Reporting & Storytelling: Turn Finance Packs into Decisions
Introduction — “Less Screenshots, More Decisions”
Most FP&A teams don’t suffer from a lack of slides — they suffer from a lack of signal. Executives don’t want an archive; they want a story that explains what changed, why it changed, and what we’ll do next. This post lays out a pragmatic blueprint for an executive-ready pack, shows how to move from variance to action, and offers a chart picker to keep visuals honest (and mercifully legible). We’ll also point to where CCH Tagetik removes the drudge so finance can focus on narrative, not needle-threading.
Executive Pack Blueprint (7 Slides That Matter)
| Slide | Must-Have Content | Why It Helps |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Snapshot | 5 KPIs (Rev, GM%, Opex, EBIT, Cash) | Sets the headline; avoids wandering intros. |
| 2) Revenue Bridge | Price/Volume/Mix & FX | Explains “what changed” without debate. |
| 3) Margin Walk | COGS drivers (material, yield, freight) | Links ops decisions to profit (magic!). |
| 4) Cash View | DSO/DPO/Inventory days, FCF bridge | Answers the board’s favourite question: cash? |
| 5) Outlook | Rolling 12–18m, Base/Best/Downside | Moves the room from past to next. |
| 6) Actions | 3 options, owners, timers, ROI | Turns insight into accountability. |
| 7) Appendix | Detail by BU/Region/SKU (on request) | Depth without derailing the meeting. |
Build this once, repeat every month. In CCH Tagetik, you can fix the layout, auto-refresh the data, and lock the version so “yesterday’s numbers” don’t sneak in (tempting, but no).
Signal Over Noise: What to Cut, What to Keep
- Keep: drivers (price, volume, mix, FX, freight), cash timing (DSO/DPO/inventory), and actions with owners.
- Cut: screenshot farms, micro-tables with font size 8, and waterfalls that require hiking boots.
- Compress: BU deep-dives into the appendix. Bring them forward only if they change the decision.
- Standardise: same KPI definitions and same chart types every month — pattern recognition beats novelty.
The goal is a recognisable rhythm: readers know where to look, what the shapes mean, and how to help. Familiarity is a feature, not a bug.
From Variance to Action: The 3-Step Talk Track
- What changed? Use PVM for revenue and a margin walk for COGS. One slide each.
- Why did it change? Separate external (market, FX, index) from internal (mix, discounting, yield).
- What will we do? Offer 2–3 options with owner, timer, and expected financial impact.
If it doesn’t end with an owner and a date, it was a documentary, not a decision (nice, but not why we’re here).
Chart Picker: What to Use When (and When Not)
| Goal | Use This | Avoid This |
|---|---|---|
| Trend over time | Line chart (12–24 pts max) | 3D anything (pretty, unclear) |
| Composition | Stacked bars | Pie forests |
| Variance explain | Waterfall (PVM or margin walk) | Tables with 17 columns |
| Rank/compare | Horizontal bar (sorted) | Word clouds (save for poetry) |
| Relationship | Scatter with trendline | Gauges/speedometers |
One rule to rule them all: label clearly, keep decimals sane, and cap categories so people read, not squint.
Cadence & Rituals to Keep Reporting Light
- Weekly 30-minute driver huddle: Review price, volume, FX, freight; update only if thresholds fire.
- Monthly 60–90 minute exec review: Run the 7-slide pack; confirm 2–3 actions with owners & dates.
- Quarterly deep dive: Mix, capacity, hiring & capex timing — fold decisions into the outlook.
CCH Tagetik handles workflow nudges, version locks, and auto-refreshing dashboards so you spend time on decisions, not document wrangling.
Common Pitfalls and Simple Fixes
| Pitfall | Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Slide sprawl | Decks creep past 40 slides | Enforce the 7-slide blueprint; park detail in appendix |
| Metric drift | Same KPI, different definition | Publish a KPI glossary; lock in platform |
| Pretty but vague | Charts with no “so what” | Add one-line takeaway per slide |
| Spreadsheet whack-a-mole | Late updates break the pack | Centralise in Tagetik; version lock before exec review |
Real-World Moments You’ll Recognise
- “Too many charts!” You replace five tiny visuals with one clean waterfall and one sentence. Meeting time drops; decisions go up.
- “Where did this number come from?” The KPI tile links to a definition and source. Debate ends in 10 seconds (a personal best).
- “What’s the cash view?” You flip to the FCF bridge and DSO/DPO page. The question answers itself.
- “So what are we doing?” You land on the actions slide with owners and timers. Pens start moving.
Metrics That Prove the Pack Is Working
- Decision ratio: % of agenda items ending with an owner & date (target > 80%).
- Pack length: ≤ 7 core slides; ≤ 10 appendix pages (audited monthly).
- Rework rate: # of post-lock edits before the exec meeting (target < 3).
- Cycle time: Close-to-pack publication in ≤ 5 business days.
Where CCH Tagetik helps most: one model powering KPI tiles and waterfalls; driver tables for PVM and margin walks; automated P&L→BS→Cash flow-through; workflow & version locks to freeze the pack; reusable dashboards for the “what changed / why / what we’ll do” narrative. Translation: consistent story, fewer slides, better decisions.