Check out these slides from a recent BrainSell webinar to learn how Sage Budgeting and Planning can eliminate time-consuming, error-prone spreadsheets and enable quicker, more informed business decisions.

1. CREATING MORE ACCURATE
BUDGETS AND FORECASTS

2. PRESENTERS
Kellie Pitt
Customer Success Manager
BrainSell
Gary Maher
Regional Sales Manager
Sage

3. AGENDA
• About BrainSell
• Definition of a Budget and Evaluation of Current Processes
• Common Challenges Companies Face
• The Problem with Excel Sheets
• Overview of Sage Budgeting and Planning
• Live Q&A

4. ABOUT BRAINSELL
• Founded in 1994
• Unbiased business software and process
consultants
• Specialize in end-to-end business software
and services
• We’re committed to understanding what
success means to you and helping you
achieve it

5. © 2018 The Sage Group plc or its licensors. All rights reserved.
Creating More Accurate
Budgets and Forecasts
Gary Maher
11/20/2018

6. © 2018 The Sage Group plc or its licensors. All rights reserved.
What is a Budget?
A roadmap for your organization to achieve its
strategic goals within its available resources.

7. © 2018 The Sage Group plc or its licensors. All rights reserved.
Is The Current Process Effective?
Most budgets are inefficient.
– Average time for budgeting and planning process is three to
five months
– Managers can spend up to 20% of their time budgeting &
planning

8. © 2018 The Sage Group plc or its licensors. All rights reserved.
Most Organizations Are Aware of Inefficiencies
– According to CFO Magazine 60% of Financial Professionals surveyed said
their budgeting process takes too long.
– Only 17% of respondents to a 2007 Budgeting & Forecasting Study by
PricewaterhouseCoopers are very satisfied with their company’s budgeting
process.

9. © 2018 The Sage Group plc or its licensors. All rights reserved.
Common Challenges Companies Face
Summary of Main Issues Being Faced:
• Takes too long (average process is 3-5 months)
• Numbers aren’t accurate
• Process is expensive
• Difficult to collaborate
• Contributors don’t see relevance
Think of your own planning and budgeting process?
Is it effective? Is it efficient?

10. © 2018 The Sage Group plc or its licensors. All rights reserved.
The Problem With Excel Sheets
Data is Decentralized
• Requires downloading and uploading (if possible)
• Requires re-keying of data
• No easy way to update
Lack of Control
• Budget manager brings together information then has to split out and send out
to individual areas via email
• Manual consolidations
• Little control over structure, timing, etc.
• Excel sheets are not secure (easy to share data)

11. © 2018 The Sage Group plc or its licensors. All rights reserved.
Process with Sage Budgeting and Planning
Ongoing data level link to all data sources
• No re-keying of data
• Refresh information as data changes
Participants access data and provide input via web
• Budget manager maintains control of who, when
• Instant updates and access when info is entered
• Automated consolidations
• Sheets are more secure
• More time for analysis & additional tools

12. © 2018 The Sage Group plc or its licensors. All rights reserved.
Sage Can Assist with the Automation
of Budgeting and Planning
Ongoing data level link to all data sources
• Automate population of data brought in manually saving time
• Allows the incorporation of data not previously used to make
budgets more accurate and useful
• Easier to keep data up to date and roll plans forward without
the need to start over

13. © 2018 The Sage Group plc or its licensors. All rights reserved.
Process Improvements from
Sage Budgeting and Planning
Automation Brings Control
• Web accessibility makes it easier for remote participants to be
involved
• Budget participants can only see and change data they have
been given permission to see and change.
• Status updates ensure process is being made
• Revision comparison tools make it easy to see what has
changed

14. © 2018 The Sage Group plc or its licensors. All rights reserved.
Process Improvements from
Sage Budgeting and Planning
Leverage Data More Easily
• Formula engine grabs data from wherever it exists to bring
together in customized, automated equations
• Leverage data from Sage, payroll, outside data sources,
entry fields and more
• Data can be entered once and brought throughout plan
• All historical data can be easily populated

15. © 2018 The Sage Group plc or its licensors. All rights reserved.
What Companies Are Saying
“It’s easy to move departments and consolidate divisions with Sage Budgeting and
Planning.”
“It is nice to finally have reliable numbers from a sound budgeting system.”
“It is so much easier to get people complete information this way. And we avoid bogging
down e-mail with spreadsheets flying back and forth as well.”
One company, with hundreds of local offices, reported a 75% time savings in their budget
process the first year.

16. Sage Budgeting and Planning Demo

17. Questions

18. THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!
For More Information
kpitt@brainsell.net
(866) 356-2654
www.brainsell.net
Follow us on Twitter: @BrainSell