Organizations now understand how crucial data is to their survival and expansion. Numerous finance teams invest significant time in sending, receiving and compiling spreadsheets. They spend so much time and energy manually handling data — however, it is necessary to invest time to understand its value.

Data-driven finance involves more than just streamlining, rationalizing and standardizing calculations to make them more accurate. It entails improving operational visibility, in-depth research and rigorous, fact-based decision-making to maximize corporate success.

How to Ensure a Data-Drive Financial Business Plan

To create or maintain a sustainable business in 2023, professionals must verify a business has a solid financial business plan that is data-driven. Below are steps or checklists to determine if a company is on the right track.

1.  Create a Big Data Strategy

In today's commercial world, data collection receives far too much attention, but having data alone is no longer sufficient. Enterprises must have the skills necessary to transform their data into valuable insights. This is where creating a successful big data strategy becomes essential.

The correct approaches and strategies that align with the business’s particular aims are the first steps in maximizing the potential of big data. Big data can provide insights to help an organization achieve its goals. From tailoring promotional offers or loyalty programs for different customer segments to cutting the length of the supply, a company could gain a lot from investing in a data-driven financial business plan.

2.  Utilize the Right Technologies

Organizations require more than just a data analysis tool — they must improve their capacity to gather, store and analyze data in light of the expanding volume and data sources. They need reliable systems, technology and tools for this.

There is a fundamental shift when a user-friendly platform and the appropriate tools help automate financial planning and analysis (FP&A). The information is openly sharable, reliable and begins to benefit the business. In reality, it may result in a shift, mainly when decisions are happening for the organization's finances and business plan. With FP&A trends, companies can achieve more predictable revenue growth by improving forecasting accuracy with appropriate planning and budgeting.

3.  Focus on High-Value Tasks

Businesses are focusing on transitioning from merely gathering and managing data to realizing its true worth. There are also a lot of benefits to gain from paying attention to high-value tasks.

Finance teams can now focus on higher-value tasks as a result. They may use the data to their advantage instead of wasting time struggling with cumbersome systems, procedures and technologies merely to get their hands on it. And as a result, their significance to organizations is increased.

4.  Invest in the Team

It takes a team to ensure a financial business plan is data-driven. This is why it is crucial to focus on the team members as much as on business data. Companies require a wide range of experience and information, not just specific technical skill sets and since every business needs technical, it becomes crucial to invest in them.

5.  Promote Data-Driven Culture

The most effective data-driven cultures are developed and energized from the bottom up and the top down. By allocating funds and developing and pushing new measures for measuring the firm, senior management makes it apparent and obvious how important big data is to enhancing business success.

End users — including front-line managers, business analysts and others — use data every day to carry out their tasks. In addition, they have the equipment, education and incentives needed to succeed.

Tips for Maintaining Data-Driven Business Plans

• Troubleshoot: Stress-testing the business plan lets leaders figure out where problems might arise and plan for them.
• Establish KPIs: Set up KPIs that will enable the company to evaluate whether it is accomplishing its objectives and the possible effects of internal and external pressures.
• Join forces: Engage all necessary parties in each step of data collation. 
• Make data-driven financial analyses: Data-driven business plans should compare to critical variables and undergo sensitivity analyses as frequently as feasible, preferably once per week.
• Enable self-reporting: Choose a method that encourages collaboration and self-reporting such that other stakeholders can test the stress of their part of the plan.

Data-Driven Business Plan for 2023

Data-driven financial analysis is vital in lowering the cost of running a business. If organizations meet all the criteria listed above, 2023 could be a positive year.

Shannon Flynn

I’m the Managing Editor of ReHack.com and have over 5 years of writing experience covering cybersecurity and business tech. I’m also a contributor at Business.com, MakeUseOf, Lifewire, and more.