The New CFO 90-Day Plan

According to OneStream’s groundbreaking Finance 2035 report, “75% of CFOs report that expectations on CFOs have multiplied over the last 3 – 5 years.” Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), particularly new ones, are under pressure to become strategic growth drivers and are expected to be “masters of everything.” And the role today is as unique as it is complex. Arguably, CFOs also have the most holistic view of the company. Their strategies pump life into the organization, and a misstep could cause everything to seize. To help avoid that scenario, we created the new CFO 90-day plan.

The New CFO 90-Day Plan

A strong CFO analyzes the organization’s former and current financials while forecasting its future standing based on financial and operational data. Plus, all CFOs report to and advise the CEO and board on corporate strategy. That requirement, according to McKinsey, makes CFOs “responsible for building credibility for the strategic direction of the company.”

A CFO’s first 90 days is critical. In this article, we outline the new CFO 90-day plan in seven steps.

1. Establish the Role

In the first three months, a new CFO will quickly realize that the responsibilities listed on a job description are radically different than what’s expected. New CFOs should approach this step iteratively and ask key questions:

• What were the strengths and weaknesses of the prior CFO? What did the CEO like or dislike about them? What could have been done better, and why did the prior CFO leave the organization?
• What is the finance team’s culture, and how does it relate to the rest of the organization? What are the organization’s unspoken boundaries?
• From a holistic perspective, what are the company’s financial practices? What are the first impressions?

The observations made while answering these questions will inform the new CFO how to best approach the business and role without causing unnecessary friction while onboarding.

2. Meet with the Finance Team

A CFO’s success hinges on the strength and cohesion of the finance team. By meeting with each team member individually and as a group, the CFO will better understand the team's dynamics, challenges, and opportunities. These interactions also help establish trust, align the team with the CFO’s vision, and identify areas where changes or support might be needed.

Why Should the CFO Meet with Everyone?

1. Understand Individual Roles: Each team member has unique responsibilities and insights into the organization's financial operations. By meeting with everyone, the CFO gains a comprehensive view of how the department functions.
2. Uncover Hidden Strengths and Challenges: Direct conversations can reveal unspoken challenges, inefficiencies, or untapped potential within the team.
3. Build Trust and Morale: Meeting individually with team members shows that the CFO values their contributions, which boosts morale and sets the tone for an inclusive leadership style.
4. Identify Cultural Fit and Misalignments: The meetings help assess whether individuals align with the company’s values and the finance department’s evolving goals.

What Should the CFO Talk About?

When meeting with team members, the CFO should strike a balance between gathering information and setting expectations. Here are some key topics to cover:

Role and Responsibilities

• Questions to Ask: What is your role in the organization? What are your primary responsibilities? What challenges do you face in your role?
• Purpose: Understand how the team operates and identify any overlapping or unclear responsibilities.

Processes and Tools

• Questions to Ask: Are there any processes or tools that could be improved? Are there bottlenecks or inefficiencies in your workflow?
• Purpose: Identify opportunities for streamlining processes or upgrading technology.

Team Collaboration and Dynamics

• Questions to Ask: How do you collaborate with other teams or departments? Are there any communication challenges?
• Purpose: Gauge team dynamics and cross-departmental collaboration, which are critical for a cohesive finance function.

Goals and Aspirations

• Questions to Ask: What are your professional goals? How can the company support your development?
• Purpose: Identify opportunities for professional growth and ensure the team feels valued and invested in.

Feedback for Leadership

• Questions to Ask: What feedback do you have about the finance department's direction or leadership? Are there areas where you think we can improve?
• Purpose: Demonstrate openness to feedback, which helps build trust and create a culture of continuous improvement.

Outcomes of Team Meetings

360-Degree Understanding: The conversations provide a holistic view of the team's strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.

Quick Wins: Talking with team members will help identify low-effort, high-impact changes that can be implemented immediately.

Team Buy-In: Transparent communication and genuine interest in the team's insights help build trust and ensure alignment with the CFO’s leadership style.

By meeting with everyone early on, the CFO sets a foundation of collaboration and respect. That foundation ensures the finance team is prepared to execute on both short-term priorities and long-term strategic goals.

3. Audit the Staff and Finance Processes

By thoroughly auditing the finance team and its processes, the CFO can evaluate the department's efficiency, identify gaps, and ensure alignment with organizational goals. This step is crucial for understanding how well the department operates and where improvements can drive value.

How Does a CFO Conduct the Audit?

1. Document Current Processes

• Action: Create (or, more often, assign out the creation of) detailed process maps for key workflows, such as budgeting, forecasting, accounts payable/receivable, month-end close, and financial reporting.
• Tool: Use process mapping software or work with staff to outline step-by-step procedures.
• Purpose: Identify inefficiencies, redundancies, and areas prone to errors.

2. Evaluate Team Structure and Skills

• Action: Review organizational charts, job descriptions, and performance metrics for each team member.
• Tool: Conduct skills assessments, use peer reviews, or observe the team’s workflow.
• Purpose: Ensure the team’s skills align with current demands and identify areas where upskilling, role redefinition, or hiring might be necessary.

3. Engage in Shadowing and Interviews

• Action: Spend time with each team member to observe their day-to-day tasks and ask open-ended questions about each member’s responsibilities.
• Tool: Use a structured questionnaire to guide interviews and collect consistent insights.
• Purpose: Gain insights into bottlenecks, pain points, and opportunities for process optimization.

4. Review Documentation and Compliance

• Action: Examine the finance team’s documentation, including policies, procedures, and compliance checklists.
• Tool: Perform a gap analysis to compare current practices against industry standards or regulatory requirements.
• Purpose: Ensure the department adheres to regulatory standards and that documentation is clear and up to date.

5. Analyze Data Flow and Technology Usage

• Action: Trace how financial data flows through the organization, from collection to reporting, and evaluate the tools used in each stage.
• Tool: Work with IT or data analysts to perform an end-to-end audit of the tech stack.
• Purpose: Identify where manual processes can be automated or where outdated tools should be replaced.

What Should the CFO Be Looking For?

1. Efficiency and Scalability

• Indicators:
  • Excessive manual intervention in workflows.
  • High error rates in financial data or reports
  • Processes that fail to scale with growth or complexity.
• Next Steps: Streamline workflows and adopt automation tools where possible.

2. Compliance and Controls

• Indicators:
  • Lack of internal controls or oversight in critical processes.
  • Non-compliance with regulations (e.g., SOX, IFRS, GAAP).
  • Gaps in audit trails or risk management protocols.
• Next Steps: Implement or reinforce compliance frameworks, audit trails, and regular checks.

3. Team Capability and Alignment

• Indicators:
  • Skill gaps that hinder efficient task execution.
  • Poor morale or high turnover rates within the finance team.
  • Misalignment between roles and the organization’s strategic goals.
• Next Steps: Provide training, restructure roles, or recruit new talent to address gaps.

4. Process Bottlenecks and Redundancies

• Indicators:
  • Repeated delays in month-end close or reporting cycles.
  • Duplicate data entry across systems or departments.
  • Unnecessary approvals or steps in workflows.
• Next Steps: Redesign processes to eliminate unnecessary steps and increase agility.

5. Technology Gaps

• Indicators:
  • Reliance on outdated or fragmented systems.
  • Poor integration between financial tools and other enterprise systems.
  • Limited data analysis or reporting capabilities.
• Next Steps: Upgrade systems, integrate platforms, and explore advanced analytics tools.

6. Cost Inefficiencies

• Indicators:
  • High costs associated with labor-intensive processes.
  • Overlaps or redundancies in staffing.
  • Unnecessary third-party services or subscriptions.
• Next Steps: Optimize spending and strategically reallocate resources.

Deliverables of the Audit

1. Process Improvement Plan: A detailed roadmap to streamline and optimize key workflows.
2. Staffing Recommendations: Insights on hiring, upskilling, or restructuring to build a high-performing team.
3. Tech Upgrade Proposal: A prioritized list of technology investments to enhance efficiency and accuracy.
4. Risk and Compliance Report: A checklist of compliance gaps and an action plan to address them.
5. Efficiency Metrics: Baseline key performance indicators (KPIs) — such as cycle times for month-end close or forecast accuracy — to track improvements.

By conducting this audit with a structured, methodical approach, the CFO gains a clear picture of the department’s strengths and weaknesses. That knowledge enables data-driven decisions that drive both short-term efficiency and long-term strategic value.

4. Audit the Tech Stack

For a CFO working through the new CFO 90-day plan, auditing the finance tech stack is not merely a technical exercise — it’s a strategic imperative. The tools and systems used to manage financial data, generate reports, and forecast performance form the backbone of modern financial operations. In contrast, outdated, fragmented, or inefficient systems impede decision-making, create unnecessary risks, and restrict the ability to scale. By taking a proactive and detailed approach to auditing the tech stack, the CFO ensures the finance team will operate with precision, speed, and strategic foresight.

Why a CFO Should Lead the Tech Audit

A tech stack audit provides the CFO with a unique opportunity to align financial technology with the broader organizational goals. Technology shouldn’t just support finance operations. It should also drive efficiency, improve data accuracy, and provide actionable insights. By leading the audit, the CFO can identify inefficiencies, eliminate redundancies, and position the finance team as a driver of value creation.

For example, legacy systems often require significant manual intervention, which increases the risk of errors and slows down critical processes, such as the month-end close or financial reporting. Disconnected systems can also create data silos, where insights are fragmented and decision-making suffers. However, a comprehensive audit addresses these challenges by identifying gaps and recommending solutions to ensure finance operations are both efficient and forward-looking.

How to Audit the Tech Stack

To begin auditing the tech stack, the CFO must map the current ecosystem of financial tools. This first step includes systems used for enterprise resource planning (ERP), budgeting and forecasting, consolidation, reporting, and analytics. The CFO must assess how these systems interact and whether they integrate seamlessly.

In many organizations, the lack of integration between tools leads to inefficiencies, such as manual data entry or duplicate reporting efforts. A robust platform such as OneStream Software replaces these disparate systems with a single, unified solution, streamlining processes and reducing complexity.

Next, the CFO should evaluate the automation capabilities of the current tools. Routine tasks, such as reconciliations or data consolidations, are time-consuming and prone to error when done manually. Conversely, automation not only increases accuracy but also frees up staff to focus on more strategic initiatives. OneStream Software, for example, automates financial consolidation and reporting, enabling teams to close the books faster and with greater confidence.

The third component of the audit involves assessing the tech stack’s ability to provide advanced analytics and real-time insights. In today’s fast-paced business environment, static reports and backward-looking metrics are no longer sufficient. Finance teams instead need tools that offer predictive modeling and scenario planning, empowering finance to test the financial impact of various strategic decisions. OneStream excels in this area, with built-in advanced analytics that deliver actionable intelligence in real time.

What the CFO Should Look For

As the audit progresses, the CFO should focus on several critical areas:

1. Integration and Interoperability: Systems that do not “talk” to one another create inefficiencies and introduce the risk of inconsistent data. A unified platform such as OneStream eliminates these issues, consolidating all financial processes in a single system.
2. Scalability: A tech stack that works for a mid-sized company may buckle under the pressure of a rapidly growing enterprise. The CFO must ensure tools can scale with the organization’s ambitions, whether that means handling higher transaction volumes, expanding into new markets, or managing complex consolidations. OneStream is designed to grow with companies, offering the flexibility and performance needed at every stage of growth.
3. Compliance and Security: With increasing regulatory demands and the ever-present threat of data breaches, the CFO must confirm that financial systems meet all compliance requirements and maintain robust security protocols. OneStream’s platform provides built-in audit trails, strong internal controls, and data encryption to ensure compliance and mitigate risks.

Why OneStream Software Is the Ideal Solution

OneStream Software is the gold standard for organizations looking to optimize their finance tech stack. Unlike fragmented solutions that require multiple tools to handle different functions, OneStream consolidates financial consolidation, budgeting, planning, reporting, and analytics into a single, unified platform. OneStream eliminates the inefficiencies and risks of disconnected systems while delivering real-time insights that drive better decision-making.

With OneStream, CFOs gain a scalable, future-proof solution that not only meets today’s needs but also adapts to tomorrow’s challenges. The platform’s advanced automation and analytics capabilities enable teams to operate with greater speed and precision, transforming finance into a strategic partner for the business.

By leading a thorough and strategic audit of the tech stack, the CFO can position the organization to capitalize on the full potential of modern finance technology. This positioning not only improves operational efficiency but also enhances the organization’s ability to navigate change, seize opportunities, and achieve long-term growth.

5. Assess Current Performance

Assessing the organization’s current financial performance is a critical step for the CFO to establish a baseline, identify areas of opportunity, and develop actionable strategies. Going beyond reviewing basic financial statements, this assessment requires a deep dive into KPIs, organizational health, and alignment with strategic objectives. The insights gained will inform both immediate priorities and longer-term initiatives.

Why Assess Current Performance?

A clear understanding of the organization's financial health allows the CFO to do the following:

1. Set a Baseline: Establish the starting point for improvement and track the impact of future changes.
2. Identify Quick Wins: Spot opportunities for immediate cost savings or revenue enhancements.
3. Support Strategic Alignment: Ensure the finance function aligns with the company’s overall goals, such as those for profitability, growth, or market expansion.
4. Spot Risks Early: Proactively identify vulnerabilities such as cash flow challenges, excessive costs, or inefficiencies in resource allocation.

How to Assess Current Performance

1. Analyze Financial Health: Begin with a comprehensive review of key financial documents, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. Look at trends over time and benchmark them against industry peers. Here are some key questions to explore:

• Are revenue and profitability on target?
• Is the organization maintaining healthy cash flow and liquidity?
• Are there any red flags in debt levels or working capital?

2. Evaluate KPIs: Identify the metrics most relevant to the business’s success, such as gross margin, operating expense ratio, EBITDA, or return on equity. Assess how the company is performing against these metrics and whether they align with strategic goals.

• If KPIs are unclear: Work with the leadership team to redefine financial and operational metrics that better reflect business priorities.

3. Assess Revenue Streams and Cost Structure: Break down revenue sources to identify high-performing areas and underperforming segments. Analyze cost structures to spot inefficiencies or areas where expenses are disproportionately high.

• Revenue Analysis: Are there declining product lines or markets that should be reevaluated?
• Cost Analysis: Are operating expenses aligned with industry norms? Could fixed costs be converted to variable costs to enhance flexibility?

4. Review Budgeting and Forecasting Accuracy: Examine the variance between budgeted figures and actual performance.

• Key areas to review include sales forecasts, capital expenditures, and cost projections.
• If accuracy is lacking, consider implementing tools like OneStream Software to enhance forecasting precision and scenario modeling.

5. Audit Operational Efficiency Performance isn’t just about financial metrics — it’s also about how well resources are utilized. Here are some key processes to assess:

• Time taken to close the books.
• Accuracy and timeliness of financial reporting.
• Efficiency of accounts payable/receivable cycles.

6. Engage Stakeholders: Meet with department heads and key stakeholders to gather qualitative insights. Here are some questions to ask:

• What challenges are they facing in meeting financial targets?
• What tools or resources could help improve their performance?
• Are there misalignments between department-level goals and the organization’s overall financial strategy?

What to Look For During the Assessment

1. Strengths to Build On

• Identify areas where the organization is performing well, such as a particularly profitable product line or an efficient process. Then look for ways to scale or replicate that success.

2. Gaps and Risks

• Highlight areas of underperformance, such as divisions consistently failing to meet revenue targets or processes with high error rates. Then focus on mitigating these risks quickly.

3. Opportunities for Optimization

• Look for inefficiencies, such as excessive spending on non-essential services. Then look for opportunities to renegotiate contracts, consolidate vendors, or improve pricing models.

4. Alignment with Strategic Goals

• Determine whether financial performance aligns with the company’s strategic objectives, such as assessing whether resource allocation support expansion if growth is a priority.

Next Steps After the Assessment

1. Develop a Performance Dashboard: Consolidate key metrics into a visual dashboard for real-time monitoring. Tools such as OneStream Software provide a centralized view of performance metrics, enabling faster and more accurate decision-making.
2. Prioritize Areas for Improvement: Based on the assessment, identify the top 3 – 5 areas where immediate action can deliver the greatest impact, such as optimizing cost structures or improving forecasting processes.
3. Engage the Executive Team: Share findings with the leadership team to ensure alignment on priorities, then enlist the team’s support for necessary changes.
4. Set Performance Goals: Establish clear, measurable objectives to address gaps and capitalize on strengths, then define success metrics and timelines for achieving those objectives.

By thoroughly assessing current performance, the CFO uncovers actionable insights and positions the finance function as a proactive partner in achieving organizational goals. This step is critical to building credibility, driving improvement, and laying the foundation for sustainable success.

6. Define the Vision

Defining a clear vision for the finance function is a pivotal responsibility for any CFO stepping into a new role. Doing so isn’t just about outlining objectives — it’s also about crafting a narrative that does the following:

1. Aligns the finance department with the organization’s broader goals
2. Inspires the team
3. Establishes a framework for decision-making and growth

A defined vision will serve as a guiding principle, ensuring every action taken by the finance team contributes to long-term success.

The CFO’s vision must balance operational excellence with strategic foresight. Accordingly, the vision should address immediate needs while preparing the department for future challenges. Achieving such a vision requires understanding where the organization stands today, where it wants to go, and how the finance team will play a central role in that journey.

The Importance of Vision

A well-defined vision sets the tone for the CFO’s leadership and communicates to the organization what the CFO stands for. For instance, the vision shows the executive team and the board that the CFO has a strategic perspective and a plan to create value. For the finance team, the vision provides clarity and purpose, helping employees understand how their roles contribute to larger objectives.

A strong vision also drives focus. In a role where priorities can quickly multiply, a strong vision acts as a compass. It guides the CFO and their team in making decisions aligned with the company’s mission.

In a company prioritizing aggressive growth, for example, the CFO’s vision might center on building scalable financial processes, enhancing forecasting precision, and securing funding to fuel expansion. In contrast, the vision could emphasize cost optimization, process streamlining, and robust risk management in an organization focused on operational efficiency.

Crafting the Vision

Defining this vision requires four key steps:

1. Understanding the Organization’s Goals: The CFO must first assess the company’s strategic priorities: Is the business scaling rapidly, entering new markets, or preparing for an IPO? These priorities will shape the finance team’s role. By deeply understanding these goals, the CFO ensures the vision aligns with the company’s trajectory.
2. Reflecting on Insights Gained: Whether auditing staff, processes, and technology or assessing current performance, evaluations often reveal opportunities and key gaps. For instance, if forecasting accuracy is a recurring issue or reporting cycles are unnecessarily lengthy, these areas become central to the CFO’s vision. Addressing such inefficiencies enhances operational efficiency and elevates the finance team’s strategic value.
3. Engaging with Key Stakeholders: By gathering input from the CEO, the board, department heads, and other key stakeholders, the CFO ensures the vision addresses stakeholder expectations and aligns with the organization’s broader mission. Stakeholders provide valuable input on what they need from the finance department to achieve their own goals. If marketing leaders struggle with limited budget transparency, for instance, the CFO’s vision could include initiatives to improve financial planning collaboration across departments.
4. Looking to the Future: The CFO’s vision should incorporate emerging technologies and trends. Whether leveraging automation to reduce manual tasks or adopting AI for predictive analytics, the CFO’s vision should reflect a forward-looking perspective. OneStream Software can play a key role here. The unified platform consolidates processes, streamlines reporting, and delivers real-time insights. By integrating such advanced solutions, the finance function will be both efficient and equipped to anticipate and respond to change.

The Key Components of a Vision

A strong vision should articulate the purpose of the finance function, emphasizing its role as a strategic partner in the organization. At the same time, the vision should include clear objectives that address current challenges while aligning with future goals. As an example, a CFO might aim to reduce the month-end close process by 50%, improve forecast accuracy to 95%, and enhance collaboration between finance and other departments. These objectives should be actionable and measurable.

The vision should also outline a transformation agenda — what changes the CFO plans to implement and why they matter. The agenda could involve adopting new technology, redesigning workflows, or building a more collaborative team culture. For example, a CFO might state, “We will unify our financial processes using OneStream Software, which will help us eliminate data silos and access real-time analytics to support agile decision-making.”

Equally important is defining the kind of culture the CFO wants to cultivate within the finance team. For instance, the culture might focus on fostering innovation, accountability, or continuous learning. A strong culture is essential for sustaining the momentum of any transformation initiative.

Finally, the vision should specify how success will be measured. This process includes identifying key performance indicators, such as reduced reporting cycle times, enhanced operational efficiency, or improved employee engagement.

Bringing the Vision to Life

Communicating the vision effectively is just as important as defining it. Therefore, the CFO should frame the vision within the context of the company’s story, showing how the finance team’s transformation will contribute to organizational success. For the executive team, this approach means emphasizing strategic outcomes, such as enabling faster decision-making or supporting market expansion. The finance team, however, would focus on demonstrating how the vision will empower them to work more effectively and achieve their professional goals.

For example, a CFO of a mid-sized SaaS company experiencing rapid growth might articulate their vision as follows:

“Our finance team will become the cornerstone of strategic decision-making, driving scalability, efficiency, and innovation. By leveraging OneStream Software, we will unify financial processes, reduce the close cycle by 50%, and enhance forecasting accuracy to 95%. Through a collaborative and results-driven culture, we will ensure finance is not just a support function but a competitive advantage for our organization.”

This vision is specific, actionable, and inspiring, outlining a clear path forward for the team while aligning with the company’s growth objectives.

Defining a vision is not a one-time exercise. Rather, defining a vision is the foundation for a CFO’s leadership and impact. A compelling vision provides clarity and direction, inspiring the finance team while aligning with organizational goals. By crafting a vision that addresses immediate challenges, leverages emerging trends, and prioritizes measurable outcomes, the CFO establishes the finance function as a key driver of strategic success.

7. Prioritize Next Steps

Prioritizing next steps is essential for any CFO to convert insights from initial assessments into a clear action plan. This process involves tackling the most pressing issues, delivering quick wins to build momentum, and laying the foundation for long-term strategic goals. Through effective prioritization, the CFO ensures resources are focused on initiatives that maximize impact, mitigate risks, and align the finance function with organizational objectives.

Why Prioritization Is Critical

The first 90 days of a CFO’s tenure often reveal numerous opportunities and challenges across processes, technology, and team dynamics. Without prioritization, efforts may become scattered and lead to delays, inefficiencies, or missed opportunities. By focusing on high-impact and urgent actions, the CFO can demonstrate measurable progress early on, secure stakeholder confidence, and create a foundation for sustained success.

After the New CEO 90-Day Plan: 7 Steps to Prioritize Next Actions

1. Categorize Initiatives by Impact and Urgency

The first step after working the new CFO 90-day plan is to assess each potential initiative for its urgency and impact:

• High Impact, High Urgency: Immediate actions to address critical risks or opportunities, such as cash flow challenges, compliance gaps, or performance issues.
• High Impact, Low Urgency: Strategic initiatives, such as adopting new technology or redesigning workflows, that require planning but yield significant long-term benefits.
• Low Impact, High Urgency: Tactical fixes, such as resolving reporting inaccuracies or streamlining small processes, to ensure smooth operations.
• Low Impact, Low Urgency: Tasks that can be deferred or eliminated to conserve resources for higher-priority work.

2. Address Critical Risks First

Focus on actions that, if not addressed immediately, could pose significant risks to the organization:

• Cash Flow Management: Improve liquidity by accelerating receivables, negotiating payment terms with vendors, or reevaluating capital expenditures.
• Regulatory Compliance: Address any compliance gaps or internal control weaknesses to avoid penalties or reputational damage.
• Operational Disruptions: Resolve process bottlenecks or inaccuracies in financial data that could hinder decision-making or reporting.

For example, if cash flow is tight, the CFO might prioritize revisiting the collections process to accelerate receivables and renegotiate terms with key suppliers.

3. Deliver Quick Wins

Quick wins provide immediate value and establish the CFO’s ability to drive results. While these actions typically require minimal effort, they deliver noticeable improvements:

• Automate Routine Processes: Introduce automation for repetitive tasks, such as reconciliations or invoice processing, to free up team capacity.
• Improve Reporting Efficiency: Standardize templates or simplify reporting processes to enhance clarity and reduce turnaround time.
• Tighten Budget Controls: Identify areas of unnecessary spending or cost overruns and implement controls to curb waste.

For instance, automating reconciliations can significantly cut down the month-end close time, freeing up team resources for higher-value activities.

4. Lay the Foundation for Strategic Goals

While addressing urgent needs and quick wins, begin building the groundwork for initiatives that align with the company’s long-term vision:

• Tech Modernization: Invest in platforms such as OneStream Software to unify budgeting, reporting, and forecasting processes, enabling real-time analytics and streamlined operations.
• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Implement tools that provide advanced analytics capabilities, such as scenario modeling or predictive forecasting.
• Team Development: Address skill gaps within the finance team through targeted training or recruitment to ensure readiness for future demands.

For example, initiating the transition to a unified financial platform allows the CFO to consolidate fragmented systems, improve reporting accuracy, and provide deeper insights to the executive team.

5. Sequence Initiatives Logically

Since some initiatives depend on others being completed first, prioritize actions that lay the foundation for subsequent improvements:

• Improve data accuracy before introducing advanced analytics tools.
• Resolve bottlenecks in workflows before implementing automation or process redesigns.
• Ensure strong internal controls before launching large-scale technology upgrades.

This approach ensures smoother implementation and avoids unnecessary rework.

6. Align Resources and Set Clear Deadlines

Once priorities are established, align the necessary resources — team members, budgets, and technology — to each initiative. Assign ownership of tasks to specific individuals or departments, and set clear deadlines to maintain accountability. Monitor progress regularly to ensure initiatives stay on track and adjust as needed.

7. Communicate the Priorities

Communicate priorities transparently to ensure alignment and support from stakeholders.

• Share your prioritized action plan with the executive team, board, and finance staff, explaining the rationale behind each priority and its expected impact.
• Regularly update stakeholders on progress to build trust and maintain momentum.

Example of Prioritized Next Steps

First 30 Days:

1. Address urgent compliance gaps or internal control issues identified during the initial audit.
2. Optimize cash flow by improving collections and renegotiating supplier terms.
3. Deliver quick wins, such as automating reconciliations or standardizing reporting templates.

30 – 60 Days:

1. Begin implementing a unified platform such as OneStream Software to streamline financial processes and enhance data accuracy.
2. Conduct skills assessments within the finance team and initiate training programs for advanced forecasting and analytics.
3. Collaborate with department heads to redesign workflows and eliminate inefficiencies.

60 – 90 Days:

1. Launch advanced analytics capabilities within the new system to enable real-time reporting and scenario modeling.
2. Roll out standardized dashboards to provide leadership with clearer insights into financial performance.
3. Conduct a mid-point review to evaluate progress, then adjust the roadmap based on results and feedback.

Conclusion

Prioritizing next steps after working through the new CFO 90-day plan ensures the CFO tackles the organization’s most pressing challenges first while building momentum for long-term strategic initiatives.

By focusing on high-impact actions, delivering quick wins, and sequencing improvements logically, the CFO can demonstrate value quickly and establish a foundation for sustainable growth. Leveraging tools such as OneStream Software enhances the CFO’s ability to streamline operations, improve reporting, and align the finance function with organizational goals — ensuring both short-term and long-term success.