One Thing I’d Change About How Finance Functions Are Structured Today

I’ll say it: most finance teams are built to report on the business, not to drive it.

That’s the one thing I’d change.

Too many functions are still structured like it’s 2003—hierarchies built to deliver variance reports and close books, not to influence what actually happens next.

I’ve worked inside these teams. I’ve consulted for them. And here’s what happens:

• The monthly close gets faster—but no one knows what’s driving the numbers.
• The dashboards get flashier—but the models don’t drive decisions.
• The headcount grows—but the impact doesn’t.

The result? A finance function that’s technically sound and strategically irrelevant.

It doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, the best CFOs I work with are already rebuilding their functions—from reporting centers into operating partners.

Here’s what I’d change—and how to do it.

The Problem: Reporting-Centric Structures Kill Agility

Most finance orgs today are built around this flow:

Stage	Owner	Goal
Data collection	Accounting	Accurate close
Reporting	FP&A analysts	Timely variance reports
Board prep	CFO/Controller	Align board metrics
Insights	??? (no owner)	Often missing or ad hoc
Action	Business leads	Disconnected from Finance

You see the gap, right?

Insights and action are afterthoughts.

Everyone’s busy closing books and building decks. But no one owns connecting the numbers to decisions.

That’s the structural flaw I’d fix first.

The Shift: From Reporting Factory to Decision Support Engine

If I were designing a modern finance org from scratch, here’s how I’d structure it:

Team/Function	Primary Mission
Core Accounting	Accurate, timely close
Data Engineering	Clean, automated data pipelines
FP&A Analysts	Business modeling + scenario design
Finance Business Partners	Drive insights into decisions
CFO	Strategic leadership + alignment

The key shift? Finance Business Partners as core operators—not reporting clerks.

Why It Matters: The Speed of Business Has Changed

When leadership needs to pivot:

• Pricing model breaks?
• Churn spikes?
• New geo opens?
• COGS shifts?

They can’t wait for a quarterly variance review.

They need Finance in the room before decisions get made—running scenarios, stress-testing assumptions, pressure-testing plans.

And that requires a structure built for it.

Practical Tips for Building a Modern Finance Org

Here’s what I’ve seen work in the best finance teams I’ve worked with and consulted for:

1. Split Reporting vs. Decision Support

• Create clear swim lanes.
• Reporting team owns accuracy + timeliness.
• Business partners own insights + decision support.

Why: Different muscles. Different mindsets.

A quick story: One client had a talented FP&A analyst who built gorgeous decks. But they kept getting sidelined in pricing discussions. Why? Because leadership saw them as a “reporting resource.” We restructured. Moved them into the business partnering team. Within one quarter, they were leading pricing scenario discussions—not just reporting on them. One shift in role framing changed their strategic impact.

2. Build Data Pipelines That Scale

• Invest in Power Query or BI tools early.
• Automate routine data prep.
• Free analysts to model, not clean data.

Why: Analysts stuck in spreadsheet purgatory can’t be strategic.

3. Push Finance Closer to Operators

• Embed business partners with key leaders.
• Have them attend product, marketing, sales reviews.
• Tie their performance to business outcomes, not just reporting deadlines.

Why: Proximity = relevance.

4. Train Analysts to Think Like Operators

• Teach them to ask: “So what?” and “Now what?”
• Focus on implications and options, not just accuracy.

Why: CFOs don’t promote number crunchers. They promote decision influencers.

5. Invest in Modeling as a Core Skill

• Build a modeling academy internally.
• Focus on Excel and business modeling.
• Teach dynamic scenario planning.

Why: Fast, flexible modeling is what makes Finance indispensable.

One Example: A $75M SaaS Company I Worked With

They had a classic reporting factory. Strong FP&A team—but stuck in the variance-reporting cycle.

Revenue growth had plateaued. Board was frustrated.

We restructured:

• Split reporting vs. decision support teams.
• Embedded Finance partners with product and GTM.
• Automated core data prep.
• Trained analysts to drive scenario modeling.

Result? Within two quarters:

• Time-to-insight dropped by 70%.
• Finance became the first team product called when exploring pricing changes.
• Board feedback shifted: “Finance is driving strategy now.”

Why CFOs and Operators Should Act Now

Here’s the risk: If your Finance team is structured like it’s 2003, your operators will build their own shadow models.

That’s how trust erodes. That’s how Finance gets sidelined.

The opportunity? Build Finance as a decision support engine:

• Trusted.
• Fast.
• Embedded.
• Forward-looking.

That’s the model that wins boardrooms today.

Design for Impact, Not Just Accuracy

I wrote this because I see too many Finance teams trapped in old structures—and burning out good people trying to keep up.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

You can build a Finance org that’s:

• More accurate.
• More agile.
• More trusted.
• More impactful.

But it takes conscious design.

If this article gave you new ways to think about your Finance function, please share it. I put real time into this because I want more CFOs and operators building modern, trusted, strategic Finance teams—not just faster reporting factories.

And if you want to go deeper—whether it’s building a better Finance org, sharpening your team’s modeling game, or scaling your own career impact—I offer 1:1 consulting for Finance pros ready to level up. DM me if you want to talk.

And here’s one last question: If your operators are building their own models—why aren’t they calling Finance first?

If they’re not—it’s time to change that. Now.