Planning
Is Not an Annual Ritual. In Uncertain Times, It Is How You Steer the Business.
Geopolitics,
energy prices, pressure on margins, interest rates: business conditions are
changing faster than a traditional budgeting process can capture. Companies
that only report on what has already happened are steering through the
rear-view mirror. Those that plan through integrated, driver-based models and
scenarios preserve their room to act.
This Is Not a Temporary Situation
The
Deloitte European CFO Survey from spring 2026, covering more than 1,100 CFOs
across twelve European countries, including Switzerland, makes this clear. The
share of CFOs who are more pessimistic about their company’s financial
prospects than three months earlier rose from 25 to 48 %, the highest
level since the 2022 energy crisis. 76 % rate external financial
and economic uncertainty as high or very high. 85 % believe this
is not the right time to take on additional balance sheet risk. The most widely
used approach to managing this uncertainty is scenario analysis and impact
assessment, used by 51 % of respondents.
At the same
time, operational reality falls short of ambition. A Grant Thornton survey of
530 UK CFOs paints a similar picture: only 35 % feel very confident in
their ability to manage the risks of global volatility over the next twelve
months. According to the same study, the ability to deliver reliable forecasts
in volatile conditions is the leading criterion against which boards assess
their CFOs. Yet this is precisely where the obstacles lie: manual processes (35 %), limited capacity (33 %) and unsuitable models hold back
scenario planning.
The pattern
is familiar and remains relevant. Uncertainty is the norm. Organisations that
can still make decisions stand apart through faster, more rigorous planning
around the drivers they can influence, rather than better predictions of world
events.
Why a Stronger Focus on Planning Matters Now
There are
three reasons why planning offers more leverage in a difficult environment than
cost-cutting alone or additional reporting.
Decisions
need alternatives, not a single-point forecast. An annual budget finalised in November can
become outdated as soon as the first external shock hits. Rolling forecasts and
two or three fully modelled scenarios, such as a drop in demand, rising costs
or a shift in product mix, reveal the financial impact before a decision is
made. The value lies in having thought through the response, rather than
correctly predicting which scenario will unfold.
Margins
are shaped where Sales, Operations and Finance meet. In an environment where revenue
often continues to grow while margins come under pressure, isolated financial
planning is not enough. In Deloitte’s survey, 36 % expect margins to
decline, while only 35 % expect an improvement. Integrated planning
connects sales volumes, production, procurement and workforce planning with the
income statement and liquidity. Variances are traced back to the underlying
driver, rather than simply assigned to a cost centre.
Speed
matters more than precision to the second decimal place. Excel-based systems with SQL and
Access layers can be manageable in stable years. Under uncertainty, they become
a bottleneck: repeated reconciliation, conflicting versions and no shared set
of figures. The real advantage comes from shortening planning cycles from weeks
to days and adjusting course throughout the year, rather than producing a
better-looking dashboard.
An American
Express survey of almost 1,000 finance leaders in 14 countries confirms this
shift. Within a year, the share prioritising better forecasting in response to
working capital pressure rose from 32 to 44 %. Automation increased from
32 to 43 %. The focus is moving towards areas where Finance can make a
direct difference.
What This Requires In Practice
Effective planning in this environment is an operating model, rather than another software project:
- A shared data foundation instead of competing versions of the truth in Excel.
- Driver-based models that calculate what-if scenarios in hours rather than weeks.
- Planning cycles throughout the year that become routine.
- AI that identifies patterns in historical data, flags outliers and proposes forecasts, with explainable and traceable results rather than a black box.
- People who keep the model running, even when the internal team has no capacity to spare.
This is
where it becomes clear whether digitalisation in Finance remains a slide
presentation or becomes part of the monthly close.
What We Bring: Jedox, Interim Controlling and AI in Daily Operations
As a Jedox
Diamond Partner, we use the platform where planning, forecasting and
performance management need to work together. Jedox combines integrated
planning logic with prebuilt AI modules, a transparent forecasting engine and
connections to existing systems such as SAP. Business teams can work with the
interface themselves. Finance remains in control.
Our work
with Mitsui Chemicals Europe shows what this looks like in practice. The
existing Excel, SQL and Access environment was replaced with a Jedox
application that supports sales planning across a diverse portfolio spanning
Automotive, Food, Packaging and Healthcare, at a level of detail that had
previously been impossible. In the next step, despite an initially limited data
history, the AI-supported forecasting module achieved 95 % forecast
accuracy for key product groups after three years of SAP data had been migrated
and prepared. Sascha Geng, Director of Performance Controlling, explains: “With
Jedox, we can plan at a level of detail that was not possible before. The AI
engine delivers highly accurate forecasts, and we see significant potential for
further optimisation and automation.”
Technology
alone does not close the gap. That is why interim controlling is an accelerator
for us, rather than a stopgap. HICO experts join the team temporarily, bringing
the methodology, models and implementation expertise, and leave behind a system
the in-house controlling team can continue to run. They provide skills,
flexibility and speed precisely when the digital development of Finance and
Controlling cannot wait for the next budget cycle.
AI is
embedded in the forecasting logic, data preparation and the way we shorten
planning cycles. It is part of the work, rather than an add-on at the edges.
The conditions remain the same: it must be transparent, connected to business
logic and under the team’s control.
The Practical Next Step
Companies
that merely observe uncertainty lose pace. Those that translate it into
scenarios, business drivers and shorter planning cycles can decide earlier and
with a stronger rationale. This is a matter of capability, regardless of the
economic cycle.
If your
planning process still revolves around the annual budget, your scenarios live
in Excel or your team simply lacks the capacity to take the next step, that is
exactly where we can help. As a Jedox Diamond Partner, with interim controlling
that accelerates digital progress and AI that works inside the model rather
than just appearing in the presentation.