expectations and operating targets.

Systems & Architecture

Technical foundations and system design.

Cloud vs. On-Premise EPM

Comparing deployment models and their implications for finance teams.

Data Integration Patterns

How EPM systems connect to source systems and data warehouses.

Data Model Design

Principles for designing effective dimensional models in EPM tools.

Security & Access Control

Understanding security models and user access management in EPM platforms.

API & Automation

How to automate workflows and integrate EPM systems with other tools.

Choosing FP&A Tools

Vendor selection and evaluation guidance.

FP&A Tool Evaluation Framework

A structured approach to evaluating and comparing FP&A platforms.

Requirements Gathering

How to identify and prioritize your FP&A tool requirements.

Demo Best Practices

Tips for getting the most value out of vendor demonstrations.

Total Cost of Ownership

Understanding the full cost implications of EPM tool implementations.

Implementation Readiness

Assessing your organization's readiness for an EPM implementation.

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