From Numbers to Actions: How to translate your Excel model to actionable insights?

As an FP&A professional, your primary goal is to provide valuable insights that drive informed business decisions.

When translating numbers in your Excel model to actionable insights for your stakeholders, it is important to focus on the why, rather than the what. In other words, don’t just talk about what your Excel model does — talk about why it matters to your stakeholders.

To help you do this, I have developed a framework that focuses on three key areas: why this is important to your stakeholders, what business problem your model unveils, and the actions you suggest based on data.

1. Why is this important to your stakeholder?

The first step is to understand why this is important to your stakeholder. What are their goals and objectives? What challenges are they facing? By understanding their perspective, you can identify the most relevant data points and insights to present to them.