Market shifts, rising costs and unexpected disruptions are part of doing business. They may look different each year, but they always show up.
That’s why FP&A teams can’t rely on planning once or twice a year, hoping it sticks. To stay ahead, you need flexible processes and connected systems that make it easy for your team to adjust quickly without losing control.
Still, overhauling legacy processes can feel overwhelming. You’re asking finance teams to move away from familiar systems without much time to adapt.
But the cost of doing nothing is staying stuck with inefficient FP&A processes, which makes it harder to access reliable data, spot timely insights and make decisions fast.
At Excelerate Finance 2025—Vena’s annual conference for forward-thinking finance and operations leaders—Meg Bear, Controller at Turner Enterprises, and Michael Ragsdale, Vice President of Finance Strategy Analytics at the Kansas City Chiefs, shared how their teams are rethinking FP&A. All in an effort to stay agile, support the business better and respond faster when the unexpected happens.
A key takeaway from this session was that agility depends on visibility and trust. Without them, FP&A teams are left reacting instead of leading. The most resilient teams know this and take steps to build adaptability into how they work every day.
Meg and Michael brought this to life with real-world examples from their teams. In this article, we’ll walk through nine practical strategies they shared to help you improve your financial planning process, based on their lived experiences.
But before we dive in, consider four common problems that keep FP&A processes from working the way they should:
Your numbers live in too many places: ERP, CRM, HR systems and spreadsheets. Pulling them together means jumping between tools, and even then it’s hard to know if everything is accurate or up to date.
If your team is copying and pasting data, updating formulas or rebuilding templates each cycle, you're spending more time on cleanup than planning. And the risk of errors keeps growing.
Manual processes slow things down. By the time reports are ready, the numbers are already old. That delay makes it harder to adjust when business conditions change.
Contributors often create their budgets in separate spreadsheets and send them to Finance to consolidate. Some send them late, while others use different formats. Finance ends up chasing people and stitching it all together instead of focusing on insights.
Michael Ragsdale leads the FP&A function at the Kansas City Chiefs. His finance team is small but supported by four data scientists who help with automation and modeling.
Meg Bear, on the other hand, leads the finance team at Turner Enterprises. Her team is lean too, made up of accountants, technical experts and contributors across different locations who collaborate remotely.
Below are the tips they shared to help you overhaul your own FP&A processes.
When working to improve your financial planning process, it can feel like everything needs to happen at once. But trying to handle technology upgrades, process changes and stakeholder alignment all at the same time can lead to burnout and frustration.
A better approach is to start small, focus on quick wins and build from there.
Take, for example, the Kansas City Chiefs. Michael and his team adopted what he called “a crawl-walk-run approach.” With the help of Vena, they started by tackling one core use case: budgeting. The goal was to reduce complexity and bring consistency to the process.
Instead of trying to fix everything at once, they focused on streamlining this single area first, using tools the team was already comfortable with.
“We started slow with just the core budgeting module and were able to roll that out very quickly and get a lot of buy-in from the organization, because Vena was simple and used the Excel interface they were already comfortable with. We built templates the way departments wanted to see them, and it allowed them to access information in real time, something we hadn't been able to do in the past.”
Michael Ragsdale, VP of Finance, Strategy and Analytics, Kansas City Chiefs
Starting with a tool people already understood—Excel—made adoption easier and helped build trust quickly as Michael and his team sought to reimagine their FP&A processes. Once that foundation was in place, the team gradually expanded into additional use cases such as workforce and capital planning. They eventually automated their NFL box office reporting process using Vena, reducing a 72-hour task to just 10 minutes.
That strong foundation also positioned the FP&A team as a trusted resource across the organization. “It’s been really helpful for us as a department to be more involved in strategic opportunities and to have people come to us because we're that trusted resource,” said Michael.
When you’re rolling out new tools or processes, it often helps to start with something that delivers quick value without asking people to change how they work. This builds trust early and creates momentum, even if the full integration is still in progress.
That’s the approach Meg took when leading FP&A transformation with Vena’s help at Turner Enterprises. She inherited a paper-based environment and chose to start with reporting rather than automation. Her goal was to give business users a clear view of their numbers fast, without forcing them to change their routines right away.
“I think a lot of it was looking at the big picture, drawing people into the change, getting them excited and getting them empowered. Vena was a great first stop for us. The team initially wanted AP to be automated first. But after looking at the whole footprint, I thought it would be more impactful to start with reporting—to focus on an output task, something people can consume.”
Meg Bear, Controller, Turner Enterprises, Inc.
Giving business users visibility into their numbers and empowering them to contribute to the process made it easy for Meg and her team to get buy-in early.
That trust paved the way for deeper system changes later on, including an ERP migration and a new AP and payment solution. Because they took the time to get those integrations right, Meg and her team were able to move their entire paper process to the cloud. That shift helped them reduce costs and work more efficiently.
Your FP&A process is only as good as the data it relies on. But when that data is scattered across tools, teams and formats, it slows everything down and increases the risk of errors.
According to AFP’s 2025 FP&A Benchmarking Survey, 60% of finance professionals face moderate to significant challenges with accessing reliable data. More than half also reported using at least eight planning tools and 10 reporting tools each quarter, which creates unnecessary complexity and slows down efficiency.
That’s why it’s essential to understand how data moves through your planning process—where it originates, how it’s transformed and where it might break down.
Start by mapping out how your data flows today. What tools are being used? Who owns which parts of the data? Where do delays or inconsistencies typically occur? Then create a simple flowchart of your current process to identify where your team is manually updating spreadsheets and where automation could help.
Tools like Vena help by turning visual workflows into automated ones, so each step becomes a task with built-in reminders, inputs and approvals. That makes it easier for teams to stay aligned and keep things moving without constant check-ins.
That’s why Meg and Michael both stressed the importance of connecting systems, instead of relying on separate tools.
Michael described how consolidating four disconnected systems into one platform helped his team shift from answering basic questions to focusing on long-term strategy. And Meg shared how moving to a cloud-based ERP and connecting it to planning tools like Vena reduced manual work and helped her team make better use of their operational data.
Their approaches were different, but the outcome was the same: They built more connected, efficient systems based on what their teams needed most.
Planning doesn’t stop once the budget is locked in. Business conditions shift, priorities evolve and revenue expectations change.
Teams that treat their forecast as a living process, not a once-a-year task, are better positioned to respond quickly and make smarter decisions in real time. It’s why Michael and his team shifted from static forecasting to a more dynamic process.
“I think a lot of it was looking at the big picture, drawing people into the change, getting them excited and getting them empowered. Vena was a great first stop for us. The team initially wanted AP to be automated first. But after looking at the whole footprint, I thought it would be more impactful to start with reporting—to focus on an output task, something people can consume.”
Michael Ragsdale, VP of Finance, Strategy and Analytics, Kansas City Chiefs
That flexibility lets them act fast on real-time insights. For example, the team tracks single-game ticket sales closely on launch day. That first day is usually a strong indicator of how the rest of the sales will perform. Based on what they see, they may adjust the ticket revenue budget by the end of the day. They also revisit the marketing budget and make changes if more promotional effort is needed.
By responding quickly to early sales signals, the finance team helps leadership stay aligned with the latest outlook without waiting weeks to react.
The most effective FP&A teams are more than number crunchers. They’re partners who help leaders plan smarter, adapt faster and make confident decisions. But getting there takes more than tools. It takes trust, responsiveness and a real understanding of what the business needs.
Michael explained how this shift happened at the Kansas City Chiefs:
“We're no longer in that space where people are asking us the simple questions. They're able to answer those on their own. Now they're asking the bigger questions, like what our organization will look like in the next five years, or whether we should get involved in a new line of business. And if we don't have a system that is readily available at all times and gives us the ability to track even people's interactions with it to see what's useful and what's not, then we're not able to be in those conversations.”
Michael Ragsdale, VP of Finance, Strategy and Analytics, Kansas City Chiefs
His team made it easier for others to access the numbers on their own. Instead of relying on finance for every update or report, business users could now log in, view what they needed, and make decisions faster. This reduced routine questions and freed up the finance team to focus on bigger, strategic conversations with leadership.
Meg shared a similar experience at Turner Enterprises, where her team focused on creating clarity and empowering non-finance teams to participate:
“I think it was really about partnering with the people. We have a lot of very non-technical people in our company that are super smart. But finance can be somewhat daunting, so a lot of it is just communicating, getting the team to come together, answering questions they have and allowing people to feel seen and heard.”
Meg Bear, Controller, Turner Enterprises, Inc.
Focusing on empathy and a shared understanding earned both teams a seat at the table and turned finance into a true partner to the business.
A mature FP&A function is about aligning people, processes and platforms, so your team can make confident decisions when priorities shift. But that level of agility only happens when your planning systems are structured to handle change.
Meg explained how important it is to build a flexible foundation that makes it easy to add new dimensions, update drivers or adjust assumptions without slowing the team down:
“Our ability to stay nimble depends on having a planning structure that’s easy to adjust. If we need to add a dimension, introduce new members or bring back a previous hierarchy, we can do it quickly. Since the system is Excel-based, making those changes in Vena is straightforward.”
Meg Bear, Controller, Turner Enterprises, Inc.
What matters just as much as choosing the right software is how your data model is structured and how easily your FP&A system can adapt as business needs evolve.
That disconnect may explain why less than half of finance professionals in AFP’s 2025 FP&A Benchmarking Survey said they were satisfied with their systems’ ability to support core functions like forecasting, scenario planning and sensitivity analysis.
In many cases, these systems are difficult to maintain or were not set up to adapt quickly. Meg’s team, on the other hand, built their system with flexibility in mind, and that investment has paid off.
When tariffs between the US and Canada introduced uncertainty across supply and demand, they used forecasting to explore multiple outcomes and prepare for a range of scenarios. That helped them stay proactive even in unpredictable conditions.
Meg’s experience also reinforces an important point: Technology is only one part of the equation. Change management is the other half. Real transformation happens when teams pair new tools with the right support.
It’s why Meg and her team worked closely with non-technical users, making sure everyone could adapt and contribute to the change process. So, pair system upgrades with change management by partnering with business users early. That is what turns reactive finance teams into resilient, high-performing ones.
Even when your processes are flexible and your systems are set up to adapt, unexpected cost spikes or disruptions will still happen. When they do, the goal is not always to solve the problem immediately. Sometimes, it’s about helping leadership understand what changed, what it means and what decisions need to be made next.
Michael shared an example from the Kansas City Chiefs. Each year, the team gives a season ticket member gift, often sourced internationally. However, due to rising tariffs, the cost of the gift increased by 50 to 75% in 2025.
By the time the change was clear, it was too late to switch vendors. So, instead of scrambling for a perfect solution, the finance team quickly evaluated options, flagged the issue and communicated the impact to leadership so they could adjust expectations and consider trade-offs elsewhere in the budget.
Keeping decision-makers informed early helped the team avoid surprises later during variance reviews, reinforcing their role as a trusted partner in planning.
Once your core planning process is in place, the next step is to build a clear roadmap of which use cases to add next and in what order.
Prioritizing this way ensures your team makes steady progress in rolling out new use cases, while keeping day-to-day operations running smoothly. That’s exactly the approach Meg is taking at Turner Enterprises.
Meg and her team are focused on expanding their planning footprint by bringing in operational data sources like weather metrics and inventory software. Instead of connecting everything at once, they’re evaluating how each new data source fits into the broader planning process before making a move.
That collaborative mindset shapes how Meg approaches scaling. Although she comes from an accounting background, she leans on her team and insights from peers, including those gained at Excelerate, to guide decisions about which systems and data sources to bring in next.
That same intentional, resource-conscious approach is also guiding Michael at the Kansas City Chiefs. His team has built a system that works well today, but they’re already thinking about how to evolve it sustainably.
“How do we take that next step to capitalize on the success we have now? Because we know that's not forever,” he said. The challenge is scaling for future needs while staying lean and avoiding waste if conditions change.
So, as your FP&A function expands, pause to evaluate which data sources to bring in, which use cases they’ll support and where they best fit within your planning system. And keep your costs in check, so you can scale without stretching your budget thin.
Your technology is only as powerful as your team’s ability to use it to get the insights they need. So, when selecting systems, choose one that is intuitive, integrates well with your existing platforms and supports scenario planning as your needs evolve.
Michael shared how Vena helped the Kansas City Chiefs move toward a more centralized and accessible planning system. He shared that having a “one-stop shop” for budgeting and reporting made a big difference in how the team operated.
Once Vena was in place, they then built an overlay on their CRM. This gave the corporate partnerships team better visibility into inventory and customer interactions. And with that insight, the finance team could see how close deals were to closing, and forecast with more accuracy.
Having centralized, easy-to-operate systems improved decision-making and gave finance a stronger presence during organization-wide conversations. As Michael put it, “They were able to bring us in and talk through decisions or new systems that people wanted to implement.”
Meg shared a similar experience at Turner Enterprises, where Vena served as both the input and output system for budgeting. By setting it up before their ERP migration, the team had a stable foundation to build on during their system change.
Improving your FP&A process isn’t a one-time project. It’s something you revisit, refine and evolve as your team, tools and business needs change.
Both Michael and Meg emphasized that lasting progress starts with a solid foundation: clear systems, connected data and consistent processes. That foundation allowed their teams to stop chasing manual tasks and start contributing to bigger-picture planning and shaping key business decisions.
Hear directly from finance leaders on how they transformed their finance functions to achieve operational excellence and strategic impact.
Watch NowJessica Tee Orika-Owunna is a content strategist and writer with over seven years of experience creating and repurposing relatable, helpful content for global brands including Contentsquare, Softr, Hotjar and Vena. She specializes in turning everyday product, user, and subject matter expert insights into product-led content that answers real buyer questions and supports better business outcomes.
