Empowering Finance Leaders: Transforming Finance & Reclaiming Weekends with Philip Bichard
It may sound to many like an impossibility to give finance leaders their weekends back. And maybe it is for some, but Sempre Analytics Principal Consultant Philip Bichard is not like other Planning Analytics experts. His tenacity and expertise when problem-solving for clients have earned him a global reputation for excellence amongst his peers.
Like many finance teams operating across multiple countries and legacy systems, the challenge was not only technical but also about scaling processes, eliminating manual rework and restoring strategic focus.
Philip brings a wealth of experience to the table, with over 25 years working across IBM’s planning platforms, from legacy Cognos Planning (TM1) through to IBM Planning Analytics. Before joining Sempre, Philip developed planning analytics models for esteemed investment banking institutions and prestigious fashion houses.
Transforming Financial Landscapes
At Sempre Analytics, Philip worked with CPM and Credera, two giants of the global marketing communications group, Omnicom. Credera is a full-service consulting firm that operates at the intersection of strategy, innovation, data and technology. CPM deliver insight-led sales, marketing and customer experience strategies. While both organisations were moving to IBM Planning Analytics, they were starting from different places. CPM was transitioning from the legacy Cognos Planning platform, while Credera was upgrading an existing TM1 environment. Both needed the transition completed within a tight four-month window. What began as a UK-centric endeavour swiftly evolved into a global phenomenon, with IBM Planning Analytics implemented across seven countries.
The models, crafted with meticulous precision, offered a consolidated view of financial operations, empowering senior finance professionals to review both high-level insights and granular details. Change is not always welcome, and along the journey, initial resistance and roadblocks were surmounted through the delivery of a model that improved upon the existing Cognos Planning solution.
Planning Analytics (TM1): A Catalyst for Change
Despite initial apprehension, IBM Planning Analytics emerged as a game-changer, revolutionising financial operations and prompting a hunger for more transformative features. Its implementation marked a significant shift in business operations at the two consultancies, empowering finance leaders to make informed decisions with clarity and confidence. This represented a pivotal change in the way financial operations were conducted.
Navigating Challenges: Overcoming Obstacles for Success
As with any transformative journey, the move to IBM Planning Analytics brought its own set of hurdles. For CPM, this meant transitioning from the legacy Cognos Planning platform, while Credera faced the challenge of modernising and scaling an existing TM1 environment. With years of experience to draw on when solving complex business challenges, it was possible to implement practical solutions that delivered real value for the business.
The teams were working within a complex day-rate consulting model and needed deep insight into profitability, resource utilisation and staffing decisions, all while ensuring performance and reliability of the new system.
- Business Model and Profitability: Determining the profitability at the consultancies was no easy feat, given the complex day-rate business model and overhead allocation. However, through strategic financial planning and cost management, the teams successfully identified key metrics for profitability and resource utilisation, driving financial transparency and accountability at the firms.
- Human Resource Planning: The intricacies of human resource planning, from hiring to promotion decisions, presented additional challenges for the teams. Yet, with careful consideration of staffing needs and operational impact, they devised comprehensive HR strategies that aligned with the project’s objectives and overarching business goals.
- Planning Analytics (TM1) Implementation and System Performance: The initial challenges with the Planning Analytics (TM1) implementation, including sluggish performance and system inefficiencies, threatened to derail the project. However, through Philip’s expertise and relentless dedication, significant re-engineering efforts were undertaken to enhance system reliability, speed, and agility, ultimately ensuring a seamless transition to Planning Analytics (TM1).
Conclusion: Elevating Financial Excellence
In revisiting the transition to IBM Planning Analytics across CPM and Credera, orchestrated by Sempre Analytics Principal Consultant Philip Bichard, the outcomes have been significant. The transformation ushered in new efficiencies, empowering the client with streamlined financial operations, global expansion capabilities, and heightened client satisfaction. What began as a UK-centric endeavour quickly evolved into a global rollout. IBM Planning Analytics (TM1) was implemented across seven countries. Finance teams flagged that planning cycles that once took days were consistently shortened, and the ability to see both high level and detailed performance data reduced time spent on manual reconciliation and analysis. The meticulously crafted models offered scalability and adaptability, laying the groundwork for future growth and expansion on a global scale. From time-consuming processes to running practice-level profit and loss analyses, the value derived has been transformative, enabling smart decisions and positioning them for continued success.
At its core, this transformation was not just about better technology but about giving finance leaders the confidence and clarity to plan, challenge assumptions and lead with certainty.
