Strategy and Goals Input for Dynamics 365 Business Central

What is a Strategy and Goals Input Form?

A Strategy and Goals Input Form is a tool utilized by executives to record a company’s objectives for strategic key performance indicators (KPIs). This management resource facilitates the gathering of metrics for important goals and storing them in a database. As a result, it becomes easy to access these metrics when preparing budgets, financial reports, and dashboards. An example of this type of strategic input template is shown below.

Purpose of Strategy and Goals Templates

Strategy and Goals Templates are employed by companies and organizations to keep managers informed about strategic metrics on an ongoing basis, which aids them in making informed decisions. When incorporated as part of good business practices in a Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) Department, a company can enhance its strategic alignment and minimize the risk of managers losing sight of the overall picture.

Benefits to Users

The use of Strategy and Goals Input Forms, reports, and dashboards can provide significant benefits to business users. These tools allow executives and managers to have a clear overview of the company’s strategic goals, KPIs, and performance metrics, enabling them to make informed decisions and adjust strategies as needed. By utilizing these templates, users can also easily track progress towards these goals, identify areas where performance needs improvement, and develop action plans to address any issues. Furthermore, having access to these reports and dashboards can save users time and effort in gathering and analyzing data, enabling them to be more efficient in their roles. Overall, the implementation of these tools can enhance decision-making, increase productivity, and improve overall performance.

Strategy and Goals Template Example

Here is an example of a strategic goals input form for multiple future years and for both financial and statistical metrics.

Solver Strategy and Goals Input Form for Dynamics 365 Business Central

Solver Strategy and Goals Input Form for Dynamics 365 Business Central

You can find 100’s of additional examples here.

Who Uses This Type of Strategic Input Template?

The typical users of this type of strategic input template are: The Board of Directors and Executives.

Other Strategic Input Templates Often Used in Conjunction with Strategy and Goals Templates

Progressive Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) Departments use several different Strategy and Goals Templates, along with corporate planning presentations and other management and control tools.

Where Does the Data for Analysis Originate From?

The Actual (historical transactions) data typically comes from enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems like: Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) Finance, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (D365 BC), Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics SL, Sage Intacct, Sage 100, Sage 300, Sage 500, Sage X3, SAP Business One, SAP ByDesign, Netsuite and others.

In analyses where budgets or forecasts are used, the data most often originates from in-house Excel spreadsheet models or from professional corporate performance management (CPM/EPM) solutions.

What Tools are Typically used for Reporting, Planning and Dashboards?

Examples of business software used with the data and ERPs mentioned above are:

  • Native ERP report writers and query tools
  • Spreadsheets (for example Microsoft Excel)
  • Corporate Performance Management (CPM) tools (for example Solver)
  • Dashboards (for example Microsoft Power BI and Tableau)

Corporate Performance Management (CPM) Technology Solutions and More Examples

Only Solver delivers a one-day rapid deployment, including free and instant access to $100K of value available on Day 1 in the Solver Marketplace. Solver is committed to helping you with all your advanced planning and reporting needs, so you can Accelerate Better Decisions – starting now. Take a free tour of Solver for any of these ERPs: