Google overhauled its finance department by hiring engineers and business intelligence professionals instead of additional finance practitioners in 2008-2009. Google then stopped hiring for finance altogether in 2009, determining any growth would be emergency-based only. Over time, Google reduced its finance workforce yet maintained productivity by eliminating unnecessary processes, automating others, and simplifying what remained. The company adheres to the Six Sigma methodology of constant improvement.

1. THE RESOURCE FOR CORPORATE FINANCE, ACCOUNTING & TREASURY PROFESSIONALS
James Myers
Director, FP&A Strategy Consulting

2. http://m.entrepreneur.com/article/228176#!

3. http://m.entrepreneur.com/article/228176#!

4. In late 2008-early 2009, Google decided to expand finance.
But instead of hiring a lot of additional finance
practitioners, the company instead hired engineers and
business intelligence professionals.
Google then stopped hiring in finance altogether later in
2009 and determined that any incremental growth would
be on an emergency basis. Thomas explained that Google
CFO Patrick Pichette adheres to the Six Sigma
methodology. "He said, 'You need constant improvement.
As time goes on, you should be getting better and better at
what you do. And if this is working out where we're hiring
all of these BI and technical people, you should be able to
keep up with your workload,'" Thomas explained.
Over time, Google reduced its finance workforce yet still
maintained its productivity. But how did it do so? "We did
three things," said Thomas. "We eliminated, automated
and simplified."
http://www.afponline.org/mbr/reg/res/reg_news/Case_Study__How_Google_Overhauled_its_Finance_Department.html

5. Strategic Alignment
-
Lean analytics
Sales process development
Business model & strategy
deployment and
optimization
Historic Reporting
Future predictability
-
-
-
Maintain control and
integrity of information
Traditional analytics
Financial reporting
Revenue planning
Budgeting
Managing financial risk

6. http://ww2.cfo.com/leadership/2013/07/a-new-breed-of-cfo/

9. Polling Question

11. •
•

12. Source: Deloitte CFO Signals, Q3 2012

13. Lean Startup
Spending the least amount
of resource (time and
money) to discover a
sustainable business model,
for businesses that operate
in high uncertainty
Lean analytics: the tools that
measure how sustainable a
business is.
A business can be sustainable in
1 of 3 ways:
1.
2.
3.
Sticky - people keep coming back
Viral - word of Mouth
Paid – Advertising/Sales teams
Techniques to make smarter
business decisions, with reduced
resources (time and money)
during times of high uncertainty

14. •
•
•
•

16. The Black Swan – Nassim Nicholas Taleb

17. Polling Question

19. Hypothesis
Act
Metrics
Experiment

20. Hypothe
sis
Act
Metrics
Experim
ent

21. Hypothe
sis
Act
Metrics
Experim
ent

22. Hypothe
sis
Act
Metrics
Experim
ent
•

23. Hypothe
sis
Act
Metrics
Experim
ent

24. Hypothe
sis
•
Act
Metrics
Experim
ent
•
•
•
•
•
•

25. Hypothe
sis
•
Act
Metrics
Experim
ent
6%
6%
5%
4%
4%
Wk 36
Wk 37
4%
4%
3%
2%
1%
0%
•
•
•
•
Wk 38
Wk 39

26. Hypothe
sis
Act
Metrics
Experim
ent

27. Hypothe
sis
Act
Metrics
Experim
ent

28. •
•
•
•
•

30. Q&A

31. Make Note…
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32. Sponsor

33. Polling Question