Finance teams are being asked to do far more than report the numbers. They’re expected to explain what’s happening, model what could happen next, and help the business respond faster when conditions shift. This job becomes much harder when planning and consolidation live in separate systems.
That’s one of the clearest takeaways from the Forrester Consulting research study commissioned by Anaplan. The study found that today’s finance organizations are still constrained by fragmented legacy architecture and disconnected consolidation planning tools — all of which limit agility for budgeting, forecasting, and strategic decision-making. For finance leaders, the message is clear: navigating uncertain market conditions with confidence requires tighter integration between financial planning and consolidation.
Finance teams aren’t just reporting numbers anymore. They’re expected to explain, model, and respond. That’s nearly impossible when planning and consolidation live in separate systems.
The biggest pressure point: Scenario planning
The study makes clear that scenario planning is where the cracks in disconnected finance architecture become most visible. 64% of respondents say scenario planning and built-in “what-if” analysis is very or extremely challenging. At the same time, 57% say their consolidation software does not easily handle complex requirements, such as intercompany eliminations, currency translations, and changing ownership structures.
When consolidated actuals are difficult to manage, validate, or trust, finance teams have a much harder time modeling the future with speed and confidence. Teams can’t quickly test impacts, align on assumptions, or connect scenarios to a trusted performance baseline. And because scenario planning depends on visibility across multiple business inputs, the problem extends beyond finance alone. The report notes that scenario planning relies on the interconnectivity of many functions — operational, workforce, sales, and more — to show the full picture.
The takeaway: disconnected planning and disconnected consolidation don’t create separate problems. They create one bigger one.
64% of finance leaders say scenario planning and “what-if” analysis is very or extremely challenging — a direct result of disconnected planning and consolidation systems.
Finance leaders know agility has become a priority
The encouraging part of the research is that finance leaders aren’t just aware of the problem — they’re acting on it. When asked about their top priorities over the next 12 months, respondents pointed to:
- Integrating/improving the use of AI in finance and accounting (49%)
- Integrating operational planning with financial planning (48%)
- Enhancing agility for scenario modeling and responsiveness to market volatility (47%)
- Improving data governance, auditability, and regulatory compliance (46%)
- Improving operational efficiency and cost management (46%)
Together, these priorities point to a broader shift in the office of the CFO. Finance leaders want a more agile operating model — one that delivers trusted actuals, stronger governance, faster scenario modeling, and a clearer link between financial outcomes and business drivers, with AI to accelerate every step.
This shift is exactly why integrated financial planning and consolidation is gaining momentum.
66% of finance leaders say they are very likely to invest in a new or upgraded integrated platform for financial consolidation and planning in the next 12 to 18 months.
Legacy finance architecture is limiting performance
The report frames this as a structural issue, not a workflow inconvenience. Financial planning is still largely managed in silos, with limited integration between consolidated actuals and other source data. As a result, teams continue to rely on fragmented tools and offline workarounds that reduce visibility and make processes difficult to scale.
The operational limitations for survey respondents are significant:
- 47% can't easily configure their financial planning and analysis (FP&A) or consolidation software to meet business needs without external or information technology support
- Nearly 40% cite poor user experience with their current finance technology
- 33% point to limited resources or skills
- 33% say processes revert to spreadsheets because their tools cannot support required workflows
Why integrated financial planning and consolidation is gaining momentum
If the current state feels unsustainable, the investment outlook in the report explains why. 66% of respondents say they are very likely to invest in a new or upgraded integrated platform for financial consolidation and planning in the next 12 to 18 months.
Among respondents planning to invest, the primary drivers for investment are:
- Real-time calculation and analysis engine
- Explainable AI
- Embedded AI and machine learning for predictive forecasting
- Agentic AI capabilities
- Built-in scenario modeling and “what-if” analysis
The perceived benefits from this investment point to both user-level and organizational impact:
| Top user benefits | Top organizational benefits |
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While integration improves confidence in the numbers and accelerates the path from actuals to insight, the research makes clear that finance leaders expect more from modern technology. Stronger analytical, forecasting, and AI capabilities are now essential to support faster calculations, more transparent forecasting, and more reliable decision-making under pressure.
Finance agility depends on connecting actuals to action
The strongest takeaway from the Forrester Consulting study is that finance agility does not come from planning alone, nor from consolidation alone. It comes from connecting the two.
When planning and consolidation remain separated, finance teams struggle with longer month-end cycles, disconnected data, difficult scenario modeling, and limited responsiveness. When they're integrated, finance gains a stronger foundation for trusted consolidated actuals, continuous planning, faster forecasting, and more strategic decision-making.
That’s why integrated financial planning and consolidation is becoming such a clear priority for modern finance organizations. The business does not need more disconnected reports. It needs finance and accounting teams that can move from actuals to insight to action — without losing time in between.
Anaplan makes that possible by bringing financial consolidation, planning, and reporting together in a unified environment built to support agility, transparency, and smarter decisions.