Implementing Power BI at Government Regulation Organisation
Overview
A particular government regulation organisation encountered notable challenges in managing a $10 million program, which was part of their $24-25 million strategic transformation spanning three years. The scale of this program, combined with the transition to a new ERP system and changes in the finance department structure, led to limited financial visibility, cumbersome processes, and strained inter-departmental relations. The lack of established financial practices further complicated expenditure tracking and milestone assessment.
To address these issues, this organisation engaged Kirsty from Pi on a Plate to implement transformation program financial reporting using Power BI. This initiative created financial visibility, streamlined forecasting, improved financial data management, and empowered the program team with self-sufficiency and the ability to make informed program investment decisions. The implementation facilitated efficient program reviews, enhanced information flow between departments, and strengthened financial management capabilities, ensuring sustainable long-term success. This solution also created a new financial reporting benchmark within the organisation, which extended beyond just program reporting.
The Driver
Operational management
They needed the ability to review actuals, forecast, and variance at a granular level and update it regularly;
Strategic Management
It was vital that they had the ability to review financial performance across the program to ensure the efficient strategic investment of funds.
Solid governance
It was a strong requirement that they manage the program with all the flexibility a dynamic and transient program needs while sustaining strong governance and transparent reporting to the steering committee.
With no data, no processes, and extremely limited reporting, the government regulator required support to develop a customised best practice solution that could be implemented in the shortest time frame possible. Kirsty was engaged to develop and implement comprehensive financial reporting and dashboarding solutions for the transformation program. Her previous success in a similar role at a $500 million transformation program underscored her capability. Kirsty brought with her not just extensive knowledge in data analytics and PowerBI but also deep financial management experience, a strong ability to engage with internal teams across departments and an ability to be able to think through and draft solutions that helped contribute to the success of the program. Following a detailed consultation process, Kirsty introduced structured reporting frameworks that provided real-time visibility into expenditure, milestones, and outcomes within a tight time frame. Kirsty’s combined cross-section of skills and experience was vital and highlighted by the client as the key to the success of the implementation.
Onboarding Context
Finance transitioned to a new ERP system and changes to the financial team structure.
Financial information was scarce, confusing, and difficult to validate. No efficient way to compare actuals to budget/forecast to identify variance drivers.
Conflicting financial reporting issues impacting program forecasting, investment decision making and steering committee (governance) oversight.
Key Reporting Areas Covered
Project Financial Performance
Actuals:
Pulled from ERP via manual extract.
Forecast/Budget:
Managed using an Excel template
Purchase Order Reporting
Integration from ERP/Smartsheet:
Combined information from both systems.
Project Accruals
Addressing data inconsistencies and manual processes.
Data Quality Analysis
Ensuring data integrity and identifying risks.
Data quality analysis was crucial due to challenges such as new system implementation, poor data entry, and manually maintained data sources. These reports enabled the Program Management Office to review data before use, identifying any risks in data quality prior to making decisions. This proactive approach ensured the integrity of data used for financial management and decision-making.
By covering these key areas, the reporting framework established a comprehensive and reliable system for managing and analysing financial data, significantly improving the government regulator’s financial oversight and decision-making capabilities at all levels.
“The ability to produce multiple views or dashboards depending on your audience was invaluable. We could easily drill down from a high-level overview to detailed insights.”
Complexities
Integration of finance systems and Excel spreadsheets required.
Changes to the financial team structure caused clarity issues.
Near-live updates needed during review meetings for effective forecasting and senior management direction.
Data challenges included incompleteness, inconsistencies, and misalignments.
Detailed drill-down from summary to transaction-level data was essential.
Approach
The approach focused on maximising the data from the ERP as the primary source of truth to ensure the most reliable and consistent data was used for reporting and analysis. To address gaps in the ERP, existing data sources, such as registers in spreadsheets, were utilised to provide a comprehensive view of the financial landscape. By introducing complementary information but not modifying the financial information, reporting remained consistent between Finance and Transformation without compromising on the complexities required for effective financial management in the Program.
New templates were built to standardise data input and maximise data quality for the non-ERP sources. These templates were designed to be user-friendly and customisable, ensuring they met the specific needs of the organisation and reduced the change impact on the team. A central point of integration was established using the Purchase Order Number, which linked all key data sources, including actuals, budget, and forecast. This integration facilitated seamless data flow and consistency across reports.
Finance was actively involved throughout the process, including the CFO and finance team. Their input, contribution, and support were encouraged to ensure the final outcomes were aligned with financial objectives and requirements. This collaborative approach helped build trust and gain buy-in from the finance team. It also offered a further opportunity to reduce finance activities by automating the month-end accrual process for all open purchase orders.
The model was also designed to be almost entirely sustainable by the Program Management Office (PMO), ensuring that non-finance and non-analytics personnel could manage and utilise it effectively. This sustainability was crucial for the long-term success and independence of the Program to deliver financially sustainable outcomes, enabling Finance support to focus on advisory rather than transactional processing.
Five suites of reports were developed to cater to different reporting needs. A high-level report was created for the governing body, highlighting key points of interest. A suite of reports that drilled down from program level to transaction level was designed to facilitate the resolution of risks and opportunities in a one-hour monthly meeting, serving as a financial triage process for the financial leadership team, including the PMO Manager, Transformation Director, and Project Managers. Accrual reports were generated to accurately create the required accruals across all contracts, addressing previous inaccuracies caused by centralising accruals to Finance. Data quality reports were also developed to ensure the integrity of the data used for decision-making.
These reports were seamlessly transformed into quality, real-time dashboards using Power BI. This transition enabled dynamic data visualisation and instant access to key metrics, empowering stakeholders to make informed decisions with up-to-the-minute information. The new Power BI dashboards not only maintain the integrity and detail of the original reports but also enhance usability and interactivity, providing a more efficient and insightful reporting experience for the entire organisation.
This comprehensive approach ensured that all aspects of financial management were covered, enabling effective forecasting and reporting to inform operational and strategic decision-making.
Significant Business Impact
This government regulator experienced significant benefits through the new reporting initiatives and their consultation with Kirsty. The implementation of robust financial reporting enhanced financial governance, empowering the Transformation Director, PMO and Executive Sponsors with critical insights for proactive decision-making and ensuring alignment with budgetary constraints. This initiative also led to notable operational transformation, improving efficiency and strategic alignment. As a result, this organisation successfully maintained focus on its transformation initiatives, ensuring they progressed smoothly within budgetary limits.
The following is a snapshot of the benefits of this implementation and the significant impact it had on the business:
Efficient Forecasting
Benefit
Ability to complete real-time forecast uploads at a granular level (resource, employee, or purchase order).
Impact
Enabled complete program-wide review in a monthly 1-hour meeting, refining forecasts and managing overruns/excess funds. Forecasting effort reduced from days to hours.
Clear Process for Finance
Benefit
Set a clear process for Finance to provide necessary data and timing.
Impact
Simplified process, ensured consistent information delivery between departments, and increased accountability to both Finance and Transformation.
Self-Sufficient Function
Benefit
Enabled the program team to manage finances independently, request transfers, challenge incorrect accruals, and address funding concerns proactively.
Impact
Increased team capability to handle finances independently, addressing issues proactively before escalation.
Efficient and timely decision-making
Benefit
Enabled the business to quickly respond to opportunities and challenges throughout the transformation journey
Impact
Successful program implementation with fewer errors along the way.
Bringing expert insight and the ability to transform recommendations into significant business outcomes was a key point highlighted by the client when summarising his experience with Kirsty. Her diverse skillset meant that data integration was seamless, reporting was comprehensive and easily accessible, covering all financial aspects, clear processes were implemented for consistent data management, and thorough training and support empowered the PMO to manage and utilise the reports independently.
“Kirsty’s ability to translate complex financial data into actionable insights was instrumental in our transformation journey. She is full of personality, gives everything a red-hot go and always delivers. Her proactive approach and deep understanding of both financial management and data analytics allowed us not only to meet but exceed our program goals. She knows data and can convert it into something really consumable so that people can make informed decisions. I would highly recommend her, every day of the week!”
| Benefit | Impact | |
| Efficient Forecasting | Ability to complete real-time forecast uploads at a granular level (resource, employee, or purchase order). | Enabled complete program-wide review in a monthly 1-hour meeting, refining forecasts and managing overruns/excess funds. Forecasting effort reduced from days to hours. |
| Clear Process for Finance | Set a clear process for Finance to provide necessary data and timing. | Simplified process, ensured consistent information delivery between departments, and increased accountability to both Finance and Transformation. |
| Self-Sufficient Function | Enabled the program team to manage finances independently, request transfers, challenge incorrect accruals, and address funding concerns proactively. | Increased team capability to handle finances independently, addressing issues proactively before escalation. |
| Efficient and timely decision-making | Enabled the business to quickly respond to opportunities and challenges throughout the transformation journey | Successful program implementation with fewer errors along the way. |