The 2026 FP&A Impact Report
FP&A teams are at an inflection point. Fragmented data, limited operational alignment, and an influx of new AI adoption mandates are preventing finance teams from helping their organizations act decisively.
After surveying 400+ finance leaders, we learned that even mature FP&A teams can hit a ceiling if they focus only on improving planning cycles rather than driving decision and execution velocity at the speed of change.
"What this year’s report makes clear is that without solving the underlying data and collaboration challenges, even the most ambitious finance teams will hit a ceiling. The path forward requires Finance to better orchestrate people, processes, data and AI so insights can move through the organization into timely, coordinated action."
Melissa Howatson, CFO, Vena
Key Takeaways
- Strategic Impact
- Data and Systems
- AI Adoption
- Forecasting
Strategic Impact
Most FP&A teams are stuck between basic and best-in-class maturity and are not yet helping the business make and act on decisions fast enough.
61% of FP&A teams are still viewed as reporting functions or financial advisors, not strategic business partners.
Data and Systems
Access to the right data remains the biggest barrier to effective planning and decision-making.
58% of teams cite data quality and availability as their top bottleneck impeding FP&A processes, and 73% rank it among their top three technology challenges.
AI Adoption
AI is accelerating insight, but most companies lack the data foundation needed to act on it with confidence.
70% of organizations have executive-level mandates to adopt AI in their finance function, yet more than half report only moderate or limited integration between their FP&A tools and source systems.
Forecasting
Forecast accuracy and delivery remains a persistent challenge across FP&A teams.
52% of organizations report revenue forecast variances greater than 6%. What’s more, 45% of respondents said it takes their FP&A team a week or more to deliver a decision-ready forecast when market conditions change unexpectedly.
The State of FP&A: What Finance Leaders Are Saying
“We do a good job forecasting and reporting on the business, but more partnering/adding value to partners would take it to the next level.”
Survey Respondent in the Technology Industry
“We are excellent at the basics such as budgeting and reporting. We do not have advanced tools to move to proper periodic or rolling forecasts.”
Survey Respondent in the Retail Industry
“Moving from an annual budget with no forecast to a rolling forecast that’s continually updated is a significant culture shift.”
Survey Respondent in the Manufacturing Industry
What Best-in-Class FP&A Teams Do Differently
Most FP&A Teams — Leading FP&A Teams
Most FP&A Teams
Leading FP&A Teams
Data is fragmented across ERP, CRM, HRIS and spreadsheets
Financial and operational data is connected in real time across systems
Planning happens in monthly or quarterly cycles
Planning is continuous, with decisions updated as conditions change
FP&A teams spend precious time gathering and validating data
AI and automation handle data prep, freeing teams to focus on insights
FP&A gets visibility into the broader business mostly through meetings and email
FP&A is embedded in business workflows with shared ownership of plans
FP&A’s oversight ends when reports are delivered and handed off to business units
FP&A stays connected across the business through decision making, action and performance follow-up
Most FP&A Teams
Data is fragmented across ERP, CRM, HRIS and spreadsheets
Planning happens in monthly or quarterly cycles
FP&A teams spend precious time gathering and validating data
FP&A gets visibility into the broader business mostly through meetings and email
FP&A’s oversight ends when reports are delivered and handed off to business units
Leading FP&A Teams
Financial and operational data is connected in real time across systems
Planning is continuous, with decisions updated as conditions change
AI and automation handle data prep, freeing teams to focus on insights
FP&A is embedded in business workflows with shared ownership of plans
FP&A stays connected across the business through decision making, action and performance follow-up
Explore the Data for Yourself
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Frequently Asked Questions
The report provides benchmark data from 400+ finance leaders on FP&A maturity, AI adoption, forecasting accuracy, annual planning processes, data challenges, and more. It highlights where teams are falling short and what leading organizations are doing differently.
The report identifies data quality and availability, system integration gaps, manual processes and limited cross-functional alignment as the top barriers preventing FP&A teams from reaching their fullest potential.
Decision latency is the gap between when an insight is available and when the business can act on it. It’s the difference between the business knowing what to do when a market signal changes and actually doing it. In practice, this may be more of an orchestration problem than a connectivity problem: the data exists, but is not reaching the right people, workflows, or decision points quickly enough.
To combat decision latency, finance teams need to successfully orchestrate people, processes, data and AI so decisions can quickly move into coordinated action across the enterprise.
This report is designed for CFOs, FP&A leaders, finance professionals and business executives responsible for planning, forecasting and performance management.
Yes, the full report is available as a free download and provides detailed benchmarks, insights and recommendations for addressing the most pressing challenges facing FP&A teams, based on input from over 400 finance professionals across the globe.
If you’re interested in learning how Vena can help your team improve planning, forecasting and decision-making, you can request a free demo. We’ll walk through your current processes, share relevant use cases and show how leading FP&A teams are putting these practices into action.