Zombie Spreadsheets
Zombie spreadsheets should be dead – for all intents and purposes they should have been put in the ground long ago – but they refuse to die.
Budgeting: Steve Jobs or Bill Gates?
According to a recent survey (multiple surveys in fact) most organizations are still using Excel for budgeting. Part of the explanation for that, of course, is “it’s free”. But it’s also because we in Finance have a bias for spreadsheets. No self respecting accountant or finance professional would back down from the challenge of building a budgeting process using Excel (Bill Gates is smiling, I can feel it).
The Missing Link: Budgeting and Execution
There are two primary purposes of budgeting. The one most people think of first is to put a cap spending. But that’s only one reason why organizations (and people) budget.
The other reason why organizations budget is to ensure what’s important gets done. And let’s face it, just because something is important doesn’t mean it will get done. Unless it’s properly resourced and funded, it won’t happen. So let’s examine that crucial link between budgeting and execution.
Solving Ambiguous Problems – What Successful Companies Get That the Rest of Us Don’t
I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working with some of the best run companies over the years and I’ve come to appreciate what really separates them from “the merely good”. Some of what makes great companies so successful, like hiring great talent, is quite obvious. But I’d like to share one of their lesser known secrets to their success.