Finance teams in mid-sized companies are constantly balancing urgent reporting needs with long-term strategic planning. Despite major investments in ERP systems and digital tools, many still operate in silos—juggling disconnected systems, ad hoc workflows, and a patchwork of spreadsheets to stitch everything together.
The result? Fragmented data, redundant manual work, and decision-making based on outdated or inaccurate information.
What starts as a technology issue quickly becomes a strategic liability, especially when trying to forecast cash flow, model scenarios, or report to leadership. Let’s unpack the root causes of the problem, and how the right systems, processes, and tools—including modern forecasting platforms—can solve it.
The Problem: Scattered Systems, Stale Data, and Spreadsheet Overload
Despite the promises of ERPs and modern platforms, most finance teams still find themselves wrangling data in spreadsheets. That’s because:
- Applications aren’t integrated: Sales might live in a CRM like Salesforce or HubSpot, expenses in an ERP like NetSuite or Intacct, and payroll in a third-party service like ADP.
- Processes aren’t aligned: Different departments have different workflows and expectations. Without a shared understanding of how data should flow, finance teams often end up piecing together inconsistent reports.
- Data isn’t current: Manual imports and exports often introduce lags. A dashboard may be built on data that’s days—or weeks—old, reducing its usefulness for real-time decisions.
According to industry data, mid-market businesses often use over 100 software tools—sometimes over 200. Even if only a handful directly impact finance, syncing them becomes a logistical nightmare. One finance leader described their weekly ritual of manually exporting reports, massaging data in Excel, and preparing a “Friday finance party” just to get a snapshot before the weekend.
The Risks: Wasted Time, Poor Decisions, and Team Burnout
When finance teams are stuck in manual mode, several serious problems emerge:
- Strategic work takes a back seat: Analysts and CFOs spend their days managing spreadsheets instead of identifying trends, modeling scenarios, or advising executives.
- Mistakes multiply: Duplicate exports, skipped records, or incorrect mappings can lead to misstatements, budgeting errors, and reporting inaccuracies.
- Trust breaks down: When stakeholders see inconsistent numbers across reports, confidence in the data—and the finance team—starts to erode.
- Employee burnout increases: Talented finance professionals didn’t sign up to copy and paste rows between Excel files. Over time, this kind of drudgery leads to dissatisfaction and attrition.
When data isn’t automated, forecasting becomes guesswork. A CFO may want to model what happens if a large invoice is delayed or if sales dip next quarter. But if their cash flow model is built in a static spreadsheet, based on partial or stale data, the insights are incomplete—and potentially misleading.
The Solution: Integrated Systems + Purpose-Built Forecasting Software
To move beyond these challenges, organizations must both integrate their systems and invest in modern financial planning tools that make sense of the data.
1. System Integration: Connecting the Dots
Integrating platforms like Salesforce, Stripe, Cvent, and NetSuite allows data to flow cleanly between departments. But integration is not just a technical task—it’s a business initiative that requires:
- A clear understanding of where data originates and how it should move
- Alignment among stakeholders on the process (e.g., what constitutes a closed deal, or when revenue should be recognized)
- Ongoing monitoring as systems and processes evolve
Integration must be customized to fit the company’s actual workflows. For instance, an “off-the-shelf” connector between CRM and ERP might sync contacts, but not track the specific revenue events needed by the finance team. Tailored integrations allow teams to define exactly what happens—such as “when a payment is received in Stripe, create a revenue record in Intacct using these fields.”
2. Modern Forecasting Tools: Real-Time, Scenario-Driven Planning
With integrations in place, forecasting tools like Dryrun can take over where spreadsheets fall short. These platforms pull in live financial data to support:
- Dynamic cash flow forecasts that update automatically
- Scenario modeling to evaluate the impact of delays, cost increases, or new hires
- Budget-to-actual comparisons to track performance in real time
Why Process Alignment is Critical
Integration and forecasting tools will fail if there’s no agreement on internal processes. It’s not uncommon for stakeholders to disagree during discovery sessions:
- “We close deals this way.”
- “No, we enter them manually over here.”
- “Actually, we start the process from this platform…”
This misalignment derails automation projects. That’s why it’s essential to map out every step of your financial processes before building integrations or deploying new software. A common method is to walk through existing spreadsheets line-by-line and ask, “Where did this number come from?” This helps clarify hidden dependencies and uncovers assumptions that need to be addressed.
Adapting to Change: Keeping Systems Aligned Over Time
Once systems are integrated and forecasts automated, it’s tempting to think the job is done—but businesses evolve. New tools are added, business models shift, and workflows change. Companies must remain aware of how those changes impact existing integrations.
This is where having a trusted technology partner becomes critical. Someone who not only implements the initial solution but understands the business and can adapt the systems as needs grow.
A company that failed to properly scope its ERP integration found itself stuck—unable to access the data they needed. A more thoughtful partner, with deeper understanding of the finance function, could have prevented the issue by building a solution around actual processes and use cases.
The Bottom Line: Get It Right the First Time
Finance leaders can’t afford to operate in silos, depend on outdated data, or struggle with misaligned tools. But solving these problems isn’t just about picking the right software—it’s about investing in the right processes and partnerships.
Here’s how to move forward:
- Map your processes clearly before any integration or planning work begins.
- Align your team on workflows and ownership of data.
- Integrate your core systems—ERP, CRM, billing, inventory—with intention.
- Adopt purpose-built forecasting tools like Dryrun to move beyond spreadsheets.
- Review and evolve your systems regularly as your business grows.
When done right, the results are transformative: accurate forecasts, empowered teams, fewer errors, better decisions, and more time to focus on the future instead of fixing the past.
And perhaps most importantly—your finance team might finally get to leave the office in time for their kids' soccer game.
Learn More with FinFactor
In this episode of Dryrun's podcast FinFactor, CEO Blaine Bertsch speaks with Scott Hollrah, CEO of Venn Technology, about the often-overlooked challenges finance teams face when working with fragmented data across ERPs, CRMs, and other systems. Scott shares real-world examples of how manual processes bog down efficiency and limit CFOs from making timely, informed decisions. The conversation highlights the critical role of automation, integration, and clearly defined business processes in transforming finance operations.
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