A practical programme for building robust finance workflows
Finance Team Accelerator exists to solve a very specific problem:
Finance teams are stuck working long hours and adding little value because they spend more time preparing data than using data.
Finance Team Accelerator changes that. Not by introducing new tools, but by changing the design and workflow processes.
Why Finance Team Accelerator exists
Most finance teams work hard, but their processes work against them.
The majority of finance work follows a familiar pattern:
- Data is exported from multiple systems
- Last month’s files are rolled forward
- The manual steps are repeated, adjusted and reworked
- Errors are discovered late, often under pressure
- Changes trigger large amounts of rework
Over time, the manual work accumulates. The processes grow, as does the time taken to achieve them.
It’s tempting to blame Excel, or the source system. However, they are rarely the issue. The problem is the workflow.
Finance Team Accelerator exists to give finance teams a clear, repeatable way to build reporting and analysis processes that work in the real world.
Which areas of finance are covered
Finance Team Accelerator deliberately focuses on the areas where teams lose the most time, and incur the most risk: reporting and analysis.
This includes tasks such as:
- Reconciliations
- Management and board reporting
- Journals and supporting schedules
- Variance analysis
- Budget vs actual comparisons
- Exception and anomaly detection
Anything that takes data inputs and produces an output fits within the scope.
Workflow before tools
Most people approach finance work by thinking about tools and features.
- Which Excel functions to use
- Which shortcuts to learn
- How many PivotTables are needed
Instead, Finance Team Accelerator starts with the workflow, then applies the tools and features which support it.
The central framework is the Reporting & Analysis Blueprint. This is a seven‑step framework that consistently creates robust finance processes.
Reporting & Analysis Blueprint
Learning Programme
Finance Team Accelerator is a structured learning programme:
A clear blueprint – Learn how to design robust finance processes using the Reporting & Analysis Blueprint.
Practical techniques at each stage – At each step, learn the concepts and techniques to create an optimized output for the next step.
A focus on real finance scenarios – Examples and exercises based on real finance tasks, not artificial demonstrations.
Automation without loss of control – Learn how to remove manual steps and create predictable, auditable outputs that are easy to understand.
Sensible use of AI – AI is used where it strengthens workflows. Everything taught works without AI, but it is used to enhance reliable workflows.
What’s included?
Finance Team Accelerator includes:
- 10 × 60‑minute live training sessions
All sessions are recorded and available for replay. - 10 × 30‑minute practical assignments
Designed to reinforce learning by applying concepts to real finance scenarios. - Access to a “How‑to” video library
Step‑by‑step walkthroughs for applying techniques in specific, common situations. - Office Hours calls
Dedicated sessions to ask questions, troubleshoot issues, and get practical advice.
Syllabus
Session #1: Reporting & Analysis Blueprint
This session explores why typical finance processes are inefficient and introduces the Reporting & Analysis Blueprint as a framework for designing robust, repeatable reporting and analysis workflows.
Session #2: Optimal data structure and input control
This session builds the data foundations required for reliable reporting and analysis. It focuses on what a good data structure looks like in practice and how input control is used to ensure smooth-running automations.
Session #3: Reshape I – Connect, clean and load data
This session introduces the practical mechanics of turning raw inputs into structured data. It introduces Power Query as the primary tool for reshaping data in a repeatable, auditable way.
Session #4: Reshape II – Combining dynamic data sources
This session focuses on combining inputs from multiple sources and creating dynamic connections, allowing reports to be easily repointed as data sources change over time.
Session #5: Calculate I – Reusable formula patterns
This session looks at how and where calculations should be performed. It introduces repeatable calculation patterns that automatically scale with new data and reduce complexity in downstream reports.
Session #6: Calculate II – Get flexible analysis faster
This session shows why good structure matters more than complex formulas. It introduces data modelling techniques and shows how centralising data and calculations creates a single source of truth.
Session #7: Clear visual communication
This session focuses on creating clear, consistent, auto‑updating visualisations that support control, analysis and decision‑making.
Session #8: Improved insight & reporting
This session focuses on adding value once the numbers are available. It covers identifying outliers and anomalies, enabling faster reconciliations, delivering meaningful insight, supporting downflow processes, and shortening reporting cycles.
Session #9: Build end-to-end processes with an Automation Toolkit
This session introduces the Unix Philosophy as a way of designing finance workflows. It focuses on building simple, reusable components that can be combined into robust, adaptable end‑to‑end processes.
Session #10: Embed and empower for lasting change
This session focuses on embedding the Finance Team Accelerator approach over time. It covers how to create lasting change, engaging and empowering other team members and measuring success.
Who is it for?
Finance Team Accelerator is designed for finance professionals who are responsible for recurring reporting, analysis and control, and who want those processes to be reliable, scalable and easier to manage over time.
It is particularly well-suited to the following roles.
- Finance directors
- Heads of finance
- Financial controllers
- FP&A professionals
- Management accountants
- Commercial finance & business partners
- Finance managers & team leads
- Senior finance analysts
If your role involves taking data from multiple sources and turning it into trusted outputs, then Finance Team Accelerator is built for you.
Who is it not for?
Finance Team Accelerator is built to achieve targeted outcomes. Therefore, it is not designed to suit everyone.
It may not be a good fit if:
- You are looking for Excel tips, tricks and shortcuts.
- You want results, but aren’t willing to change how you work.
- Your work is almost entirely ad-hoc and one-off actions.
- You believe new software or tools are the solution.
- You don’t want to take accountability for outputs.
Finance Team Accelerator is about building repeatable processes you can trust.
The outcome
By the end of Finance Team Accelerator, you will be able to:
- Build finance processes that are repeatable, transparent, auditable, adaptable, and fast enough.
- Apply a consistent workflow across reporting and analysis tasks
- Reduce manual intervention to near zero for recurring work
- Use automation, and AI where appropriate, without losing control
- Spend far less time preparing data and far more time understanding it