To work as an effective communication tool, the finance supporting strategy must be simple to communicate, and that’s why the overview fits on two pages.
The first page comprises the objectives of the function. The “key areas” are the half dozen or so specific to the business which must perform. Each key area has a number of assertions that must be true if that area is to perform. People are identified as a further key area that runs across all topics. A red amber green colour coding is used to highlight current perceived strengths and weaknesses:
With this overview it is then easy for all to see the focus areas. Initiatives and projects are then be identified to improve performance on one or more assertions. Lower priority projects are not ignored but shown in a “following years” category. Behind each of these projects an appropriate project management tool can be applied:
