From Fragmentation to Focus: Revolutionizing Forecasting, Reporting, and Month-End Processes
At Synamedia, inefficiencies in reporting and forecasting were holding the business back. Power BI, implemented a year prior, was underutilized, with only the Head of FP&A able to extract value from it. Meanwhile, the Anaplan model, developed by a third-party partner, failed to meet the organization’s unique needs.
The result? Disjointed systems, a lack of real-time insights, and prolonged reporting cycles that drained resources and left little time for strategic decision-making.
From:
- A 2-3 week manual process to create the management board pack.
- Power BI dashboards that were too complex for most teams to use.
- Month-end cycles extending 6-7 days due to manual corrections and inefficiencies.
- An Anaplan model that failed to support Synamedia’s revenue and cost forecasting needs.
To:
- Automated board pack creation in 2 minutes, with dynamic, customizable features.
- Power BI dashboards adopted across FP&A, operations, sales, and marketing teams.
- Month-end cycles reduced to 3-4 days, enabling timely strategic discussions.
- A redesigned Anaplan model tailored to Synamedia’s professional services business.
Here’s how Akshar Business Consulting partnered with Synamedia to deliver this transformation.
The Challenge: Fragmented Systems and Processes
When Tejas joined Synamedia as an FP&A Modeller, he faced several challenges:
- Power BI Underutilization: The existing dashboards were overly complex and inaccessible to teams outside FP&A. This left operational, sales, and marketing teams unable to leverage critical insights.
- Inefficient Reporting: Compiling the management board pack required 2-3 weeks of manual effort, leaving no time for meaningful analysis or strategy.
- Anaplan Implementation Issues: The third-party partner’s Anaplan model didn’t align with Synamedia’s needs, failing to support revenue forecasting, cost planning, or workforce modeling.
- Prolonged Month-End Cycles: Without integrated systems, consolidating and reconciling data was a time-consuming process prone to errors.
These inefficiencies were not just operational—they were strategic roadblocks, preventing Synamedia from realizing its full potential.
The Solution: Integration and Automation
Rebuilding Power BI for Accessibility and Actionability
Tejas began by completely redesigning Power BI to create a system that worked for the entire organization:
- User-Friendly Dashboards: The new dashboards catered to FP&A, operations, sales, and marketing teams, delivering actionable insights tailored to each function.
- Collaboration Across Regions: Tejas worked with teams in the US and EMEA to ensure the dashboards addressed global business needs.
- Automated Board Pack Generation: Power BI was integrated with Excel to automate the creation of the management board pack, reducing the process from 2-3 weeks to just 2 minutes.
Rescuing the Anaplan Implementation
When the third-party Anaplan model failed to deliver, Tejas stepped in to redesign it:
- Custom Revenue Forecasting: Developed a model to handle four revenue streams—fixed monthly, fixed plus variable, fully variable, and ad hoc—forecasted by client, start date, and end date.
- Workforce Planning: Designed headcount-level workforce planning models to integrate with cost forecasting.
- Seamless Integration: Linked Anaplan with Power BI, enabling real-time analysis of forecasts against actuals.
Streamlining Month-End Processes
By integrating Power BI, Anaplan, and the ERP (Microsoft Dynamics), Tejas introduced efficiencies that transformed Synamedia’s month-end cycle:
- Real-Time Consolidation: Consolidated numbers were accessible even before the ERP officially closed, allowing finance business partners to review and sign off earlier.
- Proactive Collaboration: Early reviews reduced errors, minimized rework, and prevented books from being reopened.
- Strategic Focus: Freed from operational firefighting, board meetings shifted toward actionable insights and growth opportunities.
The Results: Transformational Outcomes
The collaboration between Synamedia and Akshar Business Consulting delivered high-impact results:
- Efficient Reporting: The management board pack, once a 2-3 week effort, was now generated in just 2 minutes, with flexibility for dynamic updates.
- Enhanced Month-End Cycles: Month-end processes were reduced from 6-7 days to just 3-4 days, enabling faster, more informed decision-making.
- Team-Wide Adoption: Redesigned Power BI dashboards empowered teams across FP&A, operations, sales, and marketing.
- Improved Forecasting: The Anaplan model addressed revenue and cost forecasting at a granular level, creating precise, actionable insights.
- Strategic Discussions: Board meetings evolved from operational troubleshooting to forward-looking, strategic discussions.
In Their Words: A Tool That Transformed Processes
Alex Fulcher, Financial Controller at Synamedia, shared his experience:
“Tejas helped develop Synamedia’s Anaplan data model while working in the FP&A team. His accounting background and technical expertise were invaluable. He built an Anaplan-to-Power BI-powered pivot table on Excel that I still use today. It’s an extremely useful tool for seeing both ‘the big picture’ and diving into the details when reviewing monthly financial performance. His dedication and insights made a significant impact on our processes.”
Conclusion: From Chaos to Clarity
For Synamedia, this wasn’t just an upgrade in tools—it was a transformation in how the business approached forecasting, reporting, and decision-making.
By creating a single source of truth through integrated Power BI and Anaplan models, Akshar Business Consulting empowered Synamedia to focus on what truly matters: driving business growth.
This case study highlights the power of thoughtful integration and collaboration in overcoming operational inefficiencies and enabling strategic success.
