Why finance leaders must adapt to real-time decision-making
Finance has always valued precision and control. But in today’s environment, it also has to value speed.
Markets move in real time. Supply chains fluctuate by the hour. Rates, costs, and customer demand change faster than traditional planning cycles can handle. Yet many finance processes are still tied to monthly or quarterly rhythms — when decisions increasingly need to be made daily, or even instantly.
The gap between business velocity and finance responsiveness is widening. Closing that gap is becoming the defining challenge — and opportunity — for finance leaders in 2025 and beyond.
From Reactive to Predictive
In many organisations, FP&A teams still spend more time collecting and reconciling data than analysing it. Systems don’t talk to each other. Reports lag behind reality. And by the time a plan is agreed, the assumptions behind it have already changed.
“The emerging finance model is predictive, continuous, and collaborative — a live view of business performance that evolves with the data.”
Modern data architectures, coupled with the practical use of AI, are reshaping that picture. They allow finance to connect previously siloed systems, automate data flows, and deliver insight in real time.
This isn’t a distant vision. It’s already happening as finance teams learn to integrate Excel, Power BI, and Microsoft Fabric into unified, AI-ready environments — turning familiar tools into intelligent platforms.
Lessons from the First Wave
When I was at PwC Consulting, we spent years helping clients implement fast close processes and continuous forecasting models. The ambition was right — finance leaders wanted to shorten reporting cycles and improve agility — but the tools simply weren’t ready.
We were trying to build real-time finance on systems that weren’t designed for it. Data was fragmented, updates were manual, and integration was complex and expensive. The result was that most initiatives fell short: progress was incremental, not transformational.
Today, that has changed completely.
“The technology we now have at our fingertips — cloud data models, AI-ready architecture, and seamless integration between tools like Excel, Power BI, and Fabric — has made what was once aspirational genuinely achievable.”
This new wave of capability allows finance to automate consolidation, generate rolling forecasts on demand, and build continuously learning models — without sacrificing control or transparency. What used to take weeks can now happen in near real time.
What “AI Speed” Really Means
“AI speed” isn’t just about technology; it’s about how finance operates.
At AI speed:
- Forecasts update continuously as new data flows in.
- Plans flex automatically when assumptions shift.
- Insights surface instantly — not days later when the report is ready.
“Those who move at AI speed shift from hindsight to foresight — from reporting what happened to shaping what happens next.”
The goal isn’t to replace finance judgment but to augment it — allowing professionals to focus where they add most value: interpreting, advising, and leading.
The Human Factor
Transformation at AI speed is as much about mindset as it is about systems.
Finance professionals must become more curious, experimental, and collaborative. Trusting automation, embracing continuous learning, and viewing AI as a co-pilot rather than a threat are critical shifts.
“Cultural change often determines success more than system change.”
The most successful teams start small, prove value fast, and scale confidence over time — combining agility with discipline and control.
A Live Conversation: Transforming Finance at AI Speed
These are the themes we’ll explore in depth in the upcoming GrowCFO panel discussion:
- How do you make your finance data genuinely AI-ready?
- What does fast, precise, and agile look like in practice?
- How can finance move fast without breaking what already works?
The discussion will include insights from the AMAG finance transformation, showing how one organisation built real-time planning and forecasting on modern architecture — and the cultural change that made it succeed.
📅 Wednesday 22nd October 2025 at 15:00 BST
🎙️ Panel: Transform Finance at AI Speed — Fast. Precise. Agile.
Looking Ahead
Finance is evolving from a function of record to a function of foresight.
As continuous planning replaces static cycles, and AI begins to enhance human judgment, the pace of change will only accelerate.
The finance teams that thrive will combine speed with integrity — leveraging automation for precision, and insight for impact.
“In the new era of finance, speed and intelligence are inseparable.”
Written by Kevin Appleby, COO at GrowCFO. Kevin leads the Tech Partnerships Program and hosts the GrowCFO Tech Showcase series, exploring the systems and skills defining the future of finance.