One minute, the sun is shining and you’re approaching the August bank holiday. The next, it’s getting dark at 3pm and next year is weeks away.
Next year’s planning season always arrives faster than expected. By the time the books are closing, next year’s budgets are up for debate and targets are being set. When considering budgets, there’s no need to start from scratch. Use existing data to forecast.
Every number you’ve reconciled, every invoice you’ve approved and every budget you’ve stretched is valuable information waiting to be used.
Why data is your best planning partner
Deloitte’s Finance Trends 2026 report shows a shift toward what it calls “evidence-led planning.” The idea is straightforward: use real spending data to inform future decisions. Gartner’s CFO Agenda 2026 echoes this. Leaders who link plans directly to past performance are faster to adjust and more confident when conditions change.
That means using your own business data as the basis for your forecast model. The trends are evident: where budgets held steady and where costs increased. Importantly, which investments actually yielded results.
When data is straightforward
In some businesses, the picture is clear enough to read without much work. A simple year-on-year comparison of spend by category, department, and/or project can reveal what went right and what went wrong.
If training spend increased and retention improved, that’s a good story to tell. If project costs ballooned but timelines didn’t shrink, that’s a risk to address. These insights might seem small, but they’re what turn hopeful forecasts into grounded ones.
When data gets complicated
In bigger, more complex environments, the challenge is connecting it. Finance, procurement, HR, and operations all have their own systems and metrics. That fragmentation makes it harder to see the full picture.
Gartner found that fewer than half of finance leaders trust their current planning data to reflect real-time business activity. The teams ahead of the curve are integrating systems and automating data flow, allowing them to see what’s happening.
Technology can help, but it’s not the whole answer. The real difference comes from people who know how to turn insight into action.
From numbers to narrative
Deloitte refers to this as the new role of finance: shifting from reporting the past to guiding the future. And while data is the foundation, context is what gives it value.
The best finance teams produce forecasts and tell stories that decision-makers can use. They explain the why behind every shift in spend and connect it to outcomes that matter – revenue, productivity, resilience.
How to build a data-driven plan
Start with one question. What changed this year, and why?
A good plan starts with curiosity. Use your year-end review to identify what shifted in the number, behaviour, markets or timing/season. Understanding the why turns static data into a strategic direction.
- Find your key signals
Look for the movements that matter. A small change in spend can reveal a bigger shift in performance or demand. Distinguish between noise and genuine signals that affect next year’s assumption.
Want to see how over 25,000 Soldo customers are spending? Take a look at our recent Spend Index and find out how your business compares.
- Look for the costs or categories that moved the most
Growth, inflation, inefficiency, productivity – each tells a different story. Compare this year’s top movers and shakers with your original plan. While it’s tricky to explain every fluctuation, focus on the few that had the biggest impact on finance and the overall business.
- Bring data together
Finance, procurement, HR, and operations form part of the same puzzle. Bringing those datasets into a single, holistic view creates context and helps expose cross-functional trends that you’d otherwise miss. - Create one version of the truth that links cost, performance and impact When everyone works from the same baseline, decisions get faster and more consistent. Build a single source that connects financial outcomes to operational reality. Your conversations will move from “what happened” to “what we’ll do next.”
- Talk about it. Share what the numbers mean before they become the plan
Planning shouldn’t be a closed-door exercise. Share insights early with key stakeholders to test assumptions and refine priorities before they blossom into budgets.
Data alone doesn’t make a forecast smarter. Your people do. When you build plans on clear evidence instead of instinct, every decision becomes stronger.
If you would like more information or support with your account, please speak with a member of our team. Or find out what’s new at Soldo.
